We had a patient tonight who has brain cancer and her daughter said she had been in the bathroom all day and didn't want to come out. She finally agreed to let us in. I did my assessment and she was alert and oriented x4, got vitals, she seemed normal but couldn't really tell me why she was in the bathroom for that long, she just kept saying she fell asleep woke up every now and then but didn't want to get up (although now I know the real reason why). No head trauma and patient had pms in all extremities. She said she didn't fall and neither did her family that was there claimed she had fallen but when I came back after getting the stretcher with my driver, my partner was assisting her getting out of the floor and had moved her to the hallway because she couldn't walk! So that threw me for a loop. I then asked if she had any neck or back pain and she denied. Well got her to the hospital and she started not being oriented x 4 when the doctor asked her what year it was and stated her youngest son was in school (it's sunday)... she answered my questions accurately earlier and was even able to tell me her social security number and birthdate. Should this patient have been backboarded? I felt c-spine was compromised after my partner had moved her. If I had known she couldn't walk I probably would have immobilized right then and there. Do you think this was a cause of brain cancer of not being able to balance or a possible floor level fall resulting in damage? Her family stated she had an operation on the tumor last week but it wasn't completely removed and she has been missing treatments along with medication dosages. I'm sort of freaking out, and with good reason... my *** is no longer covered.
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