This is the second time in the past 3 weeks that we've had a family that was just adamant that the nicotine patch we have put on their family member was the source of all their problems. 1st patient was a young (30's) severe drug/ETOH abuser that had drank and drugged himself into MVR and a pacemaker and was now on a vent. Nooooo, it couldn't be drug/ETOH withdrawl, it had to be the freaking nicotine patch. His mother SWORE he only smoked a couple of cigarettes a day and that there was no need for that patch. 2nd pt is a middle aged deaf/mute drug & ETOH'er who decided it was a good idea to get absolutely tore the ***** up and drive a car. So, now on top of all the issues she had before let's add a closed head injury! BUT do you want to know why she's really so squirrly now??? According to her family, it has got to be that @#$%% nicotine patch. I spent about a half hour trying to reason with the daughter that this nicotine patch was the LEAST of her mother's problems. Daughter's reasoning was that "Momma don't even remember the wreck, I doubt she remembers that she smoked." I tried to explain that her body remembers and that we were slowly weaning her off the nicotine. She wouldn't hear of it and wanted the patch removed IMMEDIATELY. Whatever. I took it off, charted it and put a note for the dr on the chart. It said..."Patient's family insistant that nicotine patch be removed. They are confident that this is the source of all her problems. I removed it at 2154. PLEASE call me if this fixed her." Dr actually got to the chart before I left that morning and nearly peed her pants when she read it. There was a comedian a while back that would do a joke about stupid people. He said life would be so much easier if stupid people just had a sign on their forehead so we could identify them and not even bother. He said it would be like "You see, this is how it's done...Oh, my bad. I didn't see your sign. Nevermind." I'm all for it. I think this would save me a lot of time.
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