Armchair Anonymous: Nurses II

Summary

Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard Episode: Armchair Anonymous: Nurses II Release Date: January 31, 2025

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Overview

In "Armchair Anonymous: Nurses II," host Dax Shepard delves deep into the lives and experiences of nurses, showcasing their resilience, compassion, and the often harrowing situations they navigate daily. Joined by nurses Lucy and Tori (operating under the code name Evan), the episode offers an unfiltered glimpse into the chaotic and emotionally charged environment of emergency and specialized nursing. Through riveting stories and candid conversations, Shepard celebrates the unsung heroes of healthcare, highlighting both the triumphs and tribulations that lead to professional and personal growth.

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Honoring Nurses

The episode begins with Dax Shepard expressing his deep appreciation for nurses, emphasizing their pivotal role in healthcare.

• Dax Shepard [00:19]: “We need to do these as regularly as poopy ear pants. Because nurses deliver every time. Holy smokes, do they deliver.”

• Monica Padman [00:37]: “Heroes.”

Shepard and his colleague Monica highlight the mental toughness, positivity, and humor nurses must embody to thrive in their demanding roles.

• Dax Shepard [00:50]: “They're just a party in their stories.”

• Monica Padman [00:56]: “And funny. I know.”

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Story 1: Lucy’s Encounter with Grandma Monica

Lucy, an emergency room nurse from Charlottesville, Virginia, shares a poignant and intense experience involving an elderly patient, Grandma Monica.

Initial Assessment

Lucy recounts being assigned to an emergency case with an unidentified smell in the room.

• Lucy [06:09]: “Immediate infection smell.”

• Monica Padman [06:20]: “Oh, infection smell is such a bad combo of words.”

Upon discovering Grandma Monica’s condition, Lucy details the severity of the infection and the challenges in treating it.

• Lucy [07:40]: “There is a quarter to half an inch slit open at the top of her forehead. We can see the mesh plate. Oh, and her brain.”

• Dax Shepard [07:58]: “You can see Grandma's brain.”

Complications and Outcome

The situation escalates when it’s revealed that Grandma Monica’s cat, Mittens, has been involved in her care, leading to further complications.

• Monica Padman [09:24]: “Nurses have all the deets.”

• Lucy [09:02]: “This is the nastiest.”

Despite the harrowing circumstances, Lucy speaks fondly of Grandma Monica’s personality.

• Lucy [10:38]: “She was the sweetest little lady. So kooky.”

The episode lightens slightly as Lucy introduces her husband and shares a laugh with the host.

• Dax Shepard [12:15]: “Can my Husband. Come say hi.”

Key Takeaways

Lucy’s story underscores the unpredictable nature of nursing, where emotional strength and adaptability are paramount.

• Lucy [12:44]: “Nurses are pretty amazing.”

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Story 2: Tori’s Bomb Threat Nightmare

Tori, an experienced emergency room nurse from Central Canada, recounts a terrifying day when a bomb threat forces her and her team to evacuate the entire emergency department.

Setting the Scene

Tori describes a typical busy day compounded by psychiatric patients on various holds.

• Tori [27:14]: “This particular hospital was a level 2, but there were only two trauma centers in the area.”

The Bomb Threat

Unexpectedly, the chief medical officer announces a bomb threat, triggering immediate evacuation protocols.

• Monica Padman [29:14]: “Oh, my God.”

• Dax Shepard [29:28]: “This is the worst kind of bomb threat. I'm gonna say.”

Tori details the chaos as the team assembles tents and manages the safe evacuation of approximately 50 patients, including those requiring psychiatric care.

• Tori [29:37]: “There could be 50 patients, including the psychiatric patients outside.”

Resolution and Aftermath

Fortunately, the threat is declared false, attributed to a disgruntled hospital employee.

• Monica Padman [31:08]: “Oh, my God.”

The team reflects on the preparedness and unity that enabled them to handle the crisis efficiently.

• Tori [34:36]: “It was a wild day, but that team... we just do what we have to to keep our patients safe.”

Key Takeaways

Tori’s narrative highlights the critical importance of disaster preparedness, teamwork, and quick decision-making in healthcare settings.

• Dax Shepard [35:48]: “They're practicing and they can do it.”

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Story 3: Evan’s Catheter Catastrophe

Evan (Tori) shares an alarming incident involving a patient who forcibly removed his catheter, illustrating the perils nurses face when caring for highly agitated patients.

The Incident

Evan describes entering a room to find a patient with his catheter missing, leading to a shocking discovery.

• Evan [45:41]: “He had chewed off the side port. Because of that, the balloon deflated on its own.”

• Dax Shepard [45:42]: “What?”

Evan explains that the patient, restrained heavily to prevent self-harm, somehow managed to remove his catheter, highlighting the delicate balance between patient safety and caregiver protection.

• Monica Padman [45:59]: “Jesus. Why? Why?”

Recovery and Reflection

Despite the traumatic event, Evan emphasizes the fulfillment derived from witnessing patient recoveries and the personal growth gained through such experiences.

• Evan [48:21]: “It puts your own life in perspective because you're like, man, things could always be worse.”

• Monica Padman [48:23]: “Yeah. Yeah, that's true.”

Key Takeaways

Evan’s story underscores the emotional and physical challenges nurses face, particularly in specialized units handling severe and unpredictable cases.

• Dax Shepard [48:43]: “Do you ever get to see the people when they return to sanity?”

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Conclusion: Celebrating Nursing Excellence

Throughout the episode, Dax Shepard consistently honors nurses, acknowledging their indispensable role and the extraordinary measures they take to ensure patient well-being.

• Dax Shepard [49:58]: “God bless the nurses.”

• Monica Padman [50:01]: “Love you.”

The episode concludes with a heartfelt appreciation for the nursing profession, emphasizing their heroism, dedication, and the profound impact they have on countless lives.

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Notable Quotes

• Dax Shepard [00:19]: “We need to do these as regularly as poopy ear pants. Because nurses deliver every time. Holy smokes, do they deliver.”

• Lucy [07:40]: “There is a quarter to half an inch slit open at the top of her forehead. We can see the mesh plate. Oh, and her brain.”

• Monica Padman [29:14]: “Oh, my God.”

• Tori [34:36]: “It was a wild day, but that team... we just do what we have to to keep our patients safe.”

• Dax Shepard [49:58]: “God bless the nurses.”

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Final Thoughts

"Armchair Anonymous: Nurses II" masterfully balances intense, real-life nursing stories with moments of levity and genuine appreciation. By shedding light on the complexities and emotional depths of the nursing profession, Dax Shepard not only entertains but also fosters a deeper understanding and respect for those who dedicate their lives to caring for others.

Transcript

[Dax Shepard]

Wondry plus subscribers can listen to Armchair Expert early and ad free right now. Join Wondry plus in the Wondry app or on Apple Podcasts or you can listen for free wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome, welcome, welcome to Armchair Anonymous. I'm Dan Rather and I'm joined by the Duchess.

