Happy Birthday!

Today we had the pleasure of running a young man who has one heck of a story! See, today is his birthday. Not just any birthday, oh no- it's his 21st birthday! Not being overly blessed with an abundance of patience, this young man went out with his buddies last night. He sat at the bar like a big boy, watching the clock and sipping Shirley Temples. I can see it now.... 11:58......11:59......midnight!!! And bring on the booze! According to a friend of our patient's who was able to maintain cognitive function throughout the night's events, our birthday boy (henceforth called simply "bb") drank himself silly. The entire bar was buying him shot after shot. His friends drove him home around 2:30 in the morning. For reasons nobody can explain BB decided to jump from a moving vehicle at about 20 mph (buddy says they slowed to turn into a driveway). BB landed on his head, splitting his melon open and rendering himself unconscious. Not just a temporary lapse either, oh no. Buddy says BB was out cold, bleeding on the ground, snoring, the whole nine yards for about 15 minutes. An ambulance came, scraped him up, and carried him off to the ER where he got 11 staples in his scalp. BB's mom had the pleasure of being awakened, at 2:30 in the morning of her son's 21st birthday, by a police officer knocking at the door. I can only imagine the "OH MY GOD HE'S DEAD" thoughts that instantly went through her head. Mom went to the ER and sat with him as they did a CT of his head and checked him out. Mom drove him home at 6 in the morning and put him to bed. Mom helped when he was ready to get up later that day. And that's where we come in.

He couldn't exactly get up. He could lay flat and get plenty of blood and oxygen to his brain, but if he tried to sit up or stand up he was out cold again. Unconscious. Down for the count. His jaw was severely swollen on the left side just under his ear. He had a huge bruise and some road rash on his back, and was too raw to wear a shirt. We took him down to a different hospital, and I couldn't help but thank him for being responsible enough to not drive inebriated, but the mom in me came out and I did remind him to put himself in his mother's shoes when that officer was at her door. I think he will be just fine, but hope he learned not to jump from moving vehicles!