"Michael Senisch, 62, of Bridgeton, had been a paramedic for 34 years but also holds a certification as a second-degree Reiki Practitioner — a Japanese technique for stress reduction and relaxation that also promotes healing."
Stay with me here, it gets better!
The patient, an adult woman, had a decent laceration to her chest and her home treatment had not been helping. Pressure bandage? Packed wound? A band aid even? Nope...
"Her husband, a retired Pleasantville deputy fire chief, and former EMT, said he and his wife had been treating the wound with "colloidal silver,” but the treatment method had not worked."
Yes, they were trying to heal a tear in the skin, fat and muscle with water that had tiny pieces of silver in it. Astonishing how that didn't work. So that's the set up.
Medics on the scene documented multiple unsuccessful IV attempts and it sounds like the bleeding was under control, after all, the patient had been trying the silver for some time. Later, during transport, Paramedic Senich was also unsuccessful in establishing an IV and apparently the online MD was requesting an IO be inserted. For those of you not in the know, an Intra-Osseous or IO needle is inserted through the skin, into the marrow of the bone to deliver life saving fluid and medications.
Since the patient appears to be awake and alert, I'm not sure why that was even a consideration.
Then, Paramedic Senich remembers he has trained in the ancient art of holding his powerful hands over things and concentrating really hard about something getting better. Isn't that Dr Strange's power in the Avengers?
The rest of us call this "hoping" or "praying." While I am a believer in "something else we don't fully understand" I can assure you holding my hands over a cut will not make the tissue come back together and heal, nor will concentrating on it happening make it happen.
Later, at the hospital, we discover that the patient had contracted MRSA on her last visit and didn't want to go back. When the MD saw the patient with no IV and no IO the attending physician apparently became "furious" and the agency later terminated the Paramedic for not initiating the IV.
Here's the trick.
She can refuse it if she doesn't want it. We all know that. There's obviously something else going on in this agency for a non IV start that the patient clearly refused to end in termination. Especially when the patient wrote to have the medic reinstated.
Oh did I forget to mention that part? The patient and the husband SUPPORT THE MEDIC BEING REHIRED.
Essential oils smell nice, a back rub feels amazing and I know plenty of folks who find solace in the power of faith and prayer. Those things don't work for physical damage to the body. We all know that. How many times have we pulled a slight of hand with a kid to start a line, clean a wound or do an assessment? We can play little tricks.
But when an adult able to refuse care and understand the risks refuses, that can be easily documented and defended.
Perhaps Mr Senich should turn his healing powers towards his lawyers and have them figure out what else his agency had a problem with.
Silver water...
Egads.
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