[Monica Padman]

Hi.

[Dax Shepard]

The Sharky Sharky Duchess. We need to do these more. We need to do these as regularly as poopy ear pants. Because nurses deliver every time. Holy smokes, do they deliver.

[Monica Padman]

It's so harrowing, their job.

[Dax Shepard]

It is. Boy, they go through it all.

[Monica Padman]

Heroes.

[Dax Shepard]

Day in and day out. I love nurses so much.

[Monica Padman]

I know. Me too.

[Dax Shepard]

They're just a party in their stories.

[Monica Padman]

They have great personalities. They have to.

[Dax Shepard]

Yeah.

[Monica Padman]

You have to be so mentally tough.

[Dax Shepard]

Yeah. And positive.

[Monica Padman]

And positive.

[Dax Shepard]

And funny.

[Monica Padman]

I know.

[Dax Shepard]

To get through.

[Monica Padman]

I know. It's really so special.

[Dax Shepard]

We learned a new term as well. I've already forgotten it, but we learned a term about an object in your butt and it has a very specific terminology. It might even become a prompt object.

[Monica Padman]

What is it? Should we look at rectum? Oh, foreign. Foreign body.

[Dax Shepard]

Foreign body. Yeah, foreign body. We learned that all nurses have a foreign body and rectum storage, which is exciting as all hell. Please Enjoy Nurses Part 2. We are supported by Liquid IV. New Year's resolutions are often about creating new rituals for yourself. Mine is sprinting this year.

[Monica Padman]

Yeah, that's a good one. I'm starting to journal more journaling.

[Dax Shepard]

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[Monica Padman]

I love electrolytes. We all know this. This is tried and true.

[Dax Shepard]

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[Peyton]

I'm gonna keep on shining.

[Lucy]

How are you guys?

[Dax Shepard]

I'm gonna go out on a limb right now. You're the first of four nurses we're gonna talk to. And the second I saw your face, I literally was like, all right. Nurses are the most fun people on the planet.

[Lucy]

Thank you. That's the biggest compliment. I'd like to think I'm a fun person.

[Dax Shepard]

Anyone that can say, see the shit you guys see hourly and be laughing and smiling. I mean, that's my kind of people.

[Lucy]

Well, if you don't laugh, you'll cry.

[Monica Padman]

It's a good attitude.

[Dax Shepard]

So goes the adage, where are you at, Peyton?

[Lucy]

I'm in Charlottesville, Virginia.

[Dax Shepard]

Okay. Okay.

[Monica Padman]

How do you like it there?

[Lucy]

I like it. I'm from Minneapolis, Minnesota, and this is a small town feel. We're just here cause my husband's going to grad school. So it's just a short two years.

[Dax Shepard]

It's charming, no?

[Lucy]

Oh, yeah. Very historic, but. Yeah.

[Dax Shepard]

But a troubled past. Is that what you wanted to say? Or a beating around the bush? That the most horrific thing ever happened there? Is that palpable when you're there or have people moved on?

[Lucy]

It's palpable. Especially because I work in an elementary school now as a nurse and it's crazy. They have to do a whole bunch of rezoning for the school districts because it was historically racist zoning. So now they're like trying to go back and redo it all.

[Monica Padman]

Wow.

[Dax Shepard]

Yeah. I'm going to add, I have another stereotype, not just about nurses, but I have a stereotype about Minnesotans. I would argue that Minnesotans are like Michiganers, but a little even elevated.

[Monica Padman]

What's that mean?

[Dax Shepard]

They have so much Scandinavian in them. Right. That they're modest by nature. They hate attention and acclaim. So it's kind of the same stock as Michigan, but they have this nice layer of humility. I'd say.

[Lucy]

I would say the humility aspect didn't hit me.

[Dax Shepard]

Oh, good.

[Lucy]

I love talking about Michigan. I think it's the best.

[Dax Shepard]

Well, home of Prince. Any place that can claim Prince?

[Evan]

Yeah.

[Dax Shepard]

Okay. I'm sure you've racked up many stories as a nurse, but you're gonna hit us with one in particular.

[Lucy]

This is back in 2021 in Minneapolis. I'm a new baby nurse and I'm working in the emergency department. I came in and I had an empty room. And I was the next to get a patient. Lucky me. Which is always scary. So I go to the room, I meet the patient. Immediately upon entering the room, I am so struck with the worst smell in the world.

[Dax Shepard]

Oh, perfect. I just ate. This is great.

[Lucy]

Immediate infection smell.

[Monica Padman]

Oh, infection smell is such a bad combo of words.

[Dax Shepard]

Well, evolutionarily, it has to be the one where most RuPaul spiral.

[Lucy]

I have a mask on, which I don't think is really doing much, but maybe a little.

[Dax Shepard]

Do you guys ever put anything on your nose?

[Lucy]

We have little, like, essential oil sticks.

[Monica Padman]

One time Dax said you should put a Jolly Rancher in there.

[Dax Shepard]

I did say.

[Monica Padman]

Yeah, you did.

[Dax Shepard]

Oh, have you tried that?

[Lucy]

I'll try that next time.

[Dax Shepard]

Don't try that because I don't want you to choke.

[Lucy]

I'm assessing this patient. I'm like, where is this coming from? I don't see anything right away, but she's like the cutest little five foot Monica.

[Dax Shepard]

Old grandma for sure.

[Lucy]

But she's old, okay? Old Monica in her 70s. She has a scarf wrapped around her head. And I am like, what's your emergency? What brings you in? She says, oh, I just haven't been feeling well the past few days.

[Monica Padman]

Okay.

[Lucy]

She doesn't really go on. And I'm like, what's your history? And she says, well, nine months ago, I had a cranioplasty.

[Dax Shepard]

What's that?

[Lucy]

A section of her skull was missing from a birth defect. And so she had to have a mesh plate put in to reform the skull.

[Dax Shepard]

She really waited a while. It sounds like she got through most of her life with this gap, I.

[Lucy]

Think it's something that gets redone.

[Monica Padman]

That makes sense.

[Lucy]

I leave the room to go get the doctor, brief them that you might want to put a double mask on. We go back into the room and the doctor's like, can you take your scarf off? I want to see, like, what's happening under there.

[Tori]

Oh, no.

[Lucy]

She removes it. There is a quarter to half an inch slit open at the top of her forehead. We can see the mesh plate. Oh, and her brain.

[Dax Shepard]

You can see Grandma's brain.

[Lucy]

We can see Granny's brain.

[Monica Padman]

Her brain.

[Lucy]

And we're like, all right, there we go.

[Dax Shepard]

Bingo.

[Monica Padman]

Apparently, brains stink. Now we know.

[Lucy]

And it, like, is very clearly infected. Like, it's like red. It doesn't look well.

[Dax Shepard]

Am I right to assume that's the last thing you want? Infected, Definitely.

[Lucy]

And she was off in all the ways.

[Monica Padman]

What happens if the scarf comes off and you go, you can't help it sometimes.

