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

hogan4736 · Jun 25, 2004, 02:15 AM

Originally Posted by Traumamama59

Worst weirdest was a person that drank a cup of abrasive substance that wasn't supposed to be drank. Can't tell ya any more than that without violating HIPPA. Needless to say it wasn't pretty and that person is really messed up for life.

Pam

HIPAA??? Even if you tell us he drank Drano and ended up on Levophed and Dopamine w/ a pressure of only 80 and was transferred to toxicology, HIPAA couldn't touch you...Just don't use names

(me shouting loudly) "Hey HIPAA, I treated a guy in 1996 w/ the above story"
(anyone w/in the sound of my voice) "cool story, thanks"

Had a young idiot come in to triage at 0100 for a paternity test, as he was due in court IN SIX HOURS!!!

I told him to leave...

Nurse Ratched · Jun 25, 2004, 06:48 AM

We get people in our office following up after an ED visit, and I'm always amazed that they wound up in the ED. We even had one gal recently who came to our office for a chronic problem, then went to the ED the night before all her test results were to be in because *she couldn't wait for them anymore.* She thought the ED would have them right away. She got ALL the same tests run AND the results still weren't available until after our results were already in.

RNin92 · Jun 25, 2004, 08:34 AM

Stupid People=Job Security

Well known fact of life in the ER

Momto2Boys · Jun 25, 2004, 11:00 AM

Originally Posted by LPN2Be2004

Gum stuck in long blond (bleached) hair. The doctor wrote a recommendation on an order sheet to a cosmetologist.

Are you serious?

Momto2Boys · Jun 25, 2004, 11:06 AM

Originally Posted by 2ndCareerRN

Normally I would not have anything to add to one of these threads, but, just the other night a 20 something female came in because she cut a fingernail to short and it hurt.
She waited over 2 hours to be told to go home, there was nothing we would do for her.

bob

OH MY!! And I wonder if she got a bill for that? Some of these stories are shocking

RainbowSkye · Jun 25, 2004, 12:17 PM

Gee, let's see:
-broken acrylic nail
-child vomited once, now sitting on mom's lap eating chips and drinking coke
-laceration too tiny to be seen by the naked eye ("it was bleeding just a minute ago" as patient squeezes the alleged laceration trying to make it bleed again)
-totally well, but needing a work excuse for a sick day sometime last week
-child sleeping all day (up all night crying the night before)
-prescription refill (could be anything from bp meds to oxycontin)
-viagra request
-mosquito bite (yup, just a plain old mosquito bite with no allergic reaction or infection)
-child "lethargic" (mom's words) as kid is running up and down the hall and, you guessed it, eating chips and drinking coke

nurse-ratched · Jun 25, 2004, 02:36 PM

Most ridiculous thing...

Originally Posted by JUSTYSMOM

and do you have to treat them?

I am just curious. Your stories always seem to either crack me up or shake my head in amazement.

Thanks for sharing

Well....here's a few:

1. "the baby's crying." (no signs of illness, just crying)
2. "My pee is yellow" (huh? wonder what colour it used to be...)
3. "A plastic container fell on my head" (no injury)
4. Toothache x1hr
5. Vomited once (this guy took an ambulance in, lives 1block from the hospital)
6. Nausea (patient said, "I have a vomiting phobia")
7. Scratch on the pinkie finger (took an ambulance)

sandypinktruck · Jun 25, 2004, 05:42 PM

Wood Ticks

Had a patient who found 2 ticks come in with ticks in plastic container. They hadnt bit or imbedded, but they were spotted, so MOM was concerned. What are we supposed to do with them anyway?

*kids* · Jun 25, 2004, 05:48 PM

Originally Posted by nurse-ratched

1. "the baby's crying." (no signs of illness, just crying)

Dumb reason to bring a healthy child in.

And I swear this is not a hijack.

My grandson had open heard a 10(?11) days old to correct TVG. He is dong fine and only needs annual follow-up, however the Peds cardiologist says he remains at risk for MI. His parents have instructions to take him to the nearest ER for crying without cause >30 minutes.

gwenith · Jun 25, 2004, 05:53 PM

We have a way of slowing down the "trivial" complaints i.e. cut too small to see - we ask the person when they last had a tetanus shot. It is always more than 10 years ago - you shoudl see their faces!!!!!

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

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