Abby's swansong

Post by Ellen K Hursh
I wonder how long, in a real surgery, Abby would have been allowed to
prattle on from the observation booth before someone piped up and told
her "Look, sweetheart, can you just put a sock in it already? We're
kinda busy here." Though I do agree that Lucien/Neela has its...
possibilities, which probably means the pairing is doomed -
DOOOOOOOOOOOMED! - before it's even begun.
"You're not the chief of me"? Boy, it'd be ironic (by which I mean
"funny") if she got to Boston and wound up with a boss who's ten times
stricter than what she's leaving.
Oh, and *squee*! Itty ginger kitty!

What I want to know was what did I miss? How was Lucien in there
operating?

I don't like the idea of Lucien & Neela.....makes my skin crawl! :-P
----
Lori1

Ellen K Hursh

2008-10-22 08:58:35 UTC

What I want to know was what did I miss? How was Lucien in there
operating?

I think he got hired back, or something. I vaguely remember something
to that effect, anyway.

I don't like the idea of Lucien & Neela.....makes my skin crawl! :-P

Ah, but I'm all about the weird.

DLCandC

2008-10-23 04:52:20 UTC

Post by Ellen K Hursh

What I want to know was what did I miss? How was Lucien in there
operating?

I think he got hired back, or something. I vaguely remember something
to that effect, anyway.

I don't like the idea of Lucien & Neela.....makes my skin crawl! :-P

Ah, but I'm all about the weird.

Somehow............I knew that! ;-----
Lori1

Mrs Eyre

2008-10-24 01:35:14 UTC

It's no dafter than Gallant proposing to Neela as she was elbow deep
in a patient's innards, with the rest of the surgical team loking on
approvingly.

sharon

2008-10-24 21:26:18 UTC

It's no dafter than Gallant proposing to Neela as she was elbow deep
in a patient's innards, with the rest of the surgical team loking on
approvingly.

True, though I don't believe that Gallant's interruption lasted nearly as
long as Abby's nor was the patient in as dire straits as the one in this
eppy. There's also the purpose of the interruption to consider. Abby was
specifically there and chattering away because she was worried about the
patient and wanted Neela and Dubenko to save him. Seems to me that, if
she'd had a lick of sense, she'd have shut her yap so they could concentrate
on that rather than injecting her ridiculous and unwelcome commentary into
the proceedings. But that's Abby; she can't see past herself to think about
the consequences of her many, many utterly stupid actions.

Considering Sam nearly got fired for leaving a hep lock in a patient just a
few days earlier, you'd think Lil Miss Fabulous would've thought twice
before handing a suicidal teen a needle and syringe for his very own. As
usual, the show pretends Abby is clever and heroic while Sam was misled and
not thinking clearly for committing similar acts. What a nitwit Abby is and
always has been! And how gullible TPTB must think the viewing audience is
for propping her up as the greatest doctor evah for it.

Sharon

KStahl

2008-10-24 22:46:50 UTC

It's no dafter than Gallant proposing to Neela as she was elbow deep
in a patient's innards, with the rest of the surgical team loking on
approvingly.

True, though I don't believe that Gallant's interruption lasted nearly
as long as Abby's nor was the patient in as dire straits as the one in
this eppy. There's also the purpose of the interruption to consider.
Abby was specifically there and chattering away because she was worried
about the patient and wanted Neela and Dubenko to save him. Seems to me
that, if she'd had a lick of sense, she'd have shut her yap so they
could concentrate on that rather than injecting her ridiculous and
unwelcome commentary into the proceedings. But that's Abby; she can't
see past herself to think about the consequences of her many, many
utterly stupid actions.
Considering Sam nearly got fired for leaving a hep lock in a patient
just a few days earlier, you'd think Lil Miss Fabulous would've thought
twice before handing a suicidal teen a needle and syringe for his very
own. As usual, the show pretends Abby is clever and heroic while Sam was
misled and not thinking clearly for committing similar acts. What a
nitwit Abby is and always has been! And how gullible TPTB must think
the viewing audience is for propping her up as the greatest doctor evah
for it.
Sharon

What the heck is a "hep lock" and how can one be left in a patient
without someone noticing?

sharon

2008-10-25 03:02:16 UTC

It's no dafter than Gallant proposing to Neela as she was elbow deep
in a patient's innards, with the rest of the surgical team loking on
approvingly.

