What was the MOST ridiculous thing a patient came to the ER for? - Page 165

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  1. Aug 17, '11 by
    I have been reading these off and on for a few weeks now. I saw this video and though you ladies and gents in the ER will have a kick! At some point or other, I am sure we have heard it all:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6sRyrB_UMA
    carolmaccas66 likes this.
  2. Aug 18, '11 by
    I haven't got enough experience to have a ridiculous story, but a few weeks ago, it seemed everyone had dinner one particular night of the week and then they all came into the ED with chest pain. I wondered - what on earth are they putting in the food these days?!
    It's also amazing how well people become when they become hungry. Their chest pain - or any other aches and pains for that matter - simply disappear, then they're: Is there any way I can get some FOOD in this joint??!
    Felt like saying - McDonalds is just up the road - either d/c yourself and go get it if you have the energy to whine about being hungry, or get your partner to get it!
  3. Aug 19, '11 by
    The night of the midwest snowstorm of 2011, my ER had a patient call the ambulance for toe pain x3 weeks. The EMS crew had to drive to the middle of the country in snow 3 ft high to pick him up... then when he got here he said "I was just bored because my cable went out so I figured I'd come here and watch yours." Then, obviously, we couldn't get him a ride home so he got round the clock meals, warm blankets and free cable for the next 2 days until we could get him home.
    carolmaccas66 likes this.
  4. Aug 19, '11 by
    While in nursing school, we had rotations through the ER at a local hospital. One day, a girl came in because she was bleeding from the southern region and was freaked out. After thorough workups, girl saying she had cramps and everything, after running pregnancy test and finding nothing, the ER nurse was perplexed at what could possible be so abnormal and causing this, and the doctor wasn't offering much more in the way of answers. Finally, the ER nurse goes, "And you are sure you are not due to start your period?" the girl thinks for a minute, then says, "What is the date today?" so the nurse answered, and the girl goes, "Oh yeah, I am due to start my period! This is my period!" That mid-teenaged girl left and the nurse was not a happy camper that the patient took up so much time away from her other patients... she turned to the two of us around and said, "Unfortunately, stuff like that happens all the time here. We see the dumbest things in this ER."
    carolmaccas66 likes this.
  5. Aug 22, '11 by
    Quote from jsallen
    The night of the midwest snowstorm of 2011, my ER had a patient call the ambulance for toe pain x3 weeks. The EMS crew had to drive to the middle of the country in snow 3 ft high to pick him up... then when he got here he said "I was just bored because my cable went out so I figured I'd come here and watch yours." Then, obviously, we couldn't get him a ride home so he got round the clock meals, warm blankets and free cable for the next 2 days until we could get him home.
    I am shocked that the er would let him stay for 2days ? why did they not just discharge him? that would not happen here last year I was in the er from vomiting and a low blood sugar I was told I had to stay but at 3:30AM I was still waiting for a room and the new shiftdoc. walks in and tells me to go home ??? I was given meds in my iv and then discharged and walked to a bench outside and left there It took me an 2 hour to wake my dad and have him pick me up by witch point I have fallen asleep on the bench thank god I had my dog with me to or I would have been scard to death
  6. Aug 22, '11 by
    We get this one more often than you would think:
    -Patient comes in, diagnosed with a mild infection of some sort (usually mild UTI or sinusitis), is given Rx for antibiotics and sent home.
    -Next day (or 2) patient returns to ER, same exact symptoms, states they are "no better". When asked about antibiotics that were prescribed, patient states that they didn't get antibiotics. I'm still trying to figure out what these patients expect us to do: voodoo? a rain dance? magic wand?

    One of the saddest things was this: 17-year-old kid walks into the ER, says he walked there because his mom went to the family shelter with his younger siblings. Turns out, kid can't stay at family shelter because he is too old (age limit for kids at the shelter is 12). However, Child Protective Services can't provide a place for the kid because, the way things work in THIS state (I'm in The South), he is considered an adult at age 17. Can't go to "regular" homeless shelter, because you have to be 18 to go to that shelter. I guess the kid couldn't think of anywhere else to go except the ER. We let him hang in the lobby for the night while the charge nurse worked with hospital social work to get the kid a place.
    brillohead, ShifraPuah, Crux1024, and 1 other like this.
  7. Aug 22, '11 by
    One of the saddest things was this: 17-year-old kid walks into the ER, says he walked there because his mom went to the family shelter with his younger siblings. Turns out, kid can't stay at family shelter because he is too old (age limit for kids at the shelter is 12). However, Child Protective Services can't provide a place for the kid because, the way things work in THIS state (I'm in The South), he is considered an adult at age 17. Can't go to "regular" homeless shelter, because you have to be 18 to go to that shelter. I guess the kid couldn't think of anywhere else to go except the ER. We let him hang in the lobby for the night while the charge nurse worked with hospital social work to get the kid a place.[/QUOTE]

    That IS sad! Poor kid! I guess they did find him a place?
  8. Aug 22, '11 by
    Quote from Leda1st
    We get this one more often than you would think:
    -Patient comes in, diagnosed with a mild infection of some sort (usually mild UTI or sinusitis), is given Rx for antibiotics and sent home.
    -Next day (or 2) patient returns to ER, same exact symptoms, states they are "no better". When asked about antibiotics that were prescribed, patient states that they didn't get antibiotics. I'm still trying to figure out what these patients expect us to do: voodoo? a rain dance? magic wand?

    One of the saddest things was this: 17-year-old kid walks into the ER, says he walked there because his mom went to the family shelter with his younger siblings. Turns out, kid can't stay at family shelter because he is too old (age limit for kids at the shelter is 12). However, Child Protective Services can't provide a place for the kid because, the way things work in THIS state (I'm in The South), he is considered an adult at age 17. Can't go to "regular" homeless shelter, because you have to be 18 to go to that shelter. I guess the kid couldn't think of anywhere else to go except the ER. We let him hang in the lobby for the night while the charge nurse worked with hospital social work to get the kid a place.

    OMG that is so sad I hope they where able to find him a home .
  9. Aug 22, '11 by
    Quote from jsallen
    The night of the midwest snowstorm of 2011, my ER had a patient call the ambulance for toe pain x3 weeks. The EMS crew had to drive to the middle of the country in snow 3 ft high to pick him up... then when he got here he said "I was just bored because my cable went out so I figured I'd come here and watch yours." Then, obviously, we couldn't get him a ride home so he got round the clock meals, warm blankets and free cable for the next 2 days until we could get him home.
    What's your room charge, like, $500 a day or what? Awfully expensive cable. Hope he ended up in jail.

    At the time, I was living in the storm's path (my town got more snow in that storm than we usually got in a whole season) and there was a story on the news about parades of pregnant women checking into motels in case they went into labor during this time.
  10. Aug 24, '11 by
    Quote from Purple_Demon_RN
    A woman came in because she stepped on a thumb tack. The 0.25 cm thumb tacks.
    Same here. However it was a man....who came in by EMS.