Seriously?!?! You gotta be kidding me!

Nurses General Nursing

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Ok here is another thread we can hopefully get going for nurse veterans and young nurses to see what's to come. What are some of the craziest chief complaints or diagnosis you have seen. I don't want to limit it to chief complaint because that tends to be associated with only emergency.

I could name so many but to start the 2 that made me roll my eyes and say Seriously??

Pt came in with a complaint of "excessive anal sweating" stated that his butt crack had profuse sweating and it was impeding his life. Even after D/C came back hours later for same thing. I can not tell you how hard it was to keep a straight face during that triage.

Another patient came in OFTEN with complaints of feeling faint after excessive masturbation. :| His last D/C he was instructed to cut back on masturbation but apparently it was still an issue and he would come in for near syncope.

Specializes in Emergency Dept. Trauma. Pediatrics.
Code blue, I am dying of curiosity.

Of knowing what the med is? I am surprised no one has named it yet. lol

I just went to google to see if it would show up and sure enough. Google "IV medication that makes your lady parts feel on fire" :p :p :p

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Of knowing what the med is? I am surprised no one has named it yet. lol

I just went to google to see if it would show up and sure enough. Google "IV medication that makes your lady parts feel on fire" :p :p :p

Decadron?? Really?? I've given IVP/IVPB decadron since I first started nursing. Usually prior to chemo and mixed with anti emetic like Aloxi, but I never knew this! I don't recall a pt saying anything about perineal burning, but I really hope I pushed it slow enough!

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Specializes in Emergency Dept. Trauma. Pediatrics.
Decadron?? Really?? I've given IVP/IVPB decadron since I first started nursing. Usually prior to chemo and mixed with anti emetic like Aloxi, but I never knew this! I don't recall a pt saying anything about perineal burning, but I really hope I pushed it slow enough!

It has never mattered how slow it was pushed (always IVP never IVPB or if it was diluted down a bit, it has happened 99% of the time I have given it and happens with my co-workers. LOL

I was on the receiving end once actually twice for migraines and I experienced it first hand and another co-worker of mine just experienced her first time too after getting it for headache. Thankfully I knew what to expect. HAHAHA

I wonder if your patients undergoing other serious meds and ailments changes the effects a bit?? Not sure, but I know at least from my experience in the ER and most of my co-workers it's common. Thankfully it doesn't last long. Like 45 seconds to a min.

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I have given it pre-chemo many times also (worked oncology for 23 years) and never had a patient say anything about burning. Must be context, or perhaps amount of Decadron given.

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It has never mattered how slow it was pushed (always IVP never IVPB or if it was diluted down a bit, it has happened 99% of the time I have given it and happens with my co-workers. LOL

I was on the receiving end once actually twice for migraines and I experienced it first hand and another co-worker of mine just experienced her first time too after getting it for headache. Thankfully I knew what to expect. HAHAHA

I wonder if your patients undergoing other serious meds and ailments changes the effects a bit?? Not sure, but I know at least from my experience in the ER and most of my co-workers it's common. Thankfully it doesn't last long. Like 45 seconds to a min.

Most of my pts are neuro crit care, probably on sedation and/or intubated so I'm sure that can change some things lol. I typically give 4mg IVP and I think the most is 8mg. I gave up to 20 mg IVPB though. Glad I know this now!!

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Specializes in Emergency Dept. Trauma. Pediatrics.
Most of my pts are neuro crit care, probably on sedation and/or intubated so I'm sure that can change some things lol. I typically give 4mg IVP and I think the most is 8mg. I gave up to 20 mg IVPB though. Glad I know this now!!

I am guessing that's got to be what is playing a roll in things, especially since the other poster said the same. In my experience we usually give 10mg IVP and my patients have migraines, but outside of that although they may have co morbidities, they are function and walking and talking. Usually we have already done the saline, benadryl and toradol combo and this is given after if no relief. It was the same when I first received it.