True, though I don't believe that Gallant's interruption lasted nearly as
long as Abby's nor was the patient in as dire straits as the one in this
eppy. There's also the purpose of the interruption to consider. Abby
was specifically there and chattering away because she was worried about
the patient and wanted Neela and Dubenko to save him. Seems to me that,
if she'd had a lick of sense, she'd have shut her yap so they could
concentrate on that rather than injecting her ridiculous and unwelcome
commentary into the proceedings. But that's Abby; she can't see past
herself to think about the consequences of her many, many utterly stupid
actions.
Considering Sam nearly got fired for leaving a hep lock in a patient just
a few days earlier, you'd think Lil Miss Fabulous would've thought twice
before handing a suicidal teen a needle and syringe for his very own. As
usual, the show pretends Abby is clever and heroic while Sam was misled
and not thinking clearly for committing similar acts. What a nitwit Abby
is and always has been! And how gullible TPTB must think the viewing
audience is for propping her up as the greatest doctor evah for it.
Sharon

What the heck is a "hep lock" and how can one be left in a patient without
someone noticing?

Sam did notice. This was in the previoous eppy where the ER was closed
because of the ricin powder. Sam was treating a guy who had an infection
that needed IV antibiotics. He was studying for his GED (or so he told her)
and couldn't stay in the hospital. She had placed an IV in him for the
first dose and, instead of pulling the IV out entirely, she left the
catheter itself in his arm after disconnecting the IV with a little cap on
it to prevent it from leaking. That is known as a heparin lock or hep lock,
for short. Turned out the guy was a drug addict and Sam hadn't noticed the
track marks between his toes on her 'head to toe survey'- except, of course,
in real life, finding track marks is part of the physical exam, for which
the physcian is responsible, not the nurse. In other words, it was Banfield
who screwed that up despite what the show tried to make us think.

Hep locks are quite useful in hospitalized patients who are able to eat and
drink but need IV access for pain medications and/or antibiotics. If you
remember back to when Carter got stabbed, he had a hep lock in his hand when
Chen came to visit him in the hospital. I remember it because we got some
closeups of Carter putting his hand to his face to hide his pain from Chen.

Anyway, aside from the fact that a hep lock gives a junkie direct venous
access for shooting up, they can also come out of the vein, get infected or
the cap can come off and lead to a lot of bleeding, which is why hospitals
do not permit patients to be discharged with them in place. It would indeed
be grounds for disciplinary action if not firing, if a nurse would send a
patient home with one in place.

However, there's no way a new attending, who wasn't even there the day it
happened, going up to the committee meeting and ranting and raving about how
hard the job is, how nobody works harder than the ER crew and all the other
baloney Abby spewed, would make a bit of difference to anyone let alone get
Sam off the hook. It doesn't matter how tough the job is, it has to be done
right; no patient would accept that excuse, nor would their attorneys and
making excuses is a waste of time. Now, if Banfield had turned up, told them
she made Sam do the physical exam even though it was outside the scope of
nursing practice, and that she should've examined the guy and spent more
time questioning him herself rather than forcing the nurse to do her work;
that might've helped.

Sharon

Sharon Too

2008-10-25 15:16:31 UTC

What the heck is a "hep lock" and how can one be left in a patient without
someone noticing?

It's a way to keep the IV catheter in the vein sort of "on hold" without the
lines going to IV solution. (if that makes sense.) The IV catheter is kept
in place which protrudes a few inches from the arm. To keep blood from
cumulating and then clotting in that catheter while nothing is running
through it, a small amount of heparin (a blood thinner) is placed in the
exterior port. That is taped down to the arm to keep from getting it
snagged. Doc Sharon might have a better (scientific) explanation.

I've had one a couple times. Once when they've discontinued IV fluids but
wanted to keep the line in just in case things went sour and they needed IV
access pronto. Another time when I needed IV injections a couple times a
day. Better to keep that one line open than constantly inject directly into
a new vein over and over each time risking bacteria entering the blood
stream.

Mrs Eyre

2008-10-25 00:49:59 UTC

It's no dafter than Gallant proposing to Neela as she was elbow deep
in a patient's innards, with the rest of the surgical team loking on
approvingly.

True, though I don't believe that Gallant's interruption lasted nearly as
long as Abby's nor was the patient in as dire straits as the one in this
eppy. There's also the purpose of the interruption to consider. Abby was
specifically there and chattering away because she was worried about the
patient and wanted Neela and Dubenko to save him. Seems to me that, if
she'd had a lick of sense, she'd have shut her yap so they could concentrate
on that rather than injecting her ridiculous and unwelcome commentary into
the proceedings. But that's Abby; she can't see past herself to think about
the consequences of her many, many utterly stupid actions.
Considering Sam nearly got fired for leaving a hep lock in a patient just a
few days earlier, you'd think Lil Miss Fabulous would've thought twice
before handing a suicidal teen a needle and syringe for his very own. As
usual, the show pretends Abby is clever and heroic while Sam was misled and
not thinking clearly for committing similar acts. What a nitwit Abby is and
always has been! And how gullible TPTB must think the viewing audience is
for propping her up as the greatest doctor evah for it.
Sharon- Hide quoted text -
- Show quoted text -

But you'd also think that if the surgeons were up to snuff they'd have
told her to go away. As they didn't I'm thinking that Abby being an
inconsiderate moron wasn't really the purpose of the scene.

sharon

2008-10-25 03:10:43 UTC

It's no dafter than Gallant proposing to Neela as she was elbow deep
in a patient's innards, with the rest of the surgical team loking on
approvingly.

