The strange patient in the ER

ThEsEnTiNeL knew nothing of the OP - he claimed to 'track' him based on his IP which is ridiculous since regular members have no way of knowing other members addresses. But I bet it made him feel special to say it.

He then took it a step further and claimed to know who the MD was - we all know the hospital, they have a directory online, so why not choose some poor sap and say it's him? Meanwhile some innocent Dr. is having his name associated with something he has no idea about. I don't think he'd appreciate it much.

In my opinion, attention getters like ThEsEnTiNeL (I'll go as far to say anyone who types his name in such a juvenile manner) should be swept from these boards. It doesn't help the conversation (or ATS in general) and it's an insult to everyone who actually tries to stimulate intelligent discussion. I'm not even a member and it ticks me off!

Sorry for the Rant.

I agree, that ever since Blair Witch, we need to be careful about viral marketing hoaxes. Of course good writing talent and ability is certainly common among many educated people (like doctors), but there was indeed something pretty good about the story and pacing. For instance, I can write clearly and logically (I'm a scientist)---but I couldn't write a good dramatic screenplay.

Anyway here's what strikes me.

Notice how possessive the writer is about the "predictions", as if they were *his* predictions, and worried about what might come as a result or about *his* credibility.

But wait a minute.

They aren't (supposedly) HIS predictions. They're the predictions (supposedly) of some guy who showed up in the ER. Who cares if the guy turns out to be a lunatic? Why should this doctor feel any responsibility if the predictions turn out to be wrong? Why not relief? And so, why not just spew them out? ERs get freaks with psych issues all the time. And no, Jesus doesn't come back and rain hellfire down on the city and especially that parole officer Jerome Rodriguez.

So, to me, the emotional tenor does seem compatible with a writer who has some emotional ownership over these supposed "predictions".

If it is a marketing campaign for 'The Happening'... I know the basic plot of the film, if he comes back to make that big prediction ( in 5 days now I think ) and starts going on about trees, then we'll know he's a phoney. ;p

Other than that though, he had me pretty convinced.

[edit on 5/6/2008 by firebird_88]

People keep saying he is a great writer. I think it is a work of fiction but I would hardly call him a great writer.

The majority of the tale is focusing on HIM as a doctor. It is focusing on his position, his interaction with the nurse, revelations regarding his personal life, his medical knowledge, his embarrassment at being surprised and not thinking clinically etc... The writer is really stretching and hitting the readers over the head with a hammer in an attempt to develop the main character in a plausible way.

The first time I read it I thought it did sound like a very insecure, arrogant medical professional (probably an immigrant to the U.S.) but really it goes beyond even that. It sounds to me like the first chapter of a book by a new writer that is still quite clumsy in their writing style.

I must say that the aforementioned thread was a travesty.

Whether or not the OP is/was genuine, the atmosphere created by the slew of responses was downright negative. A lot of the comments/questions were constructive, no doubt, but reading through the entire thread until it got cut... pretty sad people.

Give folks a chance. I, for one, was actually interested in the story, the responses, the sleuthing, etc., and was looking to see how it would pan out, one way or the other. This thread barely had the chance to develop. No matter how "sure" some of you are one way or the other, you do not know for sure. I understand the need to dissect, to its very core, the OP and his thread... but why the negative connotations and literal attacks?

Result : The thread is down and the OP may never return for us to find out one way or the other.

Gratzi!



[edit on 5-6-2008 by astronomine]

What troubles me about BoulderMD's post is that:
1) patient had a scalp laceration...possible head injury?
2) patient's statements...indicating possible psychosis, either due to organic mental illness or brain trauma from head injury.

The patient was allowed to leave AMA; #2 seems reason enough to request court approval of a 72-hour hold for observation. I find it doubtful that a hospital would do such a thing...but, I may have missed something in his post that would explain allowing AMA discharge.

Just my thoughts...great thread, though, no matter what

Originally posted by ezziboo
The patient was allowed to leave AMA; #2 seems reason enough to request court approval of a 72-hour hold for observation. I find it doubtful that a hospital would do such a thing...but, I may have missed something in his post that would explain allowing AMA discharge.

