Drs: Nearly Fatal Duct Tape Challenge + Boss Asked Nurse To Kill?

The Doctors: Dangerous Duct Tape Challenge Gone Wrong

Psychotherapist and author Stacy Kaiser was back on The Doctors to take part in the discussion of some hot health headlines. They kicked it off by talking about yet another YouTube challenge that has gone viral. While these “challenges” are created out of the naive desire to have some fun, the so-called duct tape challenge involves kids and teens trying to break free from duct tape wrapped all around their body. For one Washington teenager, the challenge landed him in the hospital with life-threatening injuries. The 14-year-old was unable to move his limbs to break his fall, lost his balance, crashed into a window frame, and slammed his head on the cement causing brain damage and potential blindness.

That 14-year-old, Skylar, joined the show via Skype with his mom. Sarah explained that she had no idea what was going on, and was under the impression that her son was going to go out for an hour with his friends and then be back. When Sarah first heard about what happened, she was shocked, believing that she had educated him on the dangers of drinking or other activities teenagers will often experiment with. She never imagined she would have to be worried about duct tape. Skylar recognized that he was certainly lucky, saying that his recovery was going well.

Stacy pointed out the importance of knowing popular trends and things your kids could be exposed to on social media. How do you plan on protecting your kids from unexpected dangers like social media challenges?

The Doctors: Kid Steals Cement Truck + Children Acting Out

Speaking of dangerous activities for kids, The Doctors then shared the story of an 11-year-old kid who drove a stolen cement truck around town for an hour, going as fast as 70 miles per hour. All doctors, including Stacy, agreed that this particular event fell well outside the range of normal mischief for a child, not only because he stole a truck, but because he also ran from the police. Stacy shared that it actually sounded like it could be a case of oppositional defiance disorder, which involves acting out on a regular basis despite the damage it causes. Stacy also wanted it to be known that parents shouldn’t be afraid to seek professional help if they notice their kids constantly acting out.

Dr Travis Stork reminded everyone watching that kids involved in organized activities like sports are less likely to get in trouble.

The Doctors: Nurses Asked To Kill Hospice Patients?

On a different note, a FBI investigation is underway in Texas, because allegedly, the owner of a hospice care facility was intentionally seeking patients who would die within 24 hours. According to an FBI search warrant affidavit, the man texted one of his nurses “You need to make this patient go bye-bye” suggesting they administer a fatal overdose. The federal government imposes annual aggregate caps for hospice care of $27,820 per Medicare or Medicaid patient. That means if too many patients are living for too long, the hospice amount exceeds the cap and the owner will no longer get any more money from that patient.

Dr Ashton wanted everyone to know that there are so many wonderful hospice care facilities out there. For a case like this to “taint” the field with such a horribly negative idea is truly sad. Dr Travis Stork believes that in all of the things they’ve looked at in eight years of the show, it’s been clear that patients actually end up living longer and are much happier when in hospice care. He believes it’s such a positive in terms of end-of-life care, and a story like this is a “black eye” for the field. Perhaps the best thing you can do when looking at hospice facilities, is pay attention to referrals and whether the facility is for-profit.

The Doctors: Cruel Prank Targets Babies?

For the last discussion of the segment, one mom shared the unfortunate events of changing her baby’s diaper. She was in a public restroom and pulled down the changing table and laid her baby down to change the diaper, noticing how fussy her baby became. She then realized that someone had played a horrendously cruel prank and placed push pins on the diaper-changing pad, facing out. It’s terrifying to think that parents now have to inspect the area completely before they change their child’s diaper. These days it seems like nothing is automatically safe.

As a mom of a child still in diapers, this story not only angers me, but worries me! How does news of this cruel prank make you feel?