True, though I don't believe that Gallant's interruption lasted nearly as
long as Abby's nor was the patient in as dire straits as the one in this
eppy. There's also the purpose of the interruption to consider. Abby was
specifically there and chattering away because she was worried about the
patient and wanted Neela and Dubenko to save him. Seems to me that, if
she'd had a lick of sense, she'd have shut her yap so they could concentrate
on that rather than injecting her ridiculous and unwelcome commentary into
the proceedings. But that's Abby; she can't see past herself to think
about
the consequences of her many, many utterly stupid actions.
Considering Sam nearly got fired for leaving a hep lock in a patient just a
few days earlier, you'd think Lil Miss Fabulous would've thought twice
before handing a suicidal teen a needle and syringe for his very own. As
usual, the show pretends Abby is clever and heroic while Sam was misled and
not thinking clearly for committing similar acts. What a nitwit Abby is and
always has been! And how gullible TPTB must think the viewing audience is
for propping her up as the greatest doctor evah for it.
Sharon- Hide quoted text -
- Show quoted text -

But you'd also think that if the surgeons were up to snuff they'd have
told her to go away. As they didn't I'm thinking that Abby being an
inconsiderate moron wasn't really the purpose of the scene

Personally, I think the fact they were obviously trying to ignore her, the
fact they were involved in a very difficult surgery and the way they looked
at her would've been message enough. However, Abby, as usual, didn't use
her common sense. I don't think that the purpose of the scene was to
portray Abby as an inconsiderate moron, but it surely wasn't to show us how
intuitive and thoughtful she was, either. And, while I think TPTB feel that
having Abby go to the OR and disrupt the proceedings (similar to how she
invaded Sam's disciplinary hearing without an invitation and handed a
syringe to a suicidal teen) is a sign of her passion and devotion. Since
those things would indicate something else entirely in real life, I think
they completely missed the mark; just as they have for the past 9 seasons,
which is why many viewers were more than happy to see her hit the road for
good. I think TPTB wanted us to think that Abs was a terrific doc, while,
in fact, she's not even close to adequate.

Sharon

Mrs Eyre

2008-10-26 01:17:56 UTC

It's no dafter than Gallant proposing to Neela as she was elbow deep
in a patient's innards, with the rest of the surgical team loking on
approvingly.

True, though I don't believe that Gallant's interruption lasted nearly as
long as Abby's nor was the patient in as dire straits as the one in this
eppy. There's also the purpose of the interruption to consider. Abby was
specifically there and chattering away because she was worried about the
patient and wanted Neela and Dubenko to save him. Seems to me that, if
she'd had a lick of sense, she'd have shut her yap so they could concentrate
on that rather than injecting her ridiculous and unwelcome commentary into
the proceedings. But that's Abby; she can't see past herself to think
about
the consequences of her many, many utterly stupid actions.
Considering Sam nearly got fired for leaving a hep lock in a patient just a
few days earlier, you'd think Lil Miss Fabulous would've thought twice
before handing a suicidal teen a needle and syringe for his very own. As
usual, the show pretends Abby is clever and heroic while Sam was misled and
not thinking clearly for committing similar acts. What a nitwit Abby is and
always has been! And how gullible TPTB must think the viewing audience is
for propping her up as the greatest doctor evah for it.
Sharon- Hide quoted text -
- Show quoted text -

But you'd also think that if the surgeons were up to snuff they'd have
told her to go away. As they didn't I'm thinking that Abby being an
inconsiderate moron wasn't really the purpose of the scene
Personally, I think the fact they were obviously trying to ignore her, the
fact they were involved in a very difficult surgery and the way they looked
at her would've been message enough. However, Abby, as usual, didn't use
her common sense. I don't think that the purpose of the scene was to
portray Abby as an inconsiderate moron, but it surely wasn't to show us how
intuitive and thoughtful she was, either. And, while I think TPTB feel that
having Abby go to the OR and disrupt the proceedings (similar to how she
invaded Sam's disciplinary hearing without an invitation and handed a
syringe to a suicidal teen) is a sign of her passion and devotion. Since
those things would indicate something else entirely in real life, I think
they completely missed the mark; just as they have for the past 9 seasons,
which is why many viewers were more than happy to see her hit the road for
good. I think TPTB wanted us to think that Abs was a terrific doc, while,
in fact, she's not even close to adequate.
Sharon- Hide quoted text -
- Show quoted text -

sharon

2008-10-26 01:59:11 UTC

It's no dafter than Gallant proposing to Neela as she was elbow deep
in a patient's innards, with the rest of the surgical team loking on
approvingly.

