Not a Leg to Stand on

The emergency room is always a good place for unusual things to happen. Much of the patient traffic is routine, but there are sometimes unique presentations.

Rosanne was a ward clerk who working the triage area as an elderly man was rolled into her cubicle in a wheelchair. He said he was short of breath. Rosanne initiated a chart, gathering the man’s name, birth date, and telephone number. At that time, patient information was typed and the care was hand written on multi–layered carbon charts.

The old man leaned over and grabbed his prosthetic leg with both hands. He started to shift it into a more comfortable position. As he did, the false leg became unattached and fell out of his pant leg landing on the floor at Rosanne’s feet. She paused, stared at it for a full five seconds, then leaped to her feet screaming, “E-E-E-E-K! E-E-E-E-K! E-E-E-E-K!” and danced around in a circle.

“Don’t worry, little lady, it happens all the time.” The old man started laughing. He leaned over and retrieved his leg, placing it across his lap.

By the time he was wheeled into his room in the emergency department, he was extremely short of breath from laughing and really needed placed on oxygen.