touching, deep twitter account by Jewish MD treating Covid pt covered with swastikas

[Grasswire2]

[link:http://

Link to tweet

?s=20|


Taylor Nichols, MD
@tnicholsmd

He came in by ambulance short of breath. Already on CPAP by EMS. Still, he was clearly working hard to breathe. He looked sick. Uncomfortable. Scared.

As we got him over to the gurney and his shirt off to switch a a hospital gown, we all noticed the number of Nazi tattoos. 1/

He was solidly built. Older. His methamphetamine use over the years had taken its usual toll and his teeth were all but gone.

The swastika stood out boldly on his chest. SS tattoos and other insignia that had previously been covered by his shirt were now obvious to the room. 2/

“Don’t let me die, doc.” He said breathlessly as the RT switched him over from CPAP by EMS to our mask and machine.

I reassured him that we were all going to work hard to take care of him and keep him alive as best as we could. 3/

All of us being a team that included a Jewish physician, a Black nurse, and an Asian respiratory therapist.

We all saw. The symbols of hate on his body outwardly and proudly announced his views. We all knew what he thought of us. How he valued our lives.

Yet here we were, working seamlessly as a team to make sure we gave him the best chance to survive that we could. All while wearing masks, gowns, face shields, gloves. The moment perfectly captured what we are going though as healthcare workers as this pandemic accelerates. 5/

We exist in cycle of fear and isolation. Fear of getting sick on the front lines. Fear of bringing a virus home and exposing our families. Fear of the developing surge of patients. Fear of losing our colleagues. Fear of not having what we need to take care of patients. 6/

And isolation because we don’t want to be responsible for spreading the virus, knowing that we are surrounded by it on a daily basis. Isolation because no one else can truly understand this feeling, these fears, the toll of this work. But we soldier on. 7/

Unfortunately, society has proven unwilling to listen to the science or to our pleas. Begging for people to take this seriously, to stay home, wear a mask, to be the break in the chain of transmission. 8/

Instead, they’ve called the pandemic a hoax, called us liars and corrupt, told us we are being too political by worrying about patients dying and trying to save lives.

They’ve stopped caring about our lives, our families, our fears, worried only about their own. 9/

He was already on high respiratory support and still working hard to breathe so I asked him about his code status and if he would want to be intubated, knowing that was all but inevitable and before the hypoxia made him more confused and unable to answer. 10/

He said that if a breathing tube was the only way he could survive, he wanted us to do everything we could. So we would. We were out of other options by this point, so we prepared. 11/

I’ve faced these situations countless times since medical school. Not the intubation - which is routine at this point for me and my team. The swastikas. The racist patients. Every single time I feel a bit shaken, but I went into this job wanting to save lives... 12/

... and every single time I’ve been able to smoothly and quickly move though those emotions to do so. “They came here needing a doctor, and dammit Taylor, you’re a doctor” is a mantra I’ve repeated to myself when I feel like my empathic core wanes. 13/

As I stepped out of the room to gear up for a high risk procedure and grab equipment, I checked my PPE. I had my N95, face shield, gown, gloves. Was I safe? Was my team safe? I pause to check and make sure I had all my equipment and backups if needed. 14/

I run through the meds and plan with the nurse and RT. I pause. I see the SS tattoo and think about what he might think about having Jewish physician taking care of him now, or how much he would have cared about my life if the roles were reversed. 16/

For the first time, I recognize that I hesitated, ambivalent.

The pandemic has worn on me, and my mantra isn’t having the same impact in the moment. All this time soldiering on against the headwinds, gladiators in the pit.

And I realize that maybe I’m not ok. End/

[ProfessorGAC]

1. I Got Angry, Just Reading That

What a dreadful position that doctor was in.
I know they take an oath, so I just wish that hospital was full.
If that jerk dies, so what!

[dalton99a]

2. The fucker will look back at the minorities who saved his worthless ass and took care of him

as mere servants doing what they were supposed to do for him

[malaise]

12. Of course if I were the hospital administrator...

That is all

[Escurumbele]

20. I don't know, he may come out of it illuminated, a new man

Near death experiences have a funny way of changing people. Lets hope that it he makes it, he goes through the same conversion and realizes the horror of his past life.

[Codeine]

22. Can't change a tweaker.

Tweakers are just empty shells after a while, not even human.

[ismnotwasm]

32. Yup

Brains gone. My sister is deep into conspiracy theories and is not a functional human being other than she knows how to survive better than most. Switches drugs, but she’s never gonna be right, she’s almost 60.

[yonder]

31. I can only hope for that sort of life change.

The constant barrage of in-your-face disrespect from those with that hateful outlook has certainly depleted my reserves of that sort of hope.

[Rebl2]

35. I doubt it

I have heard stories of people who have Covid and have been incubated. They survived and then say they didn’t have it because Covid isn’t real. They are so brainwashed!!!

[bullwinkle428]

30. Like that POS Steve Scalise, when his worthless ass was saved by a

female police officer that happened to be both a POC and LGBT.

[question everything]

3. A similar event was on the TV show Grey's Anatomy some years back

The chief resident is black and a patient arrived covered with Swastika. He first tried to be seen by another physician.

[DURHAM D]

4. I posted this earlier today but

without all of his posts in my OP. I just assumed that DUers would go read all of them. That was my mistake as his original comment just seemed to piss people off or something.


https://www.democraticunderground.com/100214641073

You did it right. Thanks

[Hekate]

7. I did not see your earlier OP, but you should know that some of us don't go to Twitter

I always appreciate a complete thread if that is what people want us to see. Thanks.

