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A Double Dose of Dilaudid
Welcome to a small-town Emergency Room in rural Ohio. While it's true our ER doesn't see the stabbing and gunshot action ERs see in inner cities, we have no shortage of the sad, the scary, the painful, and the just plain dumb.
With more than 20 stories, things ER workers want to say to patients, and Emergency Room BINGO, 'A Double Dose of Dilaudid' will take you on a joyride to the funnier side of the ER.
See what a bored husband did to get out of a date night with his wife, learn what happens when you try to make your own meth, and read about items men and women have inserted in their bodies.
With more than 20 stories, things ER workers want to say to patients, and Emergency Room BINGO, 'A Double Dose of Dilaudid' will take you on a joyride to the funnier side of the ER.
See what a bored husband did to get out of a date night with his wife, learn what happens when you try to make your own meth, and read about items men and women have inserted in their bodies.
249 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 25, 2015
241 people are currently reading
208 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews
February 7, 2017
A Double Dose of Dilaudid: Real Stories from a Small-Town ER is a collection of mental health and medical related situations observed by an emergency room registration clerk. Being the first point-of-contact for many of the patients seeking treatment, the person in this role meets all kinds of people in all types of predicaments as you can imagine. Working years in a variety of high-stress human service roles myself, I know how important it is to laugh at the outrageousness of it all. It's the ultimate stress reliever while providing a comedy break for others. Personally, I couldn't lay out all the real-life craziness I've seen for public viewing though. The liability risk would haunt me with every day that passes. Even though no names are revealed, if a patient recognizes their story (most of them are indeed unique), a world of inconvenient and avoidable investigation will rain down and I would be concerned that I would not have a job to come back to. Let's hope that these stories are not as nonfiction as they are reported to be. Regardless, A Double Dose of Dilaudid would certainly give readers a glimpse into the wide variety of situations emergency workers deal with. If this sounds like a collection of stories you might like, then check it out.
My favorite quote:
"If you are waiting, that usually means someone in worse shape than you is seeing a doctor or nurse right now. Events like shootings, motor vehicle accidents, and chest pains have power to impact the waiting period. If you are waiting to be seen, it usually means we don't think you are going to code or die while you're doing it. If you feel angry for having to wait for ten minutes, think about how long those ten minutes must be for the eight year old daughter of a man who's been brought in because someone shot him in the heart and doctors are doing everything they can to save that man's life. Waiting isn't always a bad thing."
My favorite quote:
"If you are waiting, that usually means someone in worse shape than you is seeing a doctor or nurse right now. Events like shootings, motor vehicle accidents, and chest pains have power to impact the waiting period. If you are waiting to be seen, it usually means we don't think you are going to code or die while you're doing it. If you feel angry for having to wait for ten minutes, think about how long those ten minutes must be for the eight year old daughter of a man who's been brought in because someone shot him in the heart and doctors are doing everything they can to save that man's life. Waiting isn't always a bad thing."
March 30, 2025
Read for free with Kindle Unlimited
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Had to read many of these twice because my brain 🧠 hit the brakes and said WTH did we just read??
Some stories were funny,some made you question humanity, and a handful where you wanted to give the person in question a good GibbsSmack.
Others definitely mad me appreciate life :(
All the respect for Healthcare workers don't know how youins do all of it sometimes 🫂.
So far this is one of my top favorites of her books. 👍🏼
Would recommend 👌.
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Had to read many of these twice because my brain 🧠 hit the brakes and said WTH did we just read??
Some stories were funny,some made you question humanity, and a handful where you wanted to give the person in question a good GibbsSmack.
Others definitely mad me appreciate life :(
All the respect for Healthcare workers don't know how youins do all of it sometimes 🫂.
So far this is one of my top favorites of her books. 👍🏼
Would recommend 👌.
April 19, 2023
4/18/2023 - This was a reread for me. Per usual, I ADORE Kerry Hamm's books. I find myself coming back to reread books from her series quite often when I want a laugh. And I stand by my previous review that this collection of stories if one of my favorites by her!