[Dax Shepard]

You can't do that, can you?

[Monica Padman]

Did you.

[Lucy]

I mean, you definitely probably shouldn't, but being a new nurse, thank God for the mask because I was not expecting Grandma's brain to be out.

[Dax Shepard]

Of course. Right. You're not watching pulp, Tricky.

[Monica Padman]

You're only human. Yeah.

[Lucy]

So we're like, how have you been taking care of it? And she's like, I was taking pretty good care of it. I keep the scarf on. I changed the gauze. It's been going well. Like, okay, has anything been irritating it? Anything you can think of? And she says, no, I take the scarf off at night and then my cats like to lick it.

[Dax Shepard]

Oh, yes.

[Monica Padman]

This is the nasty.

[Dax Shepard]

Nurses have all the deets.

[Monica Padman]

I almost said something really bad. I'm not going to say it. She deserves.

[Dax Shepard]

Hey, don't victim shame her.

[Monica Padman]

You're going to let your cat lick your open brain.

[Dax Shepard]

She said she likes to. She wants to make Mittens happy.

[Monica Padman]

And also, she didn't do her research. Cats love human brains. They eat them.

[Dax Shepard]

Well, they eat their face. Yeah, yeah. The cat got a little ahead of itself. I think the cat was like, grandma's dying and dead and I can't wait.

[Lucy]

I definitely think Mittens was like, she's on her way out, I gotta have a slice. So she obviously had to be admitted to the hospital because that's not good. But since it was Covid time, it took three days to get her from the emergency department up to a room. So for the three days, she was down there the entire back hallway, just the whole time. We obviously attempt to clean it. We started IV antibiotics and Would do the basic treatment, but we weren't, like, getting in there because someone needed to.

[Dax Shepard]

Go in there surgically and get rid of this necrotic flesh and everything and.

[Monica Padman]

Drain all the cats alive and pull.

[Dax Shepard]

The cat babies out of her.

[Monica Padman]

Don't say cat babies in a brain.

[Dax Shepard]

Oh, my Mittens. Kittens.

[Monica Padman]

God. She was kind of like Voldemort. You know, when what's his name's wearing the scarf and then he takes off and Voldemort's there.

[Lucy]

Yes, Professor Quirrell. I literally was thinking that.

[Monica Padman]

It's literally that. Oh, my God.

[Lucy]

You never know what someone's hiding under there.

[Dax Shepard]

And what was her spirits? She sounds very nice.

[Lucy]

She was the sweetest little lady. So kooky. If you were in the room, she'd tell you everything you wanted to know about anything.

[Monica Padman]

Yeah, but she was also crazy. Literally. Cat saliva induced crazy.

[Dax Shepard]

Madness. Yeah, maybe you can say madness.

[Monica Padman]

So we don't know if she was nice or not. Maybe that was part of the delirium.

[Dax Shepard]

What ended up happening to granny? She got a room.

[Lucy]

Obviously she got a room. And that's all I know.

[Monica Padman]

I'm glad. I don't want to know the end of this. This is rough.

[Lucy]

At this hospital, we had a lot of frequent flyers and I never saw her again.

[Monica Padman]

Okay.

[Dax Shepard]

Oh, that's good. And would you have heard if she had passed in that upstairs room? That would they have told you?

[Evan]

Prob.

[Dax Shepard]

Okay, so I think all signs point to she's probably with Mittens now on her lap.

[Monica Padman]

All signs point to she turned into a cat. I think her brain turned into a cat brain. And now she thinks she's a cat.

[Dax Shepard]

Peyton. What if you saw her boogieing down the sidewalk on all fours with the most agility you'd ever seen?

[Lucy]

That would be amazing. I'd have to call you guys back.

[Monica Padman]

What an experiment.

[Dax Shepard]

I have a hunch we're gonna talk to you again because I'm sure you were probably debating which story to even tell.

[Lucy]

I was talking to my husband and I was like, I don't have any stories, just the cat lady. I was like, yeah, you should submit that. That's a pretty good one.

[Dax Shepard]

That really puts a new spin on cat lady.

[Monica Padman]

Yeah.

[Dax Shepard]

Do you think that's Laura's dream in life? No. Don't have her brain licked by her cat.

[Monica Padman]

Ew. Probably. This is what happens with people who love cats. They love them way too much.

[Lucy]

It's kind of a good ending.

[Monica Padman]

I guess so.

[Dax Shepard]

Oh, what a joy that was. Thank you.

[Monica Padman]

Thanks for sharing.

[Lucy]

Can my Husband. Come say hi.

[Dax Shepard]

Of course. Oh, you're as cute as they come. Look at the symmetry. It's completely homogeneous.

[Monica Padman]

And you're in graduate school and your.

[Dax Shepard]

Teeth are that nice. It's awesome to see you guys. I wanted to say we drove from Virginia to Minneapolis before the holidays, which.

[Evan]

Is about 18 hours.

[Tori]

And we listen almost exclusively to armchair.

[Monica Padman]

Oh, that's so nice.

[Dax Shepard]

Is there one moment? That was your favorite any anonymous.

[Lucy]

But we just listened to the Munchausen by proxy, Andrea Dunlop. I don't have Munchausen. Want to say?

[Monica Padman]

Oh, yeah, thank you for clarifying.

[Dax Shepard]

Well, you guys don't have a child yet.

[Monica Padman]

No. You can still have it with a.

[Dax Shepard]

Partner and stuff, but it's most common for the mother to be in the medical.

[Lucy]

Yeah, we'll let you know.

[Monica Padman]

Okay, keep us updated on that.

[Dax Shepard]

Well, again, we were going to talk to you about another nurse story, but it might be like, tell us about a story of inflicting moon chowsings on your child.

[Lucy]

I'll wait for that prompt for sure.

[Dax Shepard]

Well, delightful meeting both of you. Good luck down there in Virginia. Thank you very much.

[Lucy]

So nice to meet you.

[Dax Shepard]

All right, bye.

[Monica Padman]

Hello?

[Dax Shepard]

Is this Lucy?

[Peyton]

Yes, it is.

[Dax Shepard]

How you doing? Have we caught you at work?

[Peyton]

Yes, I'm at work in a nice fancy little telephone booth.

[Dax Shepard]

And if there were any doubt of the validity to your claim of being a nurse, you are currently in scrubs, which really lends to your case.

[Peyton]

Yeah, right. I'm out of the bedside now, so I'm in healthcare education and simulation.

[Evan]

Ooh.

[Dax Shepard]

Oh. And where are you in the country?

[Peyton]

I'm up in Canada.

[Dax Shepard]

Okay, so I assume you have a kabillion stories you could have told. Did you have a hard time whittling it down to which one?

[Peyton]

No, I definitely have a lot of stories, but this one has just always been kind of in the forefront. So I've been in the emergency room for most of my career. Always small town, always rural hospitals so.

[Dax Shepard]

You can get creative farming accidents, wood.

