[Furball]

In the same vein chatty.

Once while being a brand new RN doing homecare I called a physician to report worsening sob in an end stage COPD-er. Her sat was 78% and her lips blue tinged. She adamently refused to go to the ER.

He asked if there were any beers in the fridge. While looking, I tried my darndest to figure out the reason for the odd request. When I got back to the phone I said "yes, there's some Coors light in the fridge". He said "What are you waiting for? Give her 1 or 2, whatever, and then call me." Magically, after 3/4 of a beer she slowed her rate down and could concentrate on pursed lip breathing which she couldn't do before because of anxiety. Her lips pinked and her sat climbed back to her usual 89%. My only reaction at the time was....wow, the things they DON"T teach you in nursing college.

[JWaldron]

One doctor kept writing the same order every day, because we never carried it out - U/A and C7S for a dialysis patient, and he complained to the N/M that we were refusing to implement his orders! the other funny order was as follows:
Foley catheter
Low continuous suction

on a 26 y.o. male patient! Poor guy!

[CashewLPN]

--MVI with vitamins.

--Barbara

[nu one]

The weirdest I encountered was coffee enema Q1... and it had to be brewed, not instant coffee.... and we did it!!!

.....imagine having your butt having a coffee break...

[Ltkristarn]

Originally posted by mattcastens




You laugh, but that's becoming more common (again). Our surgeons screen patients for possible DTs after their open-heart surgery. If they're found to be at risk, they have a standing order for "Beer: 1 can PO, BID." Thank god they specified "PO".

They figure that it's easier (and better for the patient) to stem the DTs before they start. We're not going to dry them up anyway, and their bodies can put the energy into healing instead of withdrawl.

We had the same thing. Patient post op day two for a R THR- major alcoholic. Talking a pint of vodka, plus a case of beer a day- lol. When did he drink water- I don't know? The doc, quote, unquote, "I don't have time to deal with this now, Give him Budweiser two cans po tid prn" It worked. No DTs- thank goodness.

[lpnandloveit1]

Oh wow I am old. re: three H enema gave a lot of them (for impactions) coffee emema yep given them too. 1--2-3 (glycerine,epsom salt water) and my all time favorite-----Milk and molasass.(yummy)

[stephi57]

not really an order but among my favorites are the ultrasound reports that come to us on L&D with the box beside "pt pregnant" checked NO while the report reads "single viable IUP...." (intrauterine pregnancy for y'all non OB's). Who does the quality control?

[shannonRN]

great stories! my story isn't of an actual order written in the chart but how the unit secretary put it in the computer. i found it when i went to do our midnight lines. the doctor wrote an order to strain urine. the secretary put in gram stain of urine. lab called the nurse to clarify and the nurse said, "that is what the doctor ordered" and lab tried to do a gram stain on urine?! i was there for an evening midnight double and overheard the nurse's side of the conversation. i couldn't believe that she didn't think to look at the chart.

[h vigliotti]

i have seen orders like that! a can of beer or something of that like. once, we even had an order for 2 cans of beer for newyears eve for a para who had been in the hospital for 5 months. (that was just because it was new years) a little creativity goes a long way.

Originally posted by kaknurse
We had a patient once who was an alcoholic and a COPDer. The doc, a pulmonologist, would write..Black Velvet, 30cc Q6hrs,prn..I am NOT kidding either. The pharmacy had to go to the liquor store and buy a bottle of BV and then we had to keep it locked in the narc cupboard and sign out each shot of BV!!!!

Kelly

[Mitzi-RN]

Got a diabetic patient transferred from another facility with the transfer orders as follows

If patient receives Humulin N coverage, for god sakes make sure he is transferred with his feeding running.

If he doesn't have his feeding going, and receives insulin, he will die. We will have killed him.

Do not touch dressings. I will do them myself. I know how they should be done.

This doc was known for his colorful charting, but some of the things still make my jaw drop!