It should be noted that this is shared with permission*
I saw an elderly gentleman for a recheck the other day. He had a blood pressure of 190/110. He denied any chest pain or shortness of breath and insisted that he felt fine. I insisted that he get an EKG with his blood work.
About five minutes after he left I received his EKG in my inbox and gasped deeply when it became apparent that he was “tombstoning”. As one might imagine, tombstoning is not a good sign. It is a finding on an EKG that looks like a tiny little tombstone in multiple leads and leads to the patient acquiring a real tombstone of their very own.
I proceeded to call the patient in a panic, informing him that he needed to go immediately to the emergency room.
After a moment of hostile silence, he replied, “I am in the drive thru at Long John Silvers, and I am going to get my *&^%#@ fish!”
I calmly explained to him that if he stays to eat the fish, it will likely be his last meal.
He reluctantly agreed to go to the emergency room.
When I saw him back after his hospitalization and heart catheterization I joked with him about it, “Are you going to Long John Silvers today?”
He replied with a twinkle, “I went before I came this time.”
Ha! You got to watch those older folks, they’re incredibly stubborn and tough.
And really enjoy fried fish…
I love the food from there, but I swear it makes me feel like I am going to die…
Must be some good stuff!
You have never had ljs?
Never tried it?