There's a great mix of humor and heart-warming stories in this book... more humor than anything though! It's a great time reading some of these crazy stories!
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I absolutely love Kerry Hamm's books. All of her books are collections of medical based stories.
The first half of the series are the author's personal stories, the second half of the series are reader submitted medical stories. I personally prefer the ones that are the author's personal stories. They're more consistent in subject matter and humor.
A Double Dose Of Dilaudid was one of my favorites from her I believe. I honestly love her books so much that I find myself re-reading a good portion of them. You won't regret checking these out.
There's a great mix of humor and heart-warming stories in this book... more humor than anything though! It's a great time reading some of these crazy stories!
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I absolutely love Kerry Hamm's books. All of her books are collections of medical based stories.
The first half of the series are the author's personal stories, the second half of the series are reader submitted medical stories. I personally prefer the ones that are the author's personal stories. They're more consistent in subject matter and humor.
A Double Dose Of Dilaudid was one of my favorites from her I believe. I honestly love her books so much that I find myself re-reading a good portion of them. You won't regret checking these out.
January 7, 2016
Not what you'd think
I'm sort of glad this book was free. From the title, you'd think this book was an anthology of ER stories written by doctors or a social commentary on the American health care system and rx issues. But, the reality is that this is a mediocre book with a handful of incomplete, themed stories written by...a registration clerk. I have nothing but respect for registration clerks. Their job is tough and I'm sure they have great stories to tell. But, there's something ironically offensive when a clerk from a "small town hospital" starts dishing stories with pretty specific details. The book isn't enjoyable.
I'm sort of glad this book was free. From the title, you'd think this book was an anthology of ER stories written by doctors or a social commentary on the American health care system and rx issues. But, the reality is that this is a mediocre book with a handful of incomplete, themed stories written by...a registration clerk. I have nothing but respect for registration clerks. Their job is tough and I'm sure they have great stories to tell. But, there's something ironically offensive when a clerk from a "small town hospital" starts dishing stories with pretty specific details. The book isn't enjoyable.
February 8, 2020
This book is super snarky, and often more than a bit condescending. The author is a registration clerk, not a nurse or doctor, and so most of the stories just deal with the checking in process- you never find out what happens to the patients after they disappear into the ER. A few of the stories are very interesting or thought-provoking, but most are just showing people at their worst. Despite the author and her co-workers repeatedly saying they have seen it all and don't make judgments, this book is full of judgments about people and their decisions.
July 2, 2023
fun quick read
Short essays that describe an emergency room- no in depth medical stuff here; mostly the foolishness of the human being
Short essays that describe an emergency room- no in depth medical stuff here; mostly the foolishness of the human being
January 14, 2025
Literally every patient I ever cared for in 20 years of ER nursing. This felt more like PTSD than a good read. Blah
August 8, 2019
Kerry Hamm uses real-life experiences to present a different view of the medical world than that seen by sick people in A Double Dose of Dilaudid. Most of us like to believe that doctors, nurses, and administrative staff in hospitals and clinics know more than “we” (general public) know about how to treat our illnesses and wounds. Kerry Hamm shows this to be true when medical personnel have accurate information given freely by patients not trying to conceal embarrassing or illegal behavior that led to their presence in the Emergency Room (ER). Hamm writes with wry humor that can be summed up as “You are not going to believe this.” There is useful information for those who might try to conceal their actual reason for going to the ER. As Hamm and other characters will repeatedly note throughout the novel, “We have seen and heard it all.”
For this novel, Hamm uses experiences in an ER of a small Ohio hospital. The author is an administrator, not a nurse, although long service in an ER might cause patients to consider Kerry as a front-line treatment technician. The job of completing registration procedures at some point either before, during, or after treatment is illustrated more than once as Hamm tells patients, “If you get out of the ER or hospital without registering, the bill comes directly to you, not the insurance company.” It is a general given that health care will be one in the top three concerns of the US electorate in the next election. Whether Obamacare (AFCA) Medicare for all or a mashup of private and government funding, health care reform will happen. How it comes about is essential. Hamm gives examples of how ridiculous some medical care costs have become.
