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Someone who failed a drug test: "I had a really bad headache last night, and I didn't know I had taken a Percocet."
(ever try reading the bottle before you take the pill?)
Another one came in with a .20 BAC. Looked us all straight in the face and swore they weren't drinking: instead, they tried to blame it on the Nyquil they were taking for their cold.
(uh huh. Right...)
Lots of interesting things removed from human orifices in the ED...
And the OR, when things have gone "too far" for retrieval in the ER.
Recent history: vibrator (still running) that required colon resection, shampoo bottle (fell on it- in the garage), tennis ball (why, just why?), fish hooks (ouch!), buckyballs (man, those things can be incredibly dangerous, and DO NOT make good facial piercings), and many, many more.
When performing tox screens for potential study participants in a healthy normal research study, participant was positive for barbituates. He said he was only in the room when they were smoking...too bad they are generally only in pill form and you usually consciously ingest the pills.
They'd come out of the bathroom with cold, clear specimens with a SG of 1.0000 and a temp less than 90F (clearly it was tap water). I'd ask if they were sure this came directly from their bladder. They'd swear yes and ask why...I'd tell them that I'd have to contact the physician immediately as they'd likely need to be transferred to the hospital for an evaluation by a renal specialist as if they were voiding cool water they had bigger problems than if they were positive for narcotics. (Magically their repeat specimen was proper color, temperature and SG...and positive for marajuanna and cocaine.)
Brian, ASN, RN
3 Articles; 3,695 Posts
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