Unconventional Strange Treatments

[flowerchild]

What is the strangest and most unconventional treatment you have ever given for you patient? Did it work?

I had a HHC patient who had a terrible itchy rash. She had it for months and many dg had been r/o, as well as she had tried evey treatment you can think of without relief. I mentioned it to the head WCN who advised we try banana peals. I used the banana peals by rubbing the inside of the peal on her skin where the rash was located. It worked!

Thanks for your replies!

[mare-mare]

Tried the alcohol pads and they totally work... everybody else thinks I'm crazy till they see it work... an old nurse also once had me swab a womens lady parts with betadine sawbs for a yeast infection, and it worked!

[Chaundra]

We had an order to apply sugar to a prolapsed rectum for a 90 year old woman. Everytime she would sit on the toilet it would pop out again and we'd have to get the sugar packets out. What a mess!

[JoyfulNurse]

Can you believe this one!

In a LTC setting, a diabetic resident set her foot on fire whilst smoking. After a graft, and numerous months of treatment, her foot was still an awful mess.

Foot soaks, triple abo ointment etc. Orthopod recommended amutation. She refused. So, anyhow, last appt to PCP her foot was a dripping mess. Wrapped with Kerlix and Abd it would soak through in a couple hours. Comes back with orders from a reputably serious and anal MD..."I know it sounds like I am crazy, but it works in third world countries."

Appy table honey to wound and change every day. Within one week wound is clean with no drainage. Wound bed has good blood flow. Infection is gone. W/o Oral abo's.

Wild huh?

Must be some enzyme from the bee's in the honey!

Dara

[OzNurse69]

Third world countries, huh?? We have been doing that over here for, oh, about 5 years....I just thought it was conventional therapy for non-healing chronically infected wounds!! Not some wild & wacky treatment....

[Peeps Mcarthur]

Ok, even I (we?) think that post was a little strange.

If you managed to visualize that while eating toast and honey, and not miss a bite...................you might be a nurse.

This post was edited after vehement disagreement among the other voices in my head!

[jschut, BSN, RN]

:imbar

Julie

[colleen10]

When my dad was a youngster he stepped on a nail. Didn't do too much damage but by looking at the puncture wound you could tell that there was dirt and even a piece of rubber from his shoe up in the wound.

The town doctor told my grandmother to wrap a piece of uncooked bacon around the wound, like you would a bandage. Low and behold next day when she removed the bacon all of the debris that was in the wound had fallen out.

I still wouldn't try it though, even when I stepped on a nail last summer.

[Peeps Mcarthur]

Bacon's got alot of sodium doesn't it? Maybe it was hypertonic to the wound debris.

[Agnus]

the bacon thing reminded me of this.

In the early 60's when my sister's kids were small. Her MD had her put onions on their feet to "draw out the fever"

She swears it "fried the onions" Then when the onions were "fried" she was to replace them with fresh ones until the fever was gone.

I also remember his perscription for measles was, "have an icream party with one spoon." The idea of the last one was that there was no vaccine back then; so get all the kids infected and get it over with.

[BMS4]

If you managed to visualize that while eating toast and honey, and not miss a bite...................you might be a nurse.

:chuckle :chuckle

My mom (also a nurse), uses wet tea leaves on insect stings. Takes the sting away immediately.

[BMS4]

JoyfulNurse (Dara),

Welcome :)

[WashYaHands]

I wonder if she peed in self defence so you would get her off the commode (couldn't resist).

Whatever it takes :chuckle I had to stay in there with her, I've never held my breath for so long in my life.