ER- HELP: Dumbest reason people go to ER

Nurses Humor

Published

ATTN ER Staff!

I am writing a "paper" on the dumbest reasons/stories that people show up/come to ER. Would appreciate ANY input ANY of the ER staff out there has for me.........................IF you'd like a copy of the FINAL draft, please let me know and I'll forward it.

Thanks much!

PS. My winning entry so far is a Mom who brought 1 month old infant in at 2:30 AM because "it wouldn't look her in the eye. It doesn't recognize me!"

Not making this up

Specializes in Community, OB, Nursery.

Did you know that some shelters do not allow boys over the age of 12? Is that disgusting, or what?

I had a patient whose husband was physically and emotionally abusive to her but she couldn't/didn't leave him for that reason. None of the local domestic violence shelters had space for her two older boys, ages 12 and 16. So so so sad.

Specializes in ER.
I had a patient whose husband was physically and emotionally abusive to her but she couldn't/didn't leave him for that reason. None of the local domestic violence shelters had space for her two older boys, ages 12 and 16. So so so sad.

what is the reason behind that? That those ages can fend for themselves? Mom and daughters go, but leave the boys behind? What kind of back *ss thinking is that, anyway? This is common practice?????????????????? I'm shocked.:eek:

what is the reason behind that? That those ages can fend for themselves? Mom and daughters go, but leave the boys behind? What kind of back *ss thinking is that, anyway? This is common practice?????????????????? I'm shocked.:eek:

I don't know how common it is, but some shelters have that policy because many of the women are (justifiably) uncomfortable around all men. They believe that a teenage boy might seem threatening to some of the women. I don't know why, because those boys have been traumatized too.

what is the reason behind that? That those ages can fend for themselves? Mom and daughters go, but leave the boys behind? What kind of back *ss thinking is that, anyway? This is common practice?????????????????? I'm shocked.:eek:

my thoughts, when i read that were they caused too much trouble....onset of hormones, and the bad example of male behaviors that they had been exposed to...

Specializes in ER.
I don't know how common it is, but some shelters have that policy because many of the women are (justifiably) uncomfortable around all men. They believe that a teenage boy might seem threatening to some of the women. I don't know why, because those boys have been traumatized too.

aw, so sad - what about seperate women's and men's shelters? When I lived in Washington state, there were a few, but usually quite booked up....

my thoughts, when i read that were they caused too much trouble....onset of hormones, and the bad example of male behaviors that they had been exposed to...

The really sad thing is that a lot of the women are abusive too (which in no way implies that they deserved what happened to them) and I understand that abuse of children, staff, or other clients is the second most common reason why women are kicked out of DV shelters.

The most common reason is contacting the abuser. Their resources are very limited and they must reserve them for people who could actually benefit from them.

As for abused men, in most locales it wouldn't be practical to have a separate shelter for them. I do know of one city that had satellite shelters (either private homes, or a motel voucher) for men, or for women whose abuser knew where the shelter was. Most of the abused men they saw were in gay relationships, but not always.

Specializes in Community, OB, Nursery.
what is the reason behind that? That those ages can fend for themselves? Mom and daughters go, but leave the boys behind? What kind of back *ss thinking is that, anyway? This is common practice?????????????????? I'm shocked.:eek:

I don't like it myself. It really broke my heart for this family because the boys (there were 6) were such good kids and would have had a fighting chance.

OK the first few aren't dumb reasons to come to the ER, but shows how amazing people are and the dumb things they do.

Once we had a woman come in with 2 guys. Seems they were playing billiards and lost a ball in her corner pocket. I think she thought she was solids, but turns out she was stripes!

