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

Specialties Emergency Nursing Q/A

And did 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 ?

i personally pulled a splinter out of a little girl in the ER. But with lack of insurance toothe ache is the most common thing

Now why in the world would you even think that it would be silly to go to the ER for that? I had a kidney stone years ago. It was probably the worst pain I ever felt in my life!
Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.

I was working in a Boston burb hospital in a very entitled area. A nurse call came in and as I picked up the phone the gentleman informed me he was a member of "_____" and wanted me to tell the pilot to land the plane immediately as his wife had a dilated pupil"!!!!!!!! Which means he had a medical records card! They were some where over the Atlantic. Upon questioning It was acertained that he had a scopalamine patch on and his wife placed it on him!!!! So the pilot deceded to continue the flight much to the gentlemans dismay that the pilot would not land the plane because he was a member of "________" lost in boston :rolleyes: :lol2: :roll

[ QUOTE=teeituptom]Now really. Do you expect anything else from Nursing Home nurses. Granted there are a few that really love their work and really love the elderly.

All the rest Ive met are losers who cant cut it working anything else.

i SUGGEST WHOMEVER WROTE THIS REPLY SHOULD REALLY TRY WORKING IN A NURSING HOME FOR AWHILE. IT TAKES SOME REAL SPECIAL PEOPLE TO TAKE OF THE ELDERLY. AS FOR BEING LOSERS, I DO BELIEVE THAT AN RN IS AN RN IS AN RN................I WENT FROM WORKING IN OPS/RECOVERY ROOM/ SURGERY. TO WORKING AS A DON. YOU WOULD NOT BELIEVE THE REGULATIONS COMPARED TO HOSPITALS ETC......TRY IT SOMETIME...........AND WHAT WE FIND AS NURSING HOME NURSES IS THAT "HOSPITAL PEOPLE" FEEL OUR RESIDENTS DO NOT NEED TO BE TREATED.....WRONG......THEY ARE STILL ALIVE BREATHING AND STILL NEED TO BE TREATED......HOW INSENSITIVE.....NURSES THAT FEEL THIS WAY AS ABOVE STATED....GET A GRIP WHAT HAPPENED TO CARING??????????????

I rarely call 911. I either drive myself or have my SIL drive me. And I can't understand the ER nurses who criticize me for not calling 911. I don't call because it takes me ten minutes to drive to the ER. Caling 911, 2-4 minutes on the phone. 5-10 minutes for the rescue squad to get to my home 10 to 25 minutes spent assessing me, getting a history, medications, starting an IV, starting a nebulizer treatment. Then 10 minutes transporting me. In the meantime my respiratory status is geting worse and worse. I've told my daughter, call 911 only if I am unconscious or you or I can't deal with the problem and transport me in timely maner, to the ER.

I called 911 twice last year. The evening after Charlie hit and nine days later. Both times because of asthma. I wouldn't have called but we were at someone else home. And the second time, I was alone with my three grandchildren.

Sometimes, I think I could sufer more waiting for the rescue squad to arive then driving myself in. So far, I have been proven to be correct in driving myself in.

I suspect I'll be found dead in my bed, not a bad way to go. ;)

Granynurse :balloons:

I'm with you - actually our hospital has a number you can call for the ambulance w/o going through 911 and I've told my family to call that # instead of 911 because it takes too long to answer questions for a dispatcher who knows nothing about our small town.

I've called 911 to report a fight between a man and a woman in front of our local theatre ... the dispatcher needs to know the street address, the nearest cross street, etc., . ..

All I have to do when I call the hospital is say "in front of the theatre" and they know where to go.

Also, I live barely a mile from the hospital, so I too would drive before I called the ambulance unless there was some way I couldn't drive or be driven.

steph

While I was working as an MA, I was transfered a call from the front desk. They gave me no forewarning before sending it back, turns out it was an 86 y/o female that had somehow gotten a golfball stuck 'down below'.

I tried to ask her how it happened, but she avoided the question. Then I asked her how long it had been there - "oh, a few days now i suppose"

And she's just now getting concerned! Our UCC didn't have any birthing forceps or suction, so we sent her to the ER. Would've loved to be there when she arrived! Sweet lil' thing, maybe attempting some sort of kegals? :p

She was probably using it to hold her bladder up - instead of a pessary.

http://www.aafp.org/afp/20000501/2719.html

steph

I'm with you - actually our hospital has a number you can call for the ambulance w/o going through 911 and I've told my family to call that # instead of 911 because it takes too long to answer questions for a dispatcher who knows nothing about our small town.