Hamm’s sense of humor can be seen in the titles of a few of her other published novels. You Stuck What in Where, You Were Stabbed Where? and But I came by Ambulance give readers a glimpse of humor to come. The book has serious advice, some painfully obvious (no pun intended). My references are to the audiobook narrated by Donnas Postel.
“Use of power tools while drinking alcohol is not a good thing” (chap 54).
“Take the shirt off before ironing to avoid bad burns” (chap 56).
“Erectile Dysfunction is not an emergency” (chap 60).
“If you complain about the waiting time in an ER, it is probably not an emergency” (chap 74).
The last piece of advice given in chapter 77 of the audiobook is: “Your grandmother was right. Always wear clean underwear.”
Many anecdotes Hamm presents reflect substantial social and legal concerns. When should the police be called? The correct course of action is sometimes prescribed by law, as is the case with suspected spousal abuse and child molestation. Should authorities be informed when a fourteen-year-old shows up in ER pregnant? After all, she was accompanied by her twenty-seven-year-old mother. And her forty-year-old grandmother. How should staff deal with patients needing help from mental health workers? Who determines who should be called? The answer to these questions is addressed by Hamm. As a registration technician, she was responsible for steering the patient to the correct nurse, therapist, doctor, social service person, or law enforcement agency.
I found the accounts of how medical personnel managed to avoid getting angry in the face of rude and threatening behavior almost unbelievable. I could not do the job Hamm and colleagues did without repaying abusive behavior in kind. Similarly, when patients proved that there were stupid questions (and answers), I would have been unable to avoid laughing. When one patient was asked about recent foreign travel, the answer was that the patient had been to a wedding in New Mexico. A potential patient called the ER to ask what the operating hours were. As ridiculous as these examples are, I reflected on stupid things I may have said in my visits to clinics and hospitals. Of course, I could not match the ridiculous anecdotes I read in this novel. Of course.
The Kindle print edition of this novel is on sale for USD 2.99 and is available for free on Kindle Unlimited. It is available as an audiobook. On average, chapters were less than five minutes. The longest was fifteen minutes. Because of mostly short chapters, this is an enjoyable listening experience to carry around. The collection of anecdotes is a five-star listen in its genre. I found the presentation original and will read some of Hamm’s other books.
For this novel, Hamm uses experiences in an ER of a small Ohio hospital. The author is an administrator, not a nurse, although long service in an ER might cause patients to consider Kerry as a front-line treatment technician. The job of completing registration procedures at some point either before, during, or after treatment is illustrated more than once as Hamm tells patients, “If you get out of the ER or hospital without registering, the bill comes directly to you, not the insurance company.” It is a general given that health care will be one in the top three concerns of the US electorate in the next election. Whether Obamacare (AFCA) Medicare for all or a mashup of private and government funding, health care reform will happen. How it comes about is essential. Hamm gives examples of how ridiculous some medical care costs have become.
Hamm’s sense of humor can be seen in the titles of a few of her other published novels. You Stuck What in Where, You Were Stabbed Where? and But I came by Ambulance give readers a glimpse of humor to come. The book has serious advice, some painfully obvious (no pun intended). My references are to the audiobook narrated by Donnas Postel.
“Use of power tools while drinking alcohol is not a good thing” (chap 54).
“Take the shirt off before ironing to avoid bad burns” (chap 56).
“Erectile Dysfunction is not an emergency” (chap 60).
“If you complain about the waiting time in an ER, it is probably not an emergency” (chap 74).
The last piece of advice given in chapter 77 of the audiobook is: “Your grandmother was right. Always wear clean underwear.”