[Peyton]

Splitter against foot, you know, never a good thing. So I've done some travel nursing too, and small urban cities to fly in fly out communities.

[Dax Shepard]

Oh, like in the bush? You mean fly in fly out more.

[Peyton]

On the coast in B.C. or up in the Yukon.

[Dax Shepard]

Oh, wow.

[Peyton]

It's been very cool.

[Dax Shepard]

Who would have thought nursing could take you as many places as like a.

[Peyton]

Flight attendant and be able to make a good income and have some paid travel and accommodation and learn and meet a lot of cool people and see the country at the same time.

[Dax Shepard]

So this would be the one. You're at a dinner party and they want to hear a story. This is the one you always reel out.

[Peyton]

If they're with nurses or other healthcare providers, sure.

[Monica Padman]

But not a layman.

[Dax Shepard]

Not for civilians.

[Peyton]

So small town emerge. Someone comes into triage after biking in from a neighboring community. It's like a 15 minute drive. So it's not a short. Bike comes in, not really saying much, not making great eye contact, being a little elusive. Just repeating that he wants to see a doctor. We try and obtain a little bit more pertinent information. The triage process is important and only get out of them pain back there.

[Dax Shepard]

Great. Because I was gonna say the times I've had to go to the doctor and talk about something, I just really don't want to talk. I have decided I'm willing to tell this one person. In your mind you've committed to that. And then you get there and you start realizing, no, I'm gonna have to tell many people and I hate that. Is that common where like they don't really want to tell you because they've already decided only one person shall ever know this?

[Peyton]

Yeah, it could happen. And then also at the same time, like you're writing it down. So that's a whole other added layer that people don't love.

[Dax Shepard]

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[Monica Padman]

I was at Molly's gym and she has a peloton and every time I'm there, I try to sneak up there and get a little workout. Steal a sash because it is so fun.

[Dax Shepard]

It is the whole instructor part in the class.

[Monica Padman]

Yes. And any chance you can make working out fun, I'll take it.

[Dax Shepard]

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[Monica Padman]

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[Dax Shepard]

Oh really?

[Monica Padman]

Yeah, the sweatpants are on there. People love the sweatpants and really great for travel.

[Dax Shepard]

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[Peyton]

So they're referencing pain back there just being pretty elusive and not wanting to say much. So we respect that and then get them back. So the physician goes in to assess A little bit later comes out and orders some abdominal imaging. A little. A little while later, imaging is ready and we review it to find a foreign body lodged nicely between those pelvic bones.

[Dax Shepard]

So deep up into his rectum.

[Peyton]

Yeah. So like a little callback. This person biked in, right?

[Monica Padman]

Oh, my God. Yeah. Oh.

[Peyton]

All I can imagine hearing this is every pedal revolution, you know, just going up a little bit further each time.

[Monica Padman]

Oh, no, this is sad.

[Dax Shepard]

And is it clear from the imaging what the object is?

[Peyton]

So it definitely had the structure of a bottle. The person just wasn't really saying a whole lot to everyone. So it had a bottle, like, shape. But I wouldn't be able to be like, oh, that's a Coke bottle or something.

[Monica Padman]

Right, Right.

[Peyton]

But we're a rural hospital to try and get creative with what you have babies do get delivered here. And there are like vacuum assisted devices for babies that it was pitched to see if maybe that could work. Ultimately didn't go with that because the physician could barely reach the object.

[Dax Shepard]

If you had to guess how many inches beyond the anus it was, could you guess?

[Peyton]

He said he could barely touch it with his finger.

[Monica Padman]

Wow.

[Dax Shepard]

Three or four inches up there.

[Peyton]

This physician's probably like your stature too.

[Dax Shepard]

He really had a long finger to work with.

[Peyton]

Yes. So he could feel it a little bit. But obviously a vacuum can't suction to that small of a piece. And that piece of plastic, whatever it might have been, it took a lot of convincing and encouraging, but he really needed to go to the city to have a procedure to get. The other concern with the imaging was there's free air on the X ray, which means something might have perforated. So there's more severity there that you don't want to mess around with rurally. And then also if you were just to simply like pull it out, it creates a vacuum.

[Dax Shepard]

Oh, you kind of maybe got to fill air around it. You might have to be inflating, basically as you pull it out or like.

[Peyton]

Have another hole in it elsewhere to kind of help prevent a vacuum and have all the intestines come with it.

[Dax Shepard]

To think about.

[Peyton]

Yeah, a lot to think about beforehand. This poor person, they finally came around to heading to the city. So a lot of times people don't necessarily come back for discharge or anything like that. Usually when they go, that's the last time we'll see them.

[Dax Shepard]

Oh, I'm going to guess, I mean, his bike is there.

[Peyton]

Yeah. The next day he came back into Emerge to pick up his bike seat.

[Monica Padman]

I find this Sad.

[Peyton]

I know. I feel so much for this person. It would be such a hard thing.

[Dax Shepard]

It would have to go back to get your bike. And also, you just hit a pretty massive procedure up there and you're going to now ride the fact that he.

[Monica Padman]

Biked there in the first place.

[Peyton]

Yeah. I don't know what kind of procedure he had. It obviously it wasn't an open abdominal anything because they were able to walk in the next day.

[Monica Padman]

Do we know what it was?

[Dax Shepard]

I bet there'd be like a HIPAA issue. Like, they couldn't call the next hospital and be like, hey, what was that? I think wouldn't that violate HIPPA somehow?

[Peyton]

Yeah. I don't have confirmations of anything. Just what I saw on the X ray, which was impressive for sure.

[Dax Shepard]

I have an immediate guess. I think it was a bottle of conditioner. I think he was in the shower and he decided to masturbate and he thought it might feel nice to have this bottle up his butt. Now, when you think back in your mind of the image. Could it have been a conditioner bottle?

[Peyton]

It definitely looked like a drink bottle.

[Monica Padman]

Okay.

[Dax Shepard]

Oh, wonderful. I take it all back. He was sitting on a picnic table having a nice dinner.

[Monica Padman]

It was an accident. It was a pure accident. He just sat down. It got up there.

[Peyton]

It's the classic slip and fall.

[Dax Shepard]

Yeah.

[Monica Padman]

Classic.

[Dax Shepard]

And I'm sorry, detail. But my assumption now is that the thin end was first.

[Monica Padman]

Yeah, of course.

[Peyton]

Yep.

[Dax Shepard]

Okay.

[Monica Padman]

Also, do you think it was full.

[Dax Shepard]

Of the soda or whatever?

[Monica Padman]

Yeah.

[Dax Shepard]

No, because the cap would have had.

[Monica Padman]

Have been also. That's what I'm thinking about, the cap in it.

[Dax Shepard]

He would have taken the cap.

[Peyton]

I think it might have come up a bit more opaque too, with the liquid in it. But, yeah, classic slip and fall. I'm sure many nurses have this story.

[Dax Shepard]

I hope you figured out how to enjoy that. That hobby without any further complications. If someone wants to do that, and that feels nice, I'm all for it.

