Feed me, Seymour! When patients want forbidden food...

Specialties Emergency

Published

I love people that ask for food that are in no condition to eat! Anyone have stories to share about patients begging for food, sneaking food, etc.

Examples:

Last week, when someone going out from the propofol so we could stick his dislocated shoulder back in, his last words were "Can you guys bring me some chips and soda..."

And the day before that, a guy that had smoked a bunch of K-2 and showed up unconscious, covered in disturbingly recognizable taco-bell barf. He demanded popsicles and jello after he regained consciousness because he "didn't have anything to eat all day" and "this is a hospital so I KNOW you have jello and popsicles!"

Or the patient with a blood glucose of 1620 wanting a coca-cola because he's thirsty.

Do share anything food and nursing related. Cute, foul, funny, anything...

Specializes in NICU, ICU, PICU, Academia.

He kept saying "Are you SURE it's OK?" and I kept saying "I'm a nurse- sure it's OK!!"

Yes, I kept it down :)

0 Votes

The day after my patient had a heart cath, he was on the phone ordering

Shrimp Yakami ( excuse the spelling). It is basically fried, greasy, chinese egg noodles that look like worms. Gross!

0 Votes

Seriously......? A blood glucose level of 1620? How were they even able to ask a question? 620 is Super High, but 1620...omg....They must be blind and not have any limbs left either....:smokin:

0 Votes
Specializes in Med-Surg, Emergency, CEN.
Seriously......? A blood glucose level of 1620? How were they even able to ask a question? 620 is Super High but 1620...omg....They must be blind and not have any limbs left either....:smokin:[/quote']

I won't spell it all out, but think about the pathophysiology of high blood sugar... symptoms will absolutely include polydipsia, polyuria, and POLYPHAGIA. No surprise that they are ravenous.

0 Votes
Specializes in ER.

We have a morbidly obese pt here in LTC who actually has an order that we are to supply PBJ sandwiches, coke and fries whenever he wants it.

Otherwise he might complain, and we can't have that, can we?

Hhhmm.

0 Votes

I just don't get why they think it is our fault that they haven't eaten all day. It's not my problem u didn't have breakfast or lunch before u decided to come her with abd pain. And they give me a dirty look when I say u can't have anything to eat until all your tests come back. Uggghhhh. Just get the F out of my ER. Morons of the world

0 Votes
Specializes in ER.
Seriously......? A blood glucose level of 1620? How were they even able to ask a question? 620 is Super High, but 1620...omg....They must be blind and not have any limbs left either....:smokin:

He was young - less than 30, very fragile diabetic, hx drug abuse. I couldn't believe the lab results... I asked another nurse to look at the screen for me a few times. When we redrew it a while later, was in the 1400's. Still outrageous! Was awake enough to complain about being thirsty for a soda and ask for narcotics for his chronic back pain.

The nurse I gave report to was like "1620? Is he...uh... alive?"

0 Votes
Specializes in Neuro ICU and Med Surg.

I had a pt in nursing school come in as a newly diagnosed diabetic with a glucose of 2000. Yes that is right 2000!.

0 Votes
Seriously......? A blood glucose level of 1620? How were they even able to ask a question? 620 is Super High, but 1620...omg....They must be blind and not have any limbs left either....:smokin:

In my ignorance I didn't even know people could LIVE with a BG of 1620!!! I had a church member die because hers went into the 800s.

0 Votes
Specializes in LTC, CPR instructor, First aid instructor..
HI RUBY!! You're back! All is better in the world now. :)

YAY!
0 Votes
Specializes in Emergency.
True confessions time: I sent my husband out to get me a cheeseburger while in PACU from my first c-section. I had been NPO for two days (in my defense)

I went in to the hospital with PROM and no labour around lunch time, got seen at 2 and was in a room to be induced at 3. I was sooooooo hungry! Sent my husband to the cafeteria for a sandwich and pop and ate it. The L and D nurse was horrified, but I also kept it all down and I'm darn glad I had it, would have been more than 24 hours without food when all was said and done, and I was miserable enough ;)

I do get fed up with the feeding though.

0 Votes
Specializes in OR.

Food is definitely an addiction. My very overweight mother (rest her soul), after being in an asthma attack-induced coma for three weeks, woke up and the first thing out of her mouth was, "I want fried chicken!" (Popeye's chicken being her favorite poison). THREE WEEKS of being fed through a tube and this is the only thing she could think of!

0 Votes
+ Add a Comment