Many anecdotes Hamm presents reflect substantial social and legal concerns. When should the police be called? The correct course of action is sometimes prescribed by law, as is the case with suspected spousal abuse and child molestation. Should authorities be informed when a fourteen-year-old shows up in ER pregnant? After all, she was accompanied by her twenty-seven-year-old mother. And her forty-year-old grandmother. How should staff deal with patients needing help from mental health workers? Who determines who should be called? The answer to these questions is addressed by Hamm. As a registration technician, she was responsible for steering the patient to the correct nurse, therapist, doctor, social service person, or law enforcement agency.
I found the accounts of how medical personnel managed to avoid getting angry in the face of rude and threatening behavior almost unbelievable. I could not do the job Hamm and colleagues did without repaying abusive behavior in kind. Similarly, when patients proved that there were stupid questions (and answers), I would have been unable to avoid laughing. When one patient was asked about recent foreign travel, the answer was that the patient had been to a wedding in New Mexico. A potential patient called the ER to ask what the operating hours were. As ridiculous as these examples are, I reflected on stupid things I may have said in my visits to clinics and hospitals. Of course, I could not match the ridiculous anecdotes I read in this novel. Of course.
The Kindle print edition of this novel is on sale for USD 2.99 and is available for free on Kindle Unlimited. It is available as an audiobook. On average, chapters were less than five minutes. The longest was fifteen minutes. Because of mostly short chapters, this is an enjoyable listening experience to carry around. The collection of anecdotes is a five-star listen in its genre. I found the presentation original and will read some of Hamm’s other books.
July 28, 2019
I have mixed feelings about this. I liked the stories. I always like medical-related stories. But the eye rolling made me uncomfortable. So someone came in with an allergic reaction? Who cares that they got it from strawberry-flavored lubricant? Hiccups for 4 days? I guess you've never had to try to function with a bad case of the hiccups.
What I learned was: unless you are a child in an abusive situation, you will get little sympathy and a lot of ridicule despite them saying, "We are professionals. We've seen it all".
I'll probably read more, but now I won't be expecting kindness.
What I learned was: unless you are a child in an abusive situation, you will get little sympathy and a lot of ridicule despite them saying, "We are professionals. We've seen it all".
I'll probably read more, but now I won't be expecting kindness.
January 17, 2016
ETOH?
I had mixed feelings about the stories. Some are very funny. Others are quite tragic. Many seem quite detailed and personal. Remind me to stay out of the emergency rooms the next time I visit Ohio.
Ignoring the privacy question, this is well-written and quite engaging. However the author does need to define obscure acronyms like ETOH. This isn't a term that most readers would be familiar with.
I had mixed feelings about the stories. Some are very funny. Others are quite tragic. Many seem quite detailed and personal. Remind me to stay out of the emergency rooms the next time I visit Ohio.
Ignoring the privacy question, this is well-written and quite engaging. However the author does need to define obscure acronyms like ETOH. This isn't a term that most readers would be familiar with.
June 27, 2017
UGH! I wound up being very disappointed by this one- the author IS NOT EVEN A NURSE/DOCTOR! SHE WORKS AT THE REGISTRATION DESK IN A HOSPITAL. Totally misleading! I thought I was going to get some cool medical tales from late nights at an ER- but the only stories she could tell were those of people being dicks in the waiting room or registering with strange ailments...what a let down. -Jen from Quebec :0)
October 9, 2015
Interesting
Easy and fast read. So many crazy ER stories makes one wonder why anyone would ever want to work there. Very interesting reading to see just what people in emergency healthcare have to deal with!
Easy and fast read. So many crazy ER stories makes one wonder why anyone would ever want to work there. Very interesting reading to see just what people in emergency healthcare have to deal with!