True, though I don't believe that Gallant's interruption lasted nearly as
long as Abby's nor was the patient in as dire straits as the one in this
eppy. There's also the purpose of the interruption to consider. Abby was
specifically there and chattering away because she was worried about the
patient and wanted Neela and Dubenko to save him. Seems to me that, if
she'd had a lick of sense, she'd have shut her yap so they could concentrate
on that rather than injecting her ridiculous and unwelcome commentary into
the proceedings. But that's Abby; she can't see past herself to think
about
the consequences of her many, many utterly stupid actions.
Considering Sam nearly got fired for leaving a hep lock in a patient
just
a
few days earlier, you'd think Lil Miss Fabulous would've thought twice
before handing a suicidal teen a needle and syringe for his very own. As
usual, the show pretends Abby is clever and heroic while Sam was misled and
not thinking clearly for committing similar acts. What a nitwit Abby is and
always has been! And how gullible TPTB must think the viewing audience is
for propping her up as the greatest doctor evah for it.
Sharon- Hide quoted text -
- Show quoted text -

But you'd also think that if the surgeons were up to snuff they'd have
told her to go away. As they didn't I'm thinking that Abby being an
inconsiderate moron wasn't really the purpose of the scene
Personally, I think the fact they were obviously trying to ignore her, the
fact they were involved in a very difficult surgery and the way they looked
at her would've been message enough. However, Abby, as usual, didn't use
her common sense. I don't think that the purpose of the scene was to
portray Abby as an inconsiderate moron, but it surely wasn't to show us how
intuitive and thoughtful she was, either. And, while I think TPTB feel
that
having Abby go to the OR and disrupt the proceedings (similar to how she
invaded Sam's disciplinary hearing without an invitation and handed a
syringe to a suicidal teen) is a sign of her passion and devotion. Since
those things would indicate something else entirely in real life, I think
they completely missed the mark; just as they have for the past 9 seasons,
which is why many viewers were more than happy to see her hit the road for
good. I think TPTB wanted us to think that Abs was a terrific doc, while,
in fact, she's not even close to adequate.
Sharon- Hide quoted text -
- Show quoted text -

So a medical professional with the best interests of the patient at
heart would rely on a "look" from behind surgical masks to convey
their meaning rather than stating outright that they wanted her to
shut up and/or go away? That's what you would do? Well OK then.

Well, in the 26 years I've been a doctor, I've never encountered another doc
as self centered and clueless as Abby so it's hard for me to say. I've been
fortunate enough to work with colleagues who are considerate and sensitive
enough to not behave like fools in a crisis.

Sharon

Anybody

2008-10-26 02:49:10 UTC

Post by sharon
Well, in the 26 years I've been a doctor, I've never encountered another doc
as self centered and clueless as Abby so it's hard for me to say. I've been
fortunate enough to work with colleagues who are considerate and sensitive
enough to not behave like fools in a crisis.

You must be a veterinary doctor then. ;-)

Mrs Eyre

2008-10-26 01:20:14 UTC

It's no dafter than Gallant proposing to Neela as she was elbow deep
in a patient's innards, with the rest of the surgical team loking on
approvingly.

True, though I don't believe that Gallant's interruption lasted nearly as
long as Abby's nor was the patient in as dire straits as the one in this
eppy. There's also the purpose of the interruption to consider. Abby was
specifically there and chattering away because she was worried about the
patient and wanted Neela and Dubenko to save him. Seems to me that, if
she'd had a lick of sense, she'd have shut her yap so they could concentrate
on that rather than injecting her ridiculous and unwelcome commentary into
the proceedings. But that's Abby; she can't see past herself to think
about
the consequences of her many, many utterly stupid actions.
Considering Sam nearly got fired for leaving a hep lock in a patient just a
few days earlier, you'd think Lil Miss Fabulous would've thought twice
before handing a suicidal teen a needle and syringe for his very own. As
usual, the show pretends Abby is clever and heroic while Sam was misled and
not thinking clearly for committing similar acts. What a nitwit Abby is and
always has been! And how gullible TPTB must think the viewing audience is
for propping her up as the greatest doctor evah for it.
Sharon- Hide quoted text -
- Show quoted text -