[Monica Padman]

I just wish he didn't have to ride his bike.

[Dax Shepard]

No, that is really a cruel detail of the story.

[Peyton]

Plot twist, for sure. The bike ride in couldn't have been comfortable.

[Dax Shepard]

Now I'm double sad because he didn't have anyone to call. But then I don't know that that's the truth either, because he might have just been like, there's no way I'm calling anyone.

[Monica Padman]

But he also doesn't have a car. The only mode of transportation he has is that bike. That's a little telling.

[Peyton]

It's also small, rural town People know everyone, right?

[Monica Padman]

That's even worse.

[Dax Shepard]

Well, Lucy, this has been incredible. I kind of had fingers crossed we would get something stuck up the butt story. You read about those? Occasionally.

[Peyton]

Yeah, I figured it might be appealing in that sense based on what I've heard in the past, based on the.

[Dax Shepard]

Tone of the show. I thought this might interest you.

[Peyton]

I've been listening to you guys since it started. This is crazy to see behind the scenes or.

[Dax Shepard]

So happy to have you.

[Monica Padman]

Yeah, thanks for listening.

[Dax Shepard]

And from the bottom of my heart, I'm more grateful for y'all than even doctors. I think the stuff that you guys have to do.

[Monica Padman]

Oh, yeah.

[Dax Shepard]

Is just the most impressive.

[Monica Padman]

From the bottom of your butt.

[Dax Shepard]

From the bottom of my butt to the bottom of your heart.

[Peyton]

Yeah. Nurses are pretty amazing.

[Dax Shepard]

All right, well, it was lovely meeting you, and again, thank you so much for the work you do.

[Peyton]

Thank you so much for this opportunity.

[Dax Shepard]

All right, take care.

[Peyton]

Bye, guys.

[Tori]

Bye.

[Monica Padman]

What does bottom of my heart.

[Dax Shepard]

The depths of my heart. The deepest part.

[Monica Padman]

But the deepest part, I feel like, is this center.

[Dax Shepard]

You're hung up on bottom because we're talking about someone's bottom.

[Monica Padman]

No, you said from the bottom of my heart, and then it made me.

[Dax Shepard]

Think the rectum of the heart. That's my point, is we're talking about bottoms right now. Like butt bottoms.

[Monica Padman]

But I'm just saying, bottom of the heart doesn't feel that much more important than the middle of the heart. The core, the pulsing part from the. Yeah, I'm just curious who made that up?

[Dax Shepard]

From the left chamber of my heart, probably.

[Monica Padman]

Or Abraham.

[Dax Shepard]

Never gonna watch that doc.

[Monica Padman]

You already told me the whole doc.

[Tori]

It was Abraham Lincoln.

[Dax Shepard]

No, I'm just kidding.

[Monica Padman]

Hello.

[Tori]

How are you guys?

[Dax Shepard]

So good. Do you want to use a code name?

[Tori]

Let's go with the name Evan.

[Monica Padman]

You look like an Evan.

[Dax Shepard]

Yeah, and I like the name Evan. Do you have a best friend named Evan or something?

[Tori]

I don't. It's actually a family name.

[Dax Shepard]

Oh, okay. So, Evan, where are you in the country? You can be as vague as you'd like. I just am curious.

[Tori]

I'm in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. But funny enough, about a year ago, I moved. I was in LA for 10 years and I lived in a pretty decent apartment complex right near Hollywood and Western.

[Evan]

Oh.

[Tori]

So I always used to go to Maru and hope that I would run into Monica.

[Monica Padman]

Oh, my God. Well, you're more likely to run into Rob. I'm shocked you didn't run into Rob.

[Dax Shepard]

Probably did.

[Monica Padman]

You probably did, but. Oh, man, that would have been Great.

[Dax Shepard]

Now, were you on the hunt for Monica so you could explore something romantic with her? No.

[Tori]

I'm actually gay.

[Dax Shepard]

Oh, okay. Okay.

[Monica Padman]

That's a bummer.

[Dax Shepard]

I feel like that's more substantive.

[Monica Padman]

Yeah, it's more pure.

[Dax Shepard]

Yeah.

[Monica Padman]

I'm sorry I missed you.

[Dax Shepard]

Okay. So you are a nurse, I presume?

[Tori]

I'm an emergency room nurse.

[Dax Shepard]

For how long?

[Tori]

It'll be 14 years this year.

[Dax Shepard]

Okay. So you have a juicy story. I'm sure you've got many, but you have paired it down to this one.

[Monica Padman]

Juicy isn't an operator.

[Dax Shepard]

Oh, I do. I hope Juice is involved in this story.

[Tori]

Sorry, no Juices in this story. But it's a pretty wild one. This doesn't take place in la. It does take place somewhere else in California. I was working in a pretty busy emergency department. It was a level 2 trauma center. So we see pretty much all the crazy. Gunshots, stabbings, car accidents, falls, all of those things.

[Dax Shepard]

Will you tell us about the levels? I've never heard it being described as Level one or two or three.

[Tori]

It goes from level one to Level four. Level one is the highest. So that's your Cedar Sinai. The main difference between a level one and a level two is that they have neurosurgery 24 hours a day in house. So if you have a head injury, they can do procedures right then and there. Whereas Level two, they have to bring a neurosurgeon in or they have to fly the patient, depending on their injury, to a different facility.

[Dax Shepard]

Okay.

[Tori]

And then down to level four. It just really is resources that are available at that specific facility. So this particular hospital was a level 2, but there were only two trauma centers in the area. So we would get a lot of the traumas and the crazy stuff along with just basic medical patients that come in. This was around 20, 2017, 2018. Busy day in the emergency department. We had a lot of traumas coming in. The waiting room was full. But on top of that, we have a lot of psychiatric patients that are on a 5150 hold. They're there on the hold for 72 hours for whatever reason. Either they're suicidal, homicidal or gravely disabled, meaning they can't care for themselves. We're kind of responsible for those patients until they get to a psychiatric facility, which sometimes, you know, that can be days that they're in our emergency department.

[Dax Shepard]

And is protocol the kind of, for lack of a better word, anesthetist? Do you want to get them on some kind of benzo to calm everyone down?

[Tori]

So it depends on their level of how violent they are. If you come in and just say, hey, you know, I'm thinking of committing suicide. But they're willing to be there voluntarily, that's one thing. Some other patients will be brought in by the cops because they tried to kill their spouse. At that point, we hold them, but some of them are cooperative and they're calm. Other patients are a little less calm. And we have to end up restraining them physically or we have to sedate them with a chemical restraint. And I remember this day, we particularly had, I think probably seven or eight psychiatric patients, which is a lot. They'll be in our psych rooms and then some of them are in the hallways. But typically they have to be a one to one sitter and the person that's watching them has to be within arm's reach in case they try to hurt themselves. So we're busy doing our thing throughout the day. And the chief medical officer comes to the department and he quickly tells the team, hey, we just received a call that there was a bomb threat made at the hospital and we need to evacuate the emergency department immediately.