I've called 911 to report a fight between a man and a woman in front of our local theatre ... the dispatcher needs to know the street address, the nearest cross street, etc., . ..

All I have to do when I call the hospital is say "in front of the theatre" and they know where to go.

Also, I live barely a mile from the hospital, so I too would drive before I called the ambulance unless there was some way I couldn't drive or be driven.

steph

I will never forget calling 911 for my Dad, who I thought was having an M.I. After giving the dispatcher explicit directions to our home, I sent my daughter outside to watch for them. She watched as the drove past the first cross street, then back up, came down it, then went down the wrong street, then another wrong street, despite my daughter flashing our front light off and on (you could see everything becuase of the circular roads and the lack of many homes). Thank heavens my Dad was alright.

911 is one of the best systems every instituted. It is some of the dispatchers and some of the firemen that need a little work :rolleyes:

Grannynurse :balloons:

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 :)

The latest one was My head is shrinking. It has shrunk 25% in the last year and my doctor says I'm not crazy

Specializes in ER, ICU, L&D, OR.
[ QUOTE=teeituptom]Now really. Do you expect anything else from Nursing Home nurses. Granted there are a few that really love their work and really love the elderly.

All the rest Ive met are losers who cant cut it working anything else.

i SUGGEST WHOMEVER WROTE THIS REPLY SHOULD REALLY TRY WORKING IN A NURSING HOME FOR AWHILE. IT TAKES SOME REAL SPECIAL PEOPLE TO TAKE OF THE ELDERLY. AS FOR BEING LOSERS, I DO BELIEVE THAT AN RN IS AN RN IS AN RN................I WENT FROM WORKING IN OPS/RECOVERY ROOM/ SURGERY. TO WORKING AS A DON. YOU WOULD NOT BELIEVE THE REGULATIONS COMPARED TO HOSPITALS ETC......TRY IT SOMETIME...........AND WHAT WE FIND AS NURSING HOME NURSES IS THAT "HOSPITAL PEOPLE" FEEL OUR RESIDENTS DO NOT NEED TO BE TREATED.....WRONG......THEY ARE STILL ALIVE BREATHING AND STILL NEED TO BE TREATED......HOW INSENSITIVE.....NURSES THAT FEEL THIS WAY AS ABOVE STATED....GET A GRIP WHAT HAPPENED TO CARING??????????????

One, I will never work om a mursing home.

Two After 3 decades of seeong what kind of condition nursing home patients are sent to us in and reviewing the records they send with the patient, I feel justified in my assessment of nursing home care. or lack thereoff.

ex.. Elderly pt with altered LOC, no vital signs documented and a fever of 104 in acute urosepsis, did the nursing home ever give any Tylenol, of course not.when was the last time the foley was changed, by the look of the foley forever. Pt covered with bed sores and incontinent of stool with old dried feces still on them.

the list can go on endlessly, my judgements are based on pbservations over a long period of time. As far as caring, I do care. which is why Im the king of reporting nursing homes to adult protective services for neglect, harm, and just plain old poor care.

i have a great aunt that will be thrilled to hear that hiccups can be cured with gambling!

:rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: still chuckling... heh heh... vegas nerve...

fab: Don't be so quick to say that's ridiculous. As someone who suffers from endometriosis, before I was dx'd, it was really scary when I would get cramps from it. I would pass out eventually, but I would also be in about a 9 of 10 to 10 of 10 amount of pain until that time. My parents had to keep the pain relievers from me because I would get delirious and they were afraid I would accidentally OD, trying to get some pain relief.

I often check the tele to see if my cramps showed up on the news. I swear they are 3.9 on the rector scale.

Sherri RN

Travis Air Force Base, California

I don't like rodents running through my kitchen, so i sure as heck don't want them running around in my colon.

They snap the teeth off. I've heard they duct tape the gerbils in other versions.

woman 16 weeks pregnant had unprotected sex last night with someone who smoked pot and wanted to know if the baby would get any of it and if so could we "clean her out please"...

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