The dumbest thing you've ever heard...

Nurses Relations

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Got to thinking about this one today, and was reminded of it when I read another thread on here...what's teh dumbest thing you've ever heard in nursing, as an explanation for a malady?

For example, the one that sticks out for me is one that I heard as a new nurse, many moons ago. I was doing an assessment on a patient, and a family member of said patient had her sone with her, who was profoundly mentally and physically handicapped. Of course, I would have never presumed to ask the nature of his complaint, but she was only too happy to volunteer it.

"When he was born, the nurse in the room had long fingernails and she scratched his head. That's why he's like this. It's all her fault. We tried to sue her, but the judge threw out the case."

I was stunned, to say the least, and didn't challenge it as hogwash outright, but I did ask,

"Did she puncture his scalp with her nails?"

"No, she just scratched him on the head. It didn't show, but she did it."

You can bet money I was VERY thorough with that assessment. Heaven forbid the lady get staph or some other dread condition because my hair or eyelashes were too long.

Anyone else ever heard a completely absurd reasoning for someone's ailments?

Specializes in Emergency/Trauma/Critical Care Nursing.

An ex boyfriend of mine was convinced that men had one less rib than women because the bible said God took one of Adam's ribs to make Eve. Despite all the literature and online pictures of chest xrays, he would not be swayed.... He was a moron overall anyways lol!

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It's called thinning the herd. I'm sure if most people were to pay attention to the news, research the information on their own (rather than digest what's provided to them), they will see what our political reality is in our nation.

We can change it in 2016! In fact, any change will be a good change.

I made an account for the sole purpose of responding to you because is a behavior I've seen replicated quite a few times in the thread with yourself at the vanguard.

We can change things in 2016 ? Really, if you were even remotely as educated in other aspects of life as you are in nursing, your specialty, you would realize how dumb a statement that is. This from the group making hilarious jokes about "can you believe they are allowed to breed".

The reality is that a large majority of you aren't any better, you understand this area very well and when it comes to others, you are as competent as the rest. You may know the scientific method and due to your chosen path it may be more prevalent in your life, this still doesn't mean see everything through it ( like you should ).

It really bothers me when people of decent intelligence go ahead and freely use these opinions to attack others with the always wonderful false sense of superiority, and time after time no examination of their delusion takes place. Learn to communicate ffs; learn the difference between communicating a fact and an opinion, the outcome reflects on it. Your intelligence means nothing if you don't know how to use it, wisdom and intelligence are 2 very different things.

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Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.

MODERATOR NOTE:

This 3 year old thread is about the "dumbest things" ever said by our patients to explain physical ailments.

If you wish a political thread please start one in the breakroom under US POLITICS.

Further off topic posts will be deleted.

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Specializes in SICU, trauma, neuro.
Speaking of GU complaints. You'd be shocked how many patients I have seen with vaginitis after douching with "herbal" mixtures most containing vodka and cayenne pepper. Or guys with STDs that state they couldn't possibly have and STD because all the girls they slept with didn't have kids so were "virgins".

:facepalm:

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Specializes in Nephrology, Cardiology, ER, ICU.

Back to the topic at hand PLEASE!!!!!

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Specializes in Medical-Surgical / Palliative/ Hospice.
Most of the foolishness I've encountered was related to "allergies." I've had patients who were allergic to oxygen.

I had a patient tell me he was allergic to suppositories because they gave him diarrhea. We REALLY need to be educating these people on the difference between a true allergy, an adverse side effect, an intolerance, and 'did not have the desired effect'. Just because potassium burns when it goes through your IV, does not mean you are allergic to it.

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Specializes in ED; Med Surg.
Just because potassium burns when it goes through your IV, does not mean you are allergic to it.

This!

I get so aggravated with allergies. Had a patient tell me he was allergic to alcohol and we could only use chloraprep on him. I didn't bother to tell him that a main ingredient of chloraprep is alcohol.

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OMG- I know his is slightly off topic but following in the vein of the last posts- mildly crazy female ESRD 2 to analgesic abuse- who is a LTC resident on HD who every 6 hrs wants her "Percocet, Xanax, phenergan" cocktail..throws her self on the floor or feigns a migraine, CP, and SOB to get a 911 to the ED who sends her back after 2mg IM dilaudid - states allergies to ketorolac, Tylenol (um ok because she sure likes her Percocet q6hr!), imitrex, haldol, risperdal, Motrin, etc. no.

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