[Dax Shepard]

Whoa, does that mean bring them outdoors?

[Tori]

Bring everyone.

[Dax Shepard]

Oh my God.

[Tori]

There could be 50 patients, including the psychiatric patients outside.

[Dax Shepard]

This is the worst kind of bomb threat. I'm gonna say.

[Monica Padman]

Yeah, this is a mean one.

[Dax Shepard]

Yeah.

[Tori]

I've worked places where there's been a threat called in and we typically have security teams and the police are always there because of various reasons. But this particular day he made the decision that we need to evacuate the emergency department. So as eer nurses do, our team figures it out. A lot of times for disasters, we'll put up tents out in the parking lot. So the team began assembling the tents and trying to get patients out as quickly and as safely as possible. There may be 50 patients in the department and there's a handful of nurses.

[Monica Padman]

Oh, this is horrible.

[Tori]

The worst scenario that you could probably imagine in the emergency department. And we see awful things. So while trying to maintain all of the other patients, getting them out safely, you know, the people that can't walk on their own, this really sick patients. We have to make sure that all of the psychiatric patients are accounted for. So we get them all outside. Everything comes together perfectly. There's enough people to watch. We kind of quarantined the psychiatric patients to one area. We had security guard, there were cops there that had responded to the event. Everything seems to be going well. The bomb squad shows up and they clear the hospital and we're like, what exactly happened here? Why did we so quickly make this decision? So it turns out, luckily none of the patients were harmed. But the hospital operator, he was off shift. Decided to call in a bomb threat. This was a guy that worked at our hospital calls in the bomb threat to an operator who is his co worker.

[Monica Padman]

Oh, my God.

[Tori]

There was really no way to verify this because they didn't release the 911 tape. But the story is that this person called the operator and the operator was like, is this you, Peter? I recognize your voice. And he's like, no, no, it's not me.

[Monica Padman]

Oh my go.

[Dax Shepard]

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[Monica Padman]

Oh, my goodness. That sounds nice.

[Dax Shepard]

No. Sign me up. Streamline your streaming today. Check out subscriptions on Prime Video. This is a Reese's Peanut Butter cup sound experiment. We're looking to find the perfect way to hear Reese's so you'll buy more of them.

[Monica Padman]

Them.

[Dax Shepard]

Here we go. Reese's. Reese's. Reese's. Reese's. Reese's. Hey, get out of here, you little stinker. Rees.

[Monica Padman]

Rees.

[Dax Shepard]

Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. That breathy one sounded very creepy. Am I right?

[Tori]

So the gentleman who was making the bomb threat apparently had made multiple bomb threats. He had worked at various facilities over the years. He called in a bomb threat to a school to various different township buildings. So he was calling in bomb threats for many years. They found out that it could have been potentially three or four years prior to this event.

[Dax Shepard]

Evan, have you spent any time trying to get into the mind of. Of why that would be satisfying? I can generally find my way into understanding people's motives, but I don't even understand what the pleasure of that is other than if I just had this total ire for government and I wanted to keep fucking up municipalities. I can't really get it.

[Tori]

He was calling in the bomb threat and then showing up to work. I think this day he showed up a few hours later. I don't know if it was a thrill that he got from, like, being in and out of the chaos.

[Dax Shepard]

Well, they say that about arsonists, that they often are there watching the fire.

[Monica Padman]

But is he a hero? Is it like he comes in to help save the day?

[Tori]

I'm sure they're getting numerous calls like, hey, is it safe to come into the hospital? Because I'm sure that word spreads quickly throughout the community. So I don't know what he was getting from that.

[Monica Padman]

Is it a ding, ding, ding? Did he get admitted to the psychiatric ward?

[Tori]

I think he got admitted to the jail.

[Dax Shepard]

The jail ward.

[Tori]

It was a wild day. But that team. I mean, the ER is chaotic all the time, but it shows you how quickly we come together as. And no matter what the task at hand is, we just do what we have to to keep our patients safe.

[Dax Shepard]

Yeah, you're like the Marines. My first thought, as someone who's always thinking about mechanical stuff, is like, well, Certainly among those 50 patients, some of them have to be hooked to machines to stay alive that require electricity. Are there generators that are put out in the parking lot or are there battery supplies on these carts?

[Tori]

So the patients that were on a ventilator at the time, there's two options. And we do have battery supply outside because we have patients with IV pumps. But you can also manually ventilate them, it's called. So you can just squeeze a bag to give them breaths. I don't remember that being a huge issue. And we have respiratory therapists that will kind of manage that. But, yeah, those are things that go into our head. And we do disaster drills throughout the year and set up the tents and kind of practice what we would do in that scenario. So we truly are prepared at any given time for something like this to happen. It turns out it probably jumped the gun. For lack of a better phrase, we probably didn't need to evacuate. But it was good practice. In my 14 years, I've never experienced anything else like it.

[Dax Shepard]

We're so lucky that you guys exist.

[Monica Padman]

So lucky.

[Dax Shepard]

They're practicing and they can do it.

[Tori]

It's a pretty amazing career. You guys are fortunate to be in la where there's so many great hospitals.

[Monica Padman]

Knock on W. What?

[Dax Shepard]

We're not going to live in la or are they going to shut down hospitals?

[Monica Padman]

Just do it.

[Dax Shepard]

Okay. I'm just not sure what thing we're going to. We're afraid to leave LA or.

[Monica Padman]

I just don't want to go to the hospital.

[Dax Shepard]

Okay. We're knocking on wood because LA has so many good hospitals and I just.

[Monica Padman]

Don'T want to go there. Don't ask questions, just do it. Wow, that's wild.

[Dax Shepard]

Oh, man, that is. Thank you, Evan, so much for sharing that story with us.

[Tori]

When I saw the nursing prompt came up, I'm like, I have to submit this story. I mean, I have so many great ones, but that was a very interesting day, and I don't think that anyone that I worked with will ever forget that.

[Dax Shepard]

Okay, I'm just going to ask you one simple question before we go, because the previous nurse we just spoke with said that every single nurse has a foreign object in rectum story. You don't need to tell it, just. Do you have a foreign object in rectum story?

[Tori]

I have many.

[Dax Shepard]

Oh, well, yeah, you were an ally.

[Tori]

They always fall on to it.

[Monica Padman]

Right, of course. Can you tell us the weirdest object?

[Dax Shepard]

Are you not allow shampoo bottle?

[Tori]

I've seen an apple.

[Monica Padman]

Okay.

[Tori]

I've seen candlesticks.

[Lucy]

Sure, sure.

[Monica Padman]

That one kind of makes sense.

[Tori]

Wooden candlesticks, though they didn't choose the wax one, like a fake decorative candlestick, which then splintered it punctured their colon. So I could talk about, you know, those stories for days.

[Dax Shepard]

Maybe we need prompt for nurse that. Just. What was it called?

