I mentioned once before the difficulty of trying to examine someone when they keep wanting to vomit. But every time in the past there was fair warning; a "Whoa, I really don't feel well." has generally sufficed. Things got just a little too close recently.
I went in to see a patient with orbital fractures who had just been brought up from the emergency room. I'm sure by that point he had been pumped full of IV morphine on an empty stomach. I had done the first part of the eye exam some time ago while he was still in the ER and had only to wait for him to dilate. The story at this point is not embellished in any way. He was lying in bed and seemed quiet and perfectly content; that is not to say there was a smile on his face or anything. I had my fancy light strapped to my head and my fancy lens in my hand. I was leaning in, though not for a kiss, when he suddenly sat bolt upright in bed and spewed across the room. My hand was inches away. Inches.
Fair warning is nice.
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