Crazy lady!

For those who don't know, I am an x-ray tech. My job requires that I put people in positions that might hurt whatever injury they are getting an x-ray for. There is typically no way around this part of my job. I do my best to get creative so that I can get the shots I need without hurting my patients too much. Again, sometimes I just can't do much and I have to BRIEFLY make these patients mad by putting them in pain.

Along with that side of my job, I also have to add that I see all types of people. My patients come in all shapes, sizes, colors, and ages. It's kind of cool to meet all these different types of people.

Now that I have set the stage I will give you one of my craziest stories since being an x-ray tech. I am sure if I thought long and hard, I could come up with something better. However, this story is just too funny not to blog about.

Tonight, an order came across for bilateral (both sides) hip x-rays on a lady who is 105 years old. Let me just say that this is only the 2nd oldest person that I have had as a patient...the oldest was 112. I kid you not.

The 105 year old woman's family was very nice and let me know that her hearing was just about 100% shot. She had hearing aids, but at the point they were just not working. They told me that she fell (what exactly was she doing to fall?? I wanted to ask, but didn't). They said that they weren't sure which hip was actually hurting her. She was just complaining of hip pain, but she couldn't hear/understand what they were asking when they inquired about which hip hurt. No big deal...the doctor orders both sides.

We get her on the x-ray table no problem. We do the first few pictures without having to move her much. Things are going great. I start positioning her for an x-ray that I have to bend one of her legs and move it a bit. She of course let me know that it hurt. I attempted to apologize and explain that we had to get these pictures so that the doctor could figure out why she was in pain. Of course, she couldn't hear me so she really had no clue what was going on.

After I moved her a bit more and she continued to tell me how it hurt....wait for it...she reached up and smacked me across the face. It wasn't with much force because, well, she was 105 years old. I would still like to give it the title of a bitch slap. I got bitched slapped by a 105 year old woman. Oh how I love my job. It was hilarious at the time and I still chuckle thinking about it.

That's one of my crazy work stories. What kind of crazy work stories do you have?