I believe they generally cannot hold someone against their will unless it appears that individual may cause harm to themselves or others. Being crazy is not usually enough to justify a 72 hour hold, one must be dangerous and crazy.

If the guy's wound was not life threatening (and in the story he stated that he planned to release the patient after treating him) he had every right to leave the hospital on demand.

Here's my suggestion to BoulderMD;
Your story is good, well written, etc. but it just doesn't spread out enough to be a book or a screenplay on it's on - it needs more. Good chapter one synopsis though!

In chapter two maybe the Doctor goes home from the hospital and the official men in suits come to visit him asking him what the patient said to him... they don't believe what the Doctor says and tap his phone, follow him, etc.

In the end the Doctor frees the clairvoyant from the grasps of an evil government agency, wins the girl and becomes a national hero. Meanwhile the claivoyant quietly moves to Tiajuana, MX and opens a psychic palm reading shop next to Jose's Cantina and Donkey Show.

It's got potential I think!

Natalie~

PS:
OOPS! I almost forgot!
The Doctor has to be Matthew McConaughey! (drool!)






[edit on 6-5-2008 by intelgurl]

reply to post by Sonya610


Hey Sonya!

Depends on the doc & judge involved...psychosis alone (mild or florid) without the threat to self or others is reason enough for POC (or OCP...sumthin like that).

I speak from experience: I have a family member who has had 3 psychotic breaks (due to seizures when he voluntarily goes off his epilepsy/brain tumor meds)...he doesn't lose conciousness and he isn't violent, but he does totally & completely break with reality and that's a recipe for disaster.

But, I also know that there have been instances of perfectly sane people locked up for court-mandated psych holds, so I see your point there....

Ezzi

I still think the picture he posted indicates some thing is amiss. It gives the impression of being created to back up his job position when questioned. The dates show it was created before he made the first post. This would not necessarily be odd except the date written on the note is the next day to match the picture post date. Why didn't the date on the note match the picture creation date. Obviously misleading.

reply to post by ezziboo



Well the fact your family member has a brain tumor probably makes a difference, he has been diagnosed with a serious problem and would be considered gravely disabled, not just slightly crazy. Here is a bit of info regarding the laws in California...

72-Hour Mental Health Hold

One of three conditions must be present for an individual to be placed on a 72-hour hold. The designated personnel believe there is probable cause that because of a mental disorder the individual is:

1) A danger to him or herself;
2) A danger to others; or
3) Gravely disabled (unable to provide for his or her basic personal needs for food, clothing or shelter).

www.mhac.org...

reply to post by Sonya610


Thanks for the link, Sonja!

Psychosis, no matter what the degree, can be just cause for requesting a psych hold if the doc & judge involved consider the patient's condition to be "gravely disabling." I'm not trying to seem argumentative...you made an excellent point!)

In Louisiana, 72 hour (or longer) is authorized by the parish (county) coroner, at his/her discretion & considering the attending MD's recommendation.

Ezzi

[edit on 5-6-2008 by ezziboo]

reply to post by ezziboo


Well fortunately the patient character in teh story knew his rights and got out of that situation quick. If he had hung around who knows what might have happened.

Leaving a hospital AMA is a right that too few know about (as hospital staff will use a lot of deceptive psychological measures to convince patients they have no rights) and avoiding a 72 hour hold is another one.

I am a permit holder in GA, and that is one of the big things to avoid, anything that could lead to an involuntary psche hold. I once cut my arm quite badly by accident and the EMT's started asking about a suicide attempt, I really freaked because I realized what it could mean.

It is important to know ones rights and be prepared to invoke them.

I find it interesting that the ThEsEnTiNeL lists his only friend as BoulderMD, while no one lists him as a friend and yet he has been a member since January 2007.

Is it possible to know when the profile was last edited? Of course he can't amend it if others have made a friend of him.

Is it possible this is just a dummy account? For an agency maybe? A government agency, especially if the incident was real, would likely be able to know who the doctor is and could post to embarass him. Do we know if this is an actual person?

While I don't believe the story , it IS all very tin hatty and I love a good mystery, hoax or not...