[Grasswire2]

24. Thank you

I didn't see it.

I think some people think you must be a twitter member to read it, and so don't follow those links. But anyone can read it.

[TheRickles]

5. Your compassion is stronger than his hate.

You are doing transcendent work, and I hope you are able to continue doing so. Your story about this patient is inspiring, and it's what healing is all about - you value the human being beneath the political views or emotions (as distasteful as they might be). Even if he dies, his family will be changed by the caring that your diverse team administered to him. It's the highest form of medicine, to be able to put aside your personal reactions and administer care where ever it's needed. You're OK for having these very human reactions - but also know that many admire you for what what you've done and are inspired by your actions. Thank you.

[BobTheSubgenius]

21. You are entirely right about the doctor(s) and dedication, and human reactions.

What I`m saying is that the `hate` was almost certainly not firing on all cylinders, given the situation.

It reduces my admiration and gratitude for the medical community not one iota, but I`m sure Brownshirt McMethhead has more game in him than that.

[denbot]

6. To all frontline medical, we salute you all..

Doctors, nurses, orderlies, housekeeping, kitchen, maintenance, morgue. Hero’s all!

[patphil]

8. This is one of those situations where all involved can learn lessons about life.

The patient and everyone who treated him had and opportunity to rise above their programming and/or past experiences and prejudices.
It could be a turning point in that patient's life, assuming he survived.
The doctors and nurses did their jobs, and maybe, just maybe gave that patient a new understanding of what it takes to be humane, not merely human.
I would hope it put a few chinks in his armor of hate.

But then, that's his lesson to learn.

[housecat]

9. Triage

I'd put him at the end of a line and take care of the worthy patients first. It's like the driver who lets everyone cut in front even though they know damn well the lane is merging. It's more inconsiderate to the cars properly behind in line than it is considerate for the asswipe who must be first at everyone else's expense. I'd let the nazi die. Every time. Not negotiable. I'll accept the karma.

[nolabear]

10. I hope you're never in that position.

[Codeine]

23. That's why you'll never be in that position.

And that’s a good thing.

[LanternWaste]

11. Adults. Experienced. Professional.

They deny themselves the visceral satisfaction of bias and simply do their jobs to the best of their abilities, refusing no one, acting as healthcare providers for all...

Adults. Experienced. Professional.

A portent for Jan. 20.

[Mr. Ected]

13. It's also somewhat of a metaphor for how the MAGAts view liberals

They'll do everything in their power to shut us down, to mute us, to disempower us, but the moment they lose their job, they're filing for unemployment; the moment Princess gets pregnant by the all-state running back they're pulling into the back parking lot at PP.

It's hard to want to live in the same proximity as these people. They're vile, self-important and duplicitous as hell. But we're not, so we soldier on.

[Duppers]

14. AMEN!

[yonder]

33. +1. "But we're not, so we soldier on."

[demmiblue]

15. K&R

[seta1950]

16. I read this

Earlier today it just made me sick to my stomach

[bluescribbler]

17. all these health care workers are going to need treatment for PTSD.

I don't see how they can emerge unscathed. It makes me think of The Professor And the Madman by Simon Winchester. It's a story about the founding of the OED, but it's also about the first person acquitted of murder by reason of insanity. He had been an Army surgeon during the American Civil War. Many of his patients were Irish immigrants who required amputation without anesthesia. Their screams haunted him for the rest of his life. Today's physicians don't face the same issues as he did, but their experiences must be so traumatic. They have already earned their place in heaven.

[BigmanPigman]

18. This reminds me of an old M*A*S*H episode.

A white patient came in needing blood and ha asked the doctors to be sure to give him "the right kind of blood" while black nurse was in the room. They taught him a lesson by slowly coloring his skin to a darker hue. The doctors also informed him that the scientist who invented how to separate blood just died, he was a black man and wasn't allowed into a white hospital so he bled to death. The soldier had a different attitude after that.

[marble falls]

19. That's been occurring to me all last week till now. Its hard enough to resist them: but now I am ...

... beginning to have to resist a darker side of me.

[JudyM]

25. Thought provoking post, Grasswire.

Though I know what I’d do.

[Marcuse]

26. A dramatization.

[UTUSN]

27. Like when Jewish lawyers from ACLU defended Nazis over (Skokie?)

[roamer65]

28. So this little snowflake Nazi wanted compassion, eh?

Wouldn’t get here for his idolizing of Adolf Hitler and his death machine. I will NEVER, EVER sympathize for a Nazi. That ideology perpetrated the death of millions and would have sent me to the gas chambers.

If I were fighting in the European Theater in WW2, I would have shot Nazis with no remorse at all.

[Trueblue Texan]

29. Just read the thread over on Twitter...

I can't believe how hateful some of the replies are. It's astounding how many heartless, IGNORANT people are in this world. I hope they all get Covid and die....no, not really, but I truly despise their viciousness in the face of so many people sacrificing so much for others. I truly do believe the world would be better without them, but we don't need any more Covid cases.

[MerryBlooms]

34. R&K Thank you. Moving story and I bet one that plays

out daily for these doctors and nurses... Maybe not the blatant nazi symbols, but the outward proud hate some of these patients display.

[Kid Berwyn]

36. "Don't let me die, Doc."

Scratch a wannabe Nazi, uncover a lowly coward.

[calimary]

37. Wow - what an amazing read.

It took me straight to the moral dilemma. What would I have felt - or done - in that position?

MAJOR case of mixed feelings.

[Grasswire2]

39. It's very well written, too.

The opening tweet is excellent writing.

[Joinfortmill]

38. God bless this Doc and all the medical folks.