But you'd also think that if the surgeons were up to snuff they'd have
told her to go away. As they didn't I'm thinking that Abby being an
inconsiderate moron wasn't really the purpose of the scene
Personally, I think the fact they were obviously trying to ignore her, the
fact they were involved in a very difficult surgery and the way they looked
at her would've been message enough. However, Abby, as usual, didn't use
her common sense. I don't think that the purpose of the scene was to
portray Abby as an inconsiderate moron, but it surely wasn't to show us how
intuitive and thoughtful she was, either. And, while I think TPTB feel that
having Abby go to the OR and disrupt the proceedings (similar to how she
invaded Sam's disciplinary hearing without an invitation and handed a
syringe to a suicidal teen) is a sign of her passion and devotion. Since
those things would indicate something else entirely in real life, I think
they completely missed the mark; just as they have for the past 9 seasons,
which is why many viewers were more than happy to see her hit the road for
good. I think TPTB wanted us to think that Abs was a terrific doc, while,
in fact, she's not even close to adequate.
Sharon- Hide quoted text -
- Show quoted text -

sharon

2008-10-26 02:09:20 UTC

It's no dafter than Gallant proposing to Neela as she was elbow deep
in a patient's innards, with the rest of the surgical team loking on
approvingly.

True, though I don't believe that Gallant's interruption lasted nearly as
long as Abby's nor was the patient in as dire straits as the one in this
eppy. There's also the purpose of the interruption to consider. Abby was
specifically there and chattering away because she was worried about the
patient and wanted Neela and Dubenko to save him. Seems to me that, if
she'd had a lick of sense, she'd have shut her yap so they could concentrate
on that rather than injecting her ridiculous and unwelcome commentary into
the proceedings. But that's Abby; she can't see past herself to think
about
the consequences of her many, many utterly stupid actions.
Considering Sam nearly got fired for leaving a hep lock in a patient
just
a
few days earlier, you'd think Lil Miss Fabulous would've thought twice
before handing a suicidal teen a needle and syringe for his very own. As
usual, the show pretends Abby is clever and heroic while Sam was misled and
not thinking clearly for committing similar acts. What a nitwit Abby is and
always has been! And how gullible TPTB must think the viewing audience is
for propping her up as the greatest doctor evah for it.
Sharon- Hide quoted text -
- Show quoted text -

But you'd also think that if the surgeons were up to snuff they'd have
told her to go away. As they didn't I'm thinking that Abby being an
inconsiderate moron wasn't really the purpose of the scene
Personally, I think the fact they were obviously trying to ignore her, the
fact they were involved in a very difficult surgery and the way they looked
at her would've been message enough. However, Abby, as usual, didn't use
her common sense. I don't think that the purpose of the scene was to
portray Abby as an inconsiderate moron, but it surely wasn't to show us how
intuitive and thoughtful she was, either. And, while I think TPTB feel
that
having Abby go to the OR and disrupt the proceedings (similar to how she
invaded Sam's disciplinary hearing without an invitation and handed a
syringe to a suicidal teen) is a sign of her passion and devotion. Since
those things would indicate something else entirely in real life, I think
they completely missed the mark; just as they have for the past 9 seasons,
which is why many viewers were more than happy to see her hit the road for
good. I think TPTB wanted us to think that Abs was a terrific doc, while,
in fact, she's not even close to adequate.
Sharon- Hide quoted text -
- Show quoted text -

You need to decide whether this is about what really happens or what
appens in a TV show. If the writers say Abby is more than adequate
then she is as she has no existence beyond what they put on paper and
on screen.

I had no idea that, as a viewer, I was required to accept whatever the
writers wanted me to think without question or qualm. Thanks for the tip.

To me, Abby is a poorly drawn and acted character who doesn't work in the
context in which the writers have placeed her. It requires entirely too
much ignorance of reality and common sense for the majority of viewers to
accept that Abby's medical skills are superior to those of her colleagues or
that she would be as popular and envied by everyone who meets her, no matter
how hard they try to sell it. If this were 'Lost' or 'Heroes' or some other
sci-fi fantasy alternate reality show, it might work. However, ER is a show
that depends on its ability to paint a realistic facsimile of an actual ER
and the character of Abby as written and portrayed is so far outside the
realm of plausibility that she has brought the entire show down for many of
us who watch it. Bad acting coupled with poor writing often results in the
opposite of the intended effect.

Sharon

Dropping The Helicopter

2008-10-26 21:56:52 UTC