Toradol has always been a life saver for me if I get a migraine severe enough to take me to urgent care. But the time I got decadron I had to go to the ER and it turned out I needed a blood patch from a LP i had gotten a couple days prior. That headache was the only 10/10 pain I have ever had in my life, worse than all 4 of my kids, worse than any of my surgeries.

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I hope I've pushed that slowly enough. I had a patient at the rehab who was getting this on a regular basis and never complained. I guess in the future I'll slow down when pushing this med just in case.

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We had a patient check in early this morning with a chief complaint of dryness in their mouth. Like...seriously?

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Specializes in Hospital medicine; NP precepting; staff education.
I am guessing that's got to be what is playing a roll in things, especially since the other poster said the same. In my experience we usually give 10mg IVP and my patients have migraines, but outside of that although they may have co morbidities, they are function and walking and talking. Usually we have already done the saline, benadryl and toradol combo and this is given after if no relief. It was the same when I first received it.

Toradol has always been a life saver for me if I get a migraine severe enough to take me to urgent care. But the time I got decadron I had to go to the ER and it turned out I needed a blood patch from a LP i had gotten a couple days prior. That headache was the only 10/10 pain I have ever had in my life, worse than all 4 of my kids, worse than any of my surgeries.

Oh god oh god yes. I had an l.p. done for a migraine with Neuro findings when one pupil was huge and the other not. Had I not had a suspected meningitis or the week before I could have avoided that. When my migraine had no relief after 12 days the anesthesiologist at the pain clinic where I was working that day insisted I get a blood patch. I'm grateful because I can't remember being so miserable.

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Specializes in Hospital medicine; NP precepting; staff education.

I missed the typo of OR instead of the abbreviation of Patient. I did not have meningitis , A patient was suspected to.

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Specializes in Emergency Dept. Trauma. Pediatrics.
Oh god oh god yes. I had an l.p. done for a migraine with Neuro findings when one pupil was huge and the other not. Had I not had a suspected meningitis or the week before I could have avoided that. When my migraine had no relief after 12 days the anesthesiologist at the pain clinic where I was working that day insisted I get a blood patch. I'm grateful because I can't remember being so miserable.

It was one of my ER docs that insisted on a CT and when that was clean she wanted a LP. She was asking me about a headache I was having at work because it came on a few hours after I had experienced the worst pain of my life (at the time) in my head during exertion. The pain lasted like 45 seconds tops and went away. Well a few hrs later pretty wicked headache came on and apparently my pupils were unequal so she wanted me to clock out and check in. I said I would after shift and her exact words were "I swear to god if you drop dead from a ruptured aneurysm I will punch you in the face" hahaha So I agreed. Anyway the LP did me in. The ER docs had me admitted the next day and suggested to the neuro they felt I needed a blood patch but the neurologist didn't agree. So 4 days later I could not function, I could not move without vomiting. A nurse from here actually was on shift when my friend brought me in and he said I looked like death. I couldn't walk and couldn't stop vomiting and couldn't get the pain to stop. Our ER doc was like yea we are dealing with this ourselves and had me sent taken to IR for a blood patch. It was a miracle fix man. After that I had one last migraine cocktail and sleep and it was like it never happened. Pain free.

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Ok, so normally I don't go out in public wearing anything identifying myself as anything medical. Well, this weekend I neglicted my grocery shopping so I had to stop and get something to eat at work tonight 'cause I wasn't feeling Graham crackers and peanut butter...again. I figured Target was safer than Wally World. I run in, not making eye contact with anyone, go straight to frozen foods. Then I make the mistake of taking too long to decide what I want. A woman comes up to me and says, "I see you're wearing scrubs, are you a nurse? I've seen so many commercials this weekend talking about nurses week!" I figured this was okay, so I said yes. Then..."Can you look at this? We just moved here and I don't have a doctor yet." And STARTS TO PULL HER PANTS DOWN IN THE FROZEN FOODS AISLE! :wideyed: :no: I told her I was going to be late for work and booked my way out of there. I feel so bad for all the other people in scrubs I saw on my way out. Maybe they'll be smarter than I was and won't own up to being a nurse or anything and will say they work in a vets office, although the one I saw still wearing her badge is SOL.

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