'Twas the night before the night before Christmas

This is a true story. Once upon a time on the night before Christmas Eve, a few days ago, ER doc and I exchanged some texts that prove that the karma police don't take the holidays off.

What follows are a chain of events and text messages that I couldn't make up if I tried. This occurred at a psych moonlighting gig. Text messages are exactly as written that night.

11:43 p.m. Psych doc gets paged about a verbally agressive antisocial patient who is threatening to kill the staff's families and their children over a candy bar. Psych Doc orders emergency medication.

11:48 (text from ER doc): I'm working tonight and next 2 also if u get bored.
11:49 (text from psych doc): Im on tonight but i am done with admits. Gonna go sleep now. Knock on wood, hoping for no seclusions.

(note: if there is a seclusion, I have to get out of bed and go see the patient.)

11:51 (text from ER doc): Sleep work. Lucky
11:55 (psych doc): Thats psych for ya. Pretty cool til somebody codes and I sh!t myself.
11:58 (ER doc): U can call me

( I go to the call room, brush my teeth, take a leak, set my alarm. Close my eyes.)

12:11 am (I get a call from the same unit above, about the same patient.)
(psych doc) Right on cue a patient just stabbed a tech with a pen.

12:14 am (ER doc): Hahaha

Between this time and 2 am, I sent 2 techs and the patient to the hospital. The patient coded, or else he was faking it really good. I don't think the AED would lie. Either way, I somehow managed to keep my britches streak-free and everyone else alive. The patient was critical and was admitted.

02:14 am (psych doc): (Expletive)
02:16 (ER doc): what happened

I recounted the past 2 hours, 160 characters at a time, to my ER colleague 60 miles away.

02:20 (ER doc): Thats crazy sh!t man. I feel sorry for you. You gotta blog it though, its hilarious.

Lesson learned, for like the 100th time; don't say how quiet it is, or how likely you're gonna get some sleep ANY night you're on call. Karma, God, Buddha, Santa, or somebody is up there waiting to get you.

-Psych Doc