This Is Your Brain: An Illustrated Guide For Trauma Patients and Their Family Members

Welcome to the ICU. We understand this is a scary, stressful time for you. There are many different machines and lots of different equipment that may look overwhelming. Doctors and nurses may speak in medical terms you do not understand. In order to facilitate your understanding of what is really happening in plain language, we've created a little guide to help you process things you may see or hear on the unit.

We hope this is useful and encourage your family members to resist the urge to annoy the medical team and nurse with many redundant, repetitive and inane questions about your care, and instead, please sit down, shut up, and refer to the handy guide, as per below.

(Note: Because you are no doubt intubated, restrained, and in a chemically induced coma, the staff here will share this sensitive booklet with your loved ones so they, too, can understand exactly how fucked up you are.)

Thank you, and have a wonderful day!

--The Staff In The ICU

This is your brain.
This is your brain splattered all over a King County highway.

This is your brain.
This is your brain with a bolt in it.

This is your leg.
This is your leg ripped off and in a cooler for transport.

This is your other leg.
This is your other leg amputated at the knee.

This your arm.
This is your arm in yet another cooler for transport.

This is your other arm.
This is your other arm with a couple of digits missing which, alas, were not retrievable at the scene.

This is your pelvis.
This is your pelvis in an ex-fix.

This is your airway.
This is your airway with a tube shoved in it.

This is your nose.
This is your nose with a tube shoved in it.

This is your dick.
This is your dick with a tube shoved in it.

This is your ass.
This is your ass with a tube shoved in it.

Any questions?