July 18, 2016
Absolutely 100% Dead on. I realized I read the first book 2nd & the 2nd book 1st. I'm a medic and can relate to these stories so much. Hurry come out with more
July 20, 2023
I was having fun reading this until the author described a mother forcing her half-naked teenage son to walk out in front of a waiting room full of people, dressed in only his sneakers and soiled underwear, his mother holding his clothes and making him tell everyone watching he won’t do drugs again in order to humiliate him for doing K2 and landing himself in the ER. As if having to be in the ER wasn’t enough of a punishment, the author describes this in detail as if it were funny, and not child abuse, and publishes it in her book for everyone to read about, meanwhile I was sick to my stomach and waiting for someone to jump in and make it stop.
What in the absolute fuck has to be wrong with you to think that public bodily humiliation is a humorous or appropriate response to a child smoking synthetic weed? In a hospital, no less? How is this meant to teach anyone anything except ‘my mother is insane and the hospital allowed this to happen—I shouldn’t get caught again’? DNF at probably 50% and giving myself credit for reading this shit. I sincerely hope that the author was making this part up, or at the very least exaggerating. If you treat your kids like this or think it’s funny when others do, I honestly don’t know what to say except enjoy the nursing home.
What in the absolute fuck has to be wrong with you to think that public bodily humiliation is a humorous or appropriate response to a child smoking synthetic weed? In a hospital, no less? How is this meant to teach anyone anything except ‘my mother is insane and the hospital allowed this to happen—I shouldn’t get caught again’? DNF at probably 50% and giving myself credit for reading this shit. I sincerely hope that the author was making this part up, or at the very least exaggerating. If you treat your kids like this or think it’s funny when others do, I honestly don’t know what to say except enjoy the nursing home.
September 4, 2018
This book made me feel very uncomfortable. This book is not about the “funny” inner workings of a small town ER. Having a woman whose boyfriend severely beat her 2 year old is not a hilarious antic in emerg. It’s more a very sad commentary on The USA. I found it deeply disturbing. Also, dishing about private happenings in a small town doesn’t seem cool. Being a patient who is completely opposite to the ones included, I’m also offended that none of these are mentioned. This book may as well have been called “check out these idiots”, even though the registration clerk shows herself in a very flattering non-judgemental light, this is basically what she’s make by money off of. And I think she’s not being entirely honest. I’ve listened to reg. clerks and nurses for years in hospital as well as read their private “galllows humour” forums and they can be downright nasty. Not that there aren’t fantastic nurses and allied healthcare workers, but just as the book wasn’t about the fantastic patients, I feel I must mention it here.
January 9, 2021
A start of a great journey starts with this book.
I have read many of Kerry's real life stories of the crazy and weird thing's that happen in small town AT or E&A if British. This is the first book in a roller coaster. of 15 books and counting,I haven't read them all and haven't read them in order so that is no problem if you have read a book out of order, but now I am looking forward to reading them all. She tells the stories with no holds barred, but also without judgement, but with a great sense of humour. She must have patience of a saint to deal with these patients, no pun intended. Keep up the great work Kerry.
I have read many of Kerry's real life stories of the crazy and weird thing's that happen in small town AT or E&A if British. This is the first book in a roller coaster. of 15 books and counting,I haven't read them all and haven't read them in order so that is no problem if you have read a book out of order, but now I am looking forward to reading them all. She tells the stories with no holds barred, but also without judgement, but with a great sense of humour. She must have patience of a saint to deal with these patients, no pun intended. Keep up the great work Kerry.
May 7, 2021
I got about a quarter of the way through and decided I can’t take it anymore. And it hurts me to stop because I have a reading challenge goal but I couldn’t deal with this lady anymore.
It is very distasteful. A person with no medical credentials (clerk) that has written a book just to judge people on what is probably the worst day of their lives. It is sickening. She makes it a point to let you know she isn’t judging... but then writes an entire book to judge people. She is especially intolerant of men that express that they have any pain (because apparently men in an emergency room should all behave like Clint Eastwood and that is the only acceptable way for a man to ever behave).
