L.B. was a 45-year-old mother of two boys who was brought to the emergency department by her husband. She was having severe lower pelvic pain, and I was just starting my 24-hour shift.
In fact, when I start at 7 a.m., we normally do a 15-minute “handoff” of who is in the hospital and needs to be seen, as well as any other problems that may arise. The call from the ER came two minutes after 7. It was the start of a busy day.
L.B.’s pain had started suddenly 14 hours before, a sharp on-and-off pulsating on her lower right side. She was an obviously intelligent woman who never complains (according to her husband).
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