[Monica Padman]

Foreign foreign objects and rector not objects. Foreign agent maybe.

[Tori]

Oh, foreign body.

[Dax Shepard]

Yeah. He said foreign body. She said foreign body. And you said foreign body. I just want to get the prompt right.

[Tori]

Well, I'll submit another.

[Monica Padman]

Yeah, we look forward to hearing from you again.

[Dax Shepard]

Okay, well, great meeting you, Evan. Thank you so much for your job.

[Tori]

You guys are doing great work. Keep it up.

[Dax Shepard]

Thank you. We will. You too. All right, be well.

[Tori]

Bye.

[Monica Padman]

I can't believe I missed him at Maru. That's sad.

[Dax Shepard]

Foreign body. And I think we're just going to get weird submissions, hopefully.

[Evan]

Well, no.

[Tori]

Someone that had someone else's foreign body in their butt.

[Dax Shepard]

Oh, like a body part. Foreign body. I'd like to open it up to everybody because maybe someone will be brave enough to tell foreign body in their own rectum story. Because I want to know how you lose control of it, because you must have a game plan. Obviously you're only going to insert so much of it and then you go too far and then I guess you lose grip. Then you try to get it out and it just goes up.

[Monica Padman]

Well, I think often there's another person involved.

[Dax Shepard]

Oh, a bad actor.

[Monica Padman]

Hi, can you hear us?

[Evan]

Yes. Can you hear me?

[Dax Shepard]

Oh, beautifully. Is this Tori?

[Evan]

Yes. We're gonna go with Tori. I will warn you guys, I am like, the sickest I've ever been in my life. I'm pregnant and I got norovirus and I'm like, this close to calling it. I sound terrible. I look terrible. So my apologies.

[Dax Shepard]

I just want you to know that I was just on a trip with eight people and all eight of us got it. So I'm with you. I'm in the nor go camp.

[Monica Padman]

I can't imagine being pregnant and dealing with this.

[Evan]

It is hellish.

[Dax Shepard]

It gets scary when you're pregnant, right? It ups the ante a lot, I think so.

[Evan]

I think I got it because I'm pregnant. Like, because I'm immunocompromised. I'm more likely to get it because no one else in our travel group got it. Of course.

[Dax Shepard]

Oh, really?

[Monica Padman]

Interesting. Oh, I'm so sorry. You look like Phoebe Waller Bridge.

[Dax Shepard]

She's very attractive.

[Monica Padman]

She is. She's beautiful.

[Evan]

Thank you. From Fleabag. Can I get started? Yes.

[Dax Shepard]

Yeah, let it rip.

[Evan]

Okay. Okay. For patient confidentiality reasons, I won't give you specifics on where I'm from, where the story took place, but Central Canada, I'm on the prairies. I'll say that.

[Dax Shepard]

I got to tell you, you're our second Canadian.

[Evan]

We got some crazy nursing stories up here. I've been a nurse now for six and a half years. I came into this field, I had no family that worked in healthcare. I had absolutely no idea what to expect. So that's just kind of a preface to say how ignorant and naive I was to what this job was really like. Like. But yeah, this story takes place on the first job I had. And it's job I had up until last year, actually. I took the job right out of graduation at an inpatient neurology and neurosurgery ward at our hospital. So dealt with a ton of strokes, seizures, traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, brain cancer, spine cancer, anything like that. Really heavy, but got to see some pretty amazing stuff regarding kind of where I'm from. We do have a really bad epidemic of gang violence here.

[Dax Shepard]

Oh, really?

[Evan]

Yeah, a lot of the prairies. And my hospital is the Level 1 Trauma center for our province so we get to see it all. So you get to see some horrific, senseless acts of violence and assaults. Really sad, really awful. But medically, I gotta say, you get to see some pretty cool stuff.

[Dax Shepard]

Yeah.

[Monica Padman]

Yeah.

[Evan]

So I worked that job for six years, and to this day, the patient I'm gonna tell you about is probably the most wild patient I've ever seen. So this man, middle aged guy, he was an ex con who was beaten the head with a hammer.

[Dax Shepard]

Oh.

[Evan]

When the swelling is really bad in the br brain, the surgeons will take off a piece of their skull to let the brain swell and heal, because otherwise it'll herniate. So usually when that happens, we see it all the time. Take off, usually a front piece, a side piece. If the person's walking around or doing therapy, they must have this helmet on at all times, obviously, because if they are to fall and hit their head, there's nothing protecting their soft, squishy brain. So this man in particular, just the location of his injury was the back of his head kind of on like the nape of his neck, because it was at the very back part of his head. And because he was so wild and agitated, he had to wear this helmet for 24 hours a day, seven days a week in bed. Kind of picture like a hockey helmet that's hard foam trigger. Warning. We have to restrain heavily a ton of our patients. That might bother some people. It's for their safety, it's for our safety. It's temporary. They have tubes they can pull out. They have such varied levels of awareness of what's going on. They just rip everything out. They can and do hurt themselves all the time.

[Dax Shepard]

Yeah.

[Evan]

So this man was also heavily restrained. Depending on the level of their injury and kind of where they are in their recovery, you can't rationalize with them, you can't reason with them. They can't speak. When they can speak, their first and only words are always fuck you. That was the case of this man. So he was in what we would call seven point restraints. So he had a belt around his waist. He had this piece of fabric that kind of comes up like a diaper that attaches to the waist and it keeps him from sliding down and bed getting strangled by it. Seen that before. He had both of his wrists restrained, both of his ankles restrained to the bed. And then he was so wild and headbutting that he had a chest strap on. And we have to have the bed elevated a little bit because when they're getting tube fed, if they're laying flat, it can Put them at risk of choking. So he had the head of the bed up and we had the chest strap there. Also, this man had what we call posy mitts on. So picture Jack. Giant puffy oven mitts that are like velcroed to their hands. They can't grab or squeeze or scratch or anything. So it's just like boxing. That's the first part is the visualization of this is how this poor man lived for weeks.

[Monica Padman]

Oh, wow.

[Dax Shepard]

Wow.

[Evan]

He put three separate people on injury leave while being that level of restraint. Kicking, punching, Whoa. It's really awful. But I kind of liken it to picture just like a rabid rescue animal in a cage. They don't know what's going on. They're just fighting you. So that was this man. To this day, one of the most wild ones I've looked after. So the shift that this happened was on a night shift. I was new and my partner was new. So her and I had both been on this job for, like, maybe a few months. And it's in an observation room. So there's four patients, there's two nurses. It's close observation. So it's intended for really sick patients or really kind of wild, thrashy patients that you need to have eyes on at all times. Our nursing stations, 15, 20ft away away from all of their beds, we can see what's going on at all times. My partner was on break. It's like 1:00 in the morning. The lights are all off because it's nighttime. We want them all to sleep. And I go into this guy's room. He's heavily restrained, and I see a puddle of liquid on the floor, which is not that unusual in this job. So I turn the light on and I see that it's urine. And that's a bit unusual because he has a catheter in. And I could see he's like, covered up in a blanket still. I could see the catheter tubings coming out. As it should be. It's secured to the bottom of the bed, the bag, as it should be. So I'm like, where is this urine coming from? And I guess I'll stop here. Do you guys know how catheters get put in and are secured?