It is very distasteful. A person with no medical credentials (clerk) that has written a book just to judge people on what is probably the worst day of their lives. It is sickening. She makes it a point to let you know she isn’t judging... but then writes an entire book to judge people. She is especially intolerant of men that express that they have any pain (because apparently men in an emergency room should all behave like Clint Eastwood and that is the only acceptable way for a man to ever behave).
November 27, 2018
This book was a riot. The description from Amazon: Welcome to a small-town Emergency Room in rural Ohio. While it's true our ER doesn't see the stabbing and gunshot action ERs see in inner cities, we have no shortage of the sad, the scary, the painful, and the just plain dumb.
I guess I'm on a medical-stories kick right now, and this hit the spot. The registration clerk tells her many tales that could all begin with "You won't believe what happened at work..." Heavy on the humor and crazy, light on the sad/depressing, and generally just a really amusing book.
I guess I'm on a medical-stories kick right now, and this hit the spot. The registration clerk tells her many tales that could all begin with "You won't believe what happened at work..." Heavy on the humor and crazy, light on the sad/depressing, and generally just a really amusing book.
December 3, 2021
Full Moon
It is not a myth, or an old wives tale. Things go crazy on full moon nights, even with Inpatients.
Some nights things were so crazy, we would send someone out to check the moon, it was always full on those memorable nights.
And the Q word….if you dare say it, and the resultant rampage occurs, you should have to deal with at least 60% of it. The Full Moon affects people, I will never be convinced otherwise.
It is not a myth, or an old wives tale. Things go crazy on full moon nights, even with Inpatients.
Some nights things were so crazy, we would send someone out to check the moon, it was always full on those memorable nights.
And the Q word….if you dare say it, and the resultant rampage occurs, you should have to deal with at least 60% of it. The Full Moon affects people, I will never be convinced otherwise.
October 19, 2018
Sadly, I have spent a lot of time in the E.R. I know there are a lot of things to laugh about, and I find some of the situations in this book funny too. However, after a while the book comes off as pure snark. It's pretty disheartening that this ER registrar thinks so highly of herself and so little of others.
February 12, 2020
I have mixed feelings on this one. There were definitely some entertaining stories about ER patients that inspired laughter, but there were also an equal amount of stories that seemed to be funny only when a patient's inexperience or genuine uneducated state was being targeted. Those stories left a bad taste in my mouth. Decent read, but I felt kind of icky after I finished it.
March 14, 2017
An excellent read!
An excellent read this book won't disappoint. I laughed numerous times and at one point I even cried. This book is perfect for those who are interested in getting an inside look at life in the ER.
An excellent read this book won't disappoint. I laughed numerous times and at one point I even cried. This book is perfect for those who are interested in getting an inside look at life in the ER.
January 6, 2020
I audiobooked this one and was so sad to finish it. Awesome listen giving you a glimpse into the ER situation without traumatizing you too much thanks to the morsels of humor sprinkled in between emergencies.
April 11, 2023
makes me miss EMS
The things you see when you’re working t
In the medical world are absolutely crazy at times. This brings back some of those memories — love the authors sense of humor.
The things you see when you’re working t
In the medical world are absolutely crazy at times. This brings back some of those memories — love the authors sense of humor.
May 11, 2017
This is a funny collection of patients and medical staff in a small town ER.
July 21, 2017
So true!
I retired from the largest hospital in Oklahoma and everything the writer wrote is true. You have to be there.
I retired from the largest hospital in Oklahoma and everything the writer wrote is true. You have to be there.
May 10, 2018
Somewhat funny. Really interesting stories. This book was different as it was written from a registration clerk's POV, so not a whole lot of medicine involved in the stories.
June 20, 2018
Excellent book!! An eye opener explaining what goes on in ER.
November 26, 2018
This book could not have been any more entertaining. If you aren’t squeamish this is a must read.
December 22, 2019
Interesting Stories
These stories always amaze me. There is a twenty word minimum to post the review. I have five more words
These stories always amaze me. There is a twenty word minimum to post the review. I have five more words
Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews