Ok, my hubby just had an emergency colostomy in January. Believe me, it wasn't PRETTY. He was not stabbed.. he didn't have other injuries... he didn't nearly bleed to death. The first 24 hours after surgery he was so doped up on morphine he barely knew who he was.

Imagine our chuckle when Benton is examining him and talking to him in recovery, and he *winces* at the pain in his back! NOT!!!! That part of the episode was not believeable. Also, ppl aren't nearly that alert after major surgery (let alone when they've practically bled to death).

That being said... Carter salvaged this scene with his remarkable expression and looking away when he surmised Lucy had died. Incredible!!!

-- Sandi (sthores2@css.edu), February 19, 2000

Answers

Sandi, if you want realism, you should watch "Trauma: Life in the ER." It's super intense, and its simply shot in as a documentary... and very well done. As for ER, c'mon... very little that goes on in this show is realistic... almost every episode is replete with hyperbole or incredible situations... but it's a perfect 'drama' -- suspend your disbelief... It is, at bottom, a nighttime soap opera with well developed characters, really good writers, and medical consultants who must only screen out the most outrageous misrepresentations.

By the way, did you notice that when Lucy and Carter gave Paul the spinal tap they hadn't properly anaesthetized him? All they used was a topical...

-- L (lolabronx@hotmail.com), February 19, 2000.

Just to let you know, I have been thru over 9 hours of surgey in one operation and been awak and alert before I even reached the recovery room. It can happen that someone would be alert after major surgery. I had had over 2500 stitches in that surgery and was 16years old @ the time. Besides, how many times on Trauma do you see someone wake up in the middle of a procedure? That happens all the time too..

Just letting you know!

Pam

-- Pam Jones (tahlulahb@uswest.net), February 19, 2000.

There is a difference between believable and realism. I certainly don't require ER be 100% accurate, however, I do require that it be believable.

While the spinal tap scene was not medically accurate, it was definitely believable. The guy squealed like a stuck pig... because that's what it would have felt like. It was believable.

That's what makes ER overall the great show that it is... believability. You feel like the characters are real ppl with real emotions, etc.

Please don't equate ER with a soap opera... they are hardly believable even at their best.

And yes, I suppose it is possible that Carter could have been awake and alert after his horrendous surgery, I still hold that it wasn't believable. He had virtually bled to death. His innards were removed from his abdomen, washed, repaired, and placed back in his belly. His incision would have been from stem to stern. He would have his colon disected and reattached through his abdominal wall. They would have put him on morphine before he even woke up. And what happened to the huge lump/bruise on his head that was evident in the ER? Post surgery it was *poof* gone.

Anyway, I said it was a small criticism. Thursday's episode was truly incredible. I love this show!

-- Sandi (sthores2@css.edu), February 19, 2000.

Considering the maximum amount of time between the end of Carter's surgery and his conversation with Benton, I'd have to agree with Sandi. Let's suppose Benton left Carter an hour before he went to recovery...then spent at least another hour operating on the oil guy, then leaves surgery to find that Lucy had died...this was maybe 3- 3:30 am...Benton was in examining Carter before 7am (before we see carol and she says she "just heard") Which adds up to maybe 6 hours of recovery...NO WAY! I had major surgery, and I was on morphine for several days, and I slept for at least 16 hours after surgery...the moments I was awake I was hardly as aware as Carter was... Granted, it's a TV show...and it was important to see Carter's reaction...It falls under the category of the loud music...oopsie!

-- ivy rose (dani.shortnsweet@chickmail.com), February 19, 2000.

Re:spinal tap...I've had an epidural administered with whatever IS proper anesthesia and it still hurt like hell-I was in tears! I couldn't imagine being surprised like that!

-- (Sgustafson@home.com), February 19, 2000.