[edit on 5/6/08 by kosmicjack]

Also another point to be made is, which im sure has been raised before...any one can get scrubs and doctors equipment...its very easy to make an ID with photo shop.

www.easyidcard.com...


Also, another post raised was there are psych staff at Boulder Hospital. I never said there wasn't any, I just said they are all seeing patients on an outpatient basis. In ER you wouldn't need a psychiatrist/psychologist. No need, ive worked in ER, i knew the doctors and nurses and let me say rarely saw a shrink, especially at midnight....any thing requiring attention like that would wait for the next day or the patient would be transferred to psych wards. If he was going crazy and screaming, he would be sedated to protect others then admitted to a psych unit.


As for uniform, this explains it self...very easy to come by!

cgi.ebay.com.au... rdZ1QQcmdZViewItem


As for the prediction about Obama, any one who has been keeping an eye on the race would have known this and that Hillary is bloody stubborn. Before I even read this thread, on the other end of the world, people at work where discussing that Obama will most likely be in the lead, but doubtful that Hillary will concede. Im sure you could have even got a pointer on PTS ....


Also, when dressing the bandagem he would have made contact with the patiend. I posted this link in the other thread that was closed, which shows contact is required especially some thing called 'staples'...


forums.studentdoctor.net...

Enough Said...

Originally posted by intelgurl
The Doctor has to be Matthew McConaughey!

No way....and miss the chance at an additional level of tension? Gotta' have the romantic tension....the doctor absolutely must be Jennifer Anniston....

reply to post by q_ball


Very true q-ball. Just last week they arrested a guy here in atlanta that had been posing as an ER doc for quite some time. His wife even thought he was a doctor at that hospital and dropped him off at work everyday.

Apparently the guy had a stolen badge, wore scrubs, and hung out at the hospital for the purpose of picking up female hospital staff.

www.wsbtv.com...

"Every morning I would drop him off at the hospital," said Tammi Perteet (his wife).

When he didn't call one night last week, she got worried and called the E.R. To her surprise, the people there had never heard of him.

"I said, 'I'm trying to locate my husband, Dr. Perteet.' And she said, 'Dr. who? We don't have a Dr. Perteet.' And she says, 'Are you talking about the guy that had this cell phone?' And I said 'yes.' And she says, 'Oh, he was arrested last night for impersonating a doctor,'" Tammi Perteet said.

Perteet was arrested and booked into the Fulton County Jail on charges of identity fraud, receiving stolen property, and credit card theft.

He was found at the hospital with a stolen Piedmont security badge and a vial of medicine.

"I was told [by Piedmont Hospital] at the time he was arrested, he and a nurse were taking a patient from the emergency room into intensive care," said Tammi Perteet.

As for the stolen badge, it said a doctor reported it missing and it was deactivated.

reply to post by Sonya610


Thats a good post....so this BoulderMD could be looking for love at the hospital..or a writer looking for inspiration...the effort some people go to just for a hoax....

Im tempted to make my own hoax sonja and come out saying hey its me BOO!!!

you guys have to be kidding me . i cant believe that there are some fools that actually are still falling for this crap . what the hell has this site come to ? let me put this in a way all of the un observing will understand ,,, IT WAS ALL A CROCK OF B.S. ....... a ploy a test and an already played out story . this guy was no doctor he was no original writer he's a fake a copy kat a liar and a fairly good fisherman . we know the fisherman part only because he has a stringer full of stupid mackerel and more flopping around on the deck . FOOLS FOOLS FOOLS

I've read all the speculation here and find the happening connection very interesting but the picking apart of MD's facts not so astute in most cases.

Remote viewing was mentioned very early on in the original topic, and no one picked up on that. Then it was mentioned again near the end by someone who also didn't pick up on it.

To me the strangest part of the story, the part that didn't hang together well, hoax or not, was the "trainers" coming to get the person and the resulting scene, which MD didn't really elaborate on...maybe because he was not in the proximity. Most of the rest made sense and was cohesive.

But why I'm really posting is that there's another angle I'm just going to throw out there. Suppose this was real and suppose the person or person who disrupted the topic and discussion by posting personal information did so intentionally to shut it down....