[Monica Padman]

No. You should tell us.

[Dax Shepard]

Yeah. Doesn't it go all the way up into your bladder and there's kind of a balloon on the end?

[Evan]

Yes. I figured you would know. Dax, have you had a catheter?

[Dax Shepard]

Thank God, no. Shockingly, you have.

[Monica Padman]

Yeah. For egg freezing.

[Evan]

It's a small Rubber tube goes into the urethra. Urethra. Once you get urine back, you know you're in the bladder, so you can safely inflate the balloon. So on the tubing, there's a side port, and you inflate with 10 mils of saline, and it inflates the balloon to like, two thirds the size of a golf ball. And it's just to keep it in place. So then if someone accidentally or purposely, like, gently tugs on it, it's not going to come out. However, do people rip them out with their balloon fully intact all the time at the strong?

[Monica Padman]

No.

[Dax Shepard]

That is awful. Worst thought imaginable.

[Evan]

I know. Especially for men. It's atrocious and it's a bloodbath when it happens. That is immediately my next thought is like, well, this guy's wild. He probably somehow got his oven m hands on it and ripped it out. So I pull back the blanket. The catheter is out. It's just like, sitting on his bed between his legs. But the balloon is deflating, which is good. I'm just kind of processing this. As I'm seeing it, I'm like, well, I guess you didn't rip it out. But I noticed that the side port is gone. So what I realized, because he had the chest strap on, but his head, that the bed was elevated. He had gotten a catheter in his mouth.

[Dax Shepard]

What?

[Evan]

And he had chewed off the side port. Because of that, the balloon deflated on its own. So that's good. He didn't rip it right out of his pink penis. But then he grabbed the catheter in his mouth with his teeth and ripped it out of his penis.

[Monica Padman]

Jesus. Why? Why?

[Dax Shepard]

Why? Because he doesn't know what the fuck's going on.

[Evan]

That was a few months on the job.

[Monica Padman]

Oh, boy.

[Evan]

That was my introduction to nursing and neuro nursing.

[Dax Shepard]

Oh. Do you ever get to see the people when they return to sanity?

[Evan]

Yes. That's what I loved about working there is some of them were there for months. And we're acute, so we're supposed to medically stabilize them. And then the ones need further neurological rehab would go to another facility in our city. But our doctors were really good at, like, hey, so and so is doing so good. You should hear. But this guy recovered really well. By the time we sent him to rehab, he was walking, he was talking, he was eating. He was, like, wheeling himself around the unit in his wheelchair. He was very brain injured. He was very childlike almost. I remember he would throw some temper tantrums, I think he probably would have needed some kind of care his whole life.

[Dax Shepard]

But he wasn't aggressive?

[Evan]

No.

[Dax Shepard]

Oh, God.

[Evan]

Just like kind of a big child. But yeah, you do get to see them recover, even in their time on our unit, which is so fulfilling.

[Monica Padman]

Yeah, must be.

[Dax Shepard]

Wow.

[Monica Padman]

That's crazy.

[Dax Shepard]

Wow, wow, wow. Was there any point having not had any family members in it and maybe not having the correct expectations for the job? Were there moments at the beginning where you're like, oh, this I didn't choose right or did you immediately know it was for you?

[Evan]

I really loved it. I loved the chaos. So I moved to intensive care this year and it's a lot of the same patients where they started before I ever saw them on my unit. This is where they began. But it's definitely a lot. It definitely tests your patience. When I started at icu, I was like, I don't think I'm really burnt out. I think I just want to change. And then a few months in I was like, oh, I was really burnt out. And I didn't even realize it. I was so impatient. And it's hard, you know, they're brain injured, you know, it's not their fault. You know, they have no control, but they're still saying and doing terrible things all the time. Time. So it's really hard to separate.

[Dax Shepard]

Yeah. You have a finite capacity and then you have a real life outside of it. And maybe you're sleep deprived and maybe you're having a marital issue and you had all these things together. It's impossible. I will say it's prepared you nicely to have a child though.

[Evan]

Yeah, I think so. My brother and my family, they're not in nursing and I always tell them my crazy stories because they don't live here either, so they wouldn't know any of the people. And they're like, how do you do that? And I'm like, honestly, it puts your own life in perspective because you're like, man, things could always be worse.

[Monica Padman]

Yeah. Yeah, that's true.

[Evan]

Whenever people ask me what working on neuro is like, I'm like, well, I had a man with half a skull and seven point restraints choose catheter out of his penis.

[Monica Padman]

That is crazy. Thanks for sharing.

[Dax Shepard]

Yeah. Tori, I'm so sorry you're feeling so ill, but congratulations on your impending baby time and it was great meeting you and thank you for telling us that story.

[Evan]

Yeah.

[Monica Padman]

I hope you feel better fast.

[Evan]

Thank you. I would like to do a quick shout out to my sisters. My sisters also have unique names, so I'm not going to single them out by names. My cousin Kara, I will call out. She is the world's biggest armchair anonymous fan. She listens like every morning at 7am and I was so close to calling it today. I knew it was a once in a lifetime opportunity but I was like, I can't. But I was like, she'll kill me.

[Monica Padman]

You did great as a nurse.

[Dax Shepard]

Would feel better. Take a nice nap now and thanks so much for railing.

[Evan]

Thank you.

[Dax Shepard]

All right, take care, nurses.

[Lucy]

Wow.

[Dax Shepard]

Chew your out.

[Monica Padman]

Yeah, that's wild.

[Dax Shepard]

Yeah, I got a little claustrophobic at the thought of a seven point harness.

[Monica Padman]

Yeah, that's a lot. But I get it.

[Dax Shepard]

That happened with my dad when he had this very massive head on collision when I was in eighth grade and I had to go to the hospital and they said basically go in and say goodbye, he's unconscious. I went in there and his head was like the size of a basketball. And he woke up while I was in there and the first thing he did is pulled the breathing tube out and I was begging him, no, dad, daddy, you need that. You need that. Oh my God, I was so stressed.

[Monica Padman]

That's scary.

[Dax Shepard]

God bless the nurses.

[Monica Padman]

Yeah, they're incredible.

[Dax Shepard]

Round of applause.

[Monica Padman]

We love them.

[Dax Shepard]

We love them. I love you.

[Monica Padman]

Love you.

[Dax Shepard]

That delivered.

[Evan]

Do you want to sing a tune or something?

[Tori]

We know a theme song.

[Dax Shepard]

Oh, okay, great. We don't have a them song for this new show, so here I go. Go, go. We're going to answer some random questions and with the help of armchairs, we'll get some suggestions on the fly rhyme dish. On the fire rhyme dish.

[Tori]

Enjoy.

[Dax Shepard]

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