Had a guy come in with THREE heavy metal rings around his manhood, below the testicles. He waited 5 hrs before coming in to the ER. Actually went to sleep with it erect for 5 hrs. Of course I recognized him. As I had taken care of him before. I came in and asked, "whats up." My bad. He took it in stride. But he didnt like the ring cutter, the MD got through one side of the metal ring only to not be able to pull it apart due to how thick it was. It was nearly as big around as my pinky, and he had 3 of them. They were about to take him to the OR as he couldnt stand the heat of the ring cutter, and we most likely would have went through all the blades we had on hand trying to do so. Instead we called the fire dept who came in and snapped them off with bolt cutters. I must say, If I had an outtie, Id be terrified of bolt cutters.

Another guy put a link to a huge thick towing chain around his member. The urologist came in and after over 200 injections with an 18 G needle to remove the edematous fluid in his member finally got the chain off.

Had a pretty psychotic patient come in and tell me her heart stopped all night. I had to explain to her what that would mean. Poor thing.

Had a guy take an ambulance from out of town C/O SOB. But after he got in the ambulance immediately felt better and asked to go to the train station. Informed the medics he would AMA at the hospital, couldnt they just take him there?

I had a guy come in saying he was hit by a car 2 months ago. Was never seen at time of injury. But since the accident he has been on the phone with lawyers who he says suggested he come to the ER by ambulance to make a case against the person who hit him.

Patient came in for diarrhea after her GI DR gave her golytely.

We have a family that comes in for bruises all the time. Kid fell on his knee during sports, is ambulatory, no limping nothing. And they will wait until 11pm on a school night to be seen.

I had a guy who told me he just moved here 1 month ago, and has had this flank, rib, abd pain for "a while." Tells me he has no PMD yet. And he has tried not to come in for this. I look up his record, he has been here 3 times in this one month. Oddly enough, he was given vicodin twice on D/C for previous visits. And strangely enough, he was offered motrin for his Costochondritis, which he refused. And oddly he was mad he didnt get another 20 vicodin.

Had a woman come in worried she would get a lady partsl infection due to the fact the homeless dirty guy she had sex with has a really red infected looking member. Makes me wonder why if she thought it looked infected why she chose to have sex. lol

Had a CC of a "black arm". So of course Im thinking Im going to see some poor perfusion or necrosis, or something. I go and look at this guy. Of course I recalled seeing him just a couple days before. I look at his arm. He is pointing to his IV site, there is a bruise around it.

Specializes in ER.

What bugs me is the mothers that come in after 10pm with a 4-10yo child complaining that the kid didn't want to come in earlier, but now they got their parent up and insisted they needed to be seen. What ever happened to a PARENT evaluating their child and deciding if they were sick? What about setting limits on going to bed, and get up in the AM and go to the doc if you're still sick?

Clearly sometimes kids actually get sicker overnight- I'm talking about the tail wagging the dog, and the dog comes whimpering to me about how they need to get up at 6am. PUH-LEEZE.

I agree canoehead. The people who will bring their kid in at a ridiculous hours for a bruise is the same for me. Saying they cant afford Tylenol when they have their nails done, a cell phone and cigarettes.

There is a high rate of entitlement for some people. Its really annoying. They don't use a PMD because they would have to make an appointment. They tell me, I HAVE INSURANCE! Ok well no thats not real insurance, thats MYSURANCE. I'm paying for you to come to the most expensive place on earth because you, a 20 yr old vomited ONCE. And you took an ambulance to boot. Thanks. My tax dollars wasted. Mean while the person who is SOB and moments away from a tube, or having an MI drives themselves in due to knowing the bill will be too much.

I have a friend who's husband is self employed, insurance is too much for them, they have their kids covered but they would have to be dying to come in. Its sad. I have a mother of a friend of mine cut herself on accident and wrap it up, only to have her daughter check it the next day and find she had an ARTERIAL bleed, and she still didn't want to come in! Then I have the young guy who says he moved here a month ago and has been trying not to come to the ER. This was his 3RD visit in a month. Who you kidding?

I also had a lady come in for constipation x 5-6 yrs. Due to the medications her MD has her on. She has been to a GI and her PMD she says, and now she wants to come to the ER to see what we can do. Well we can refer you back, seeing as you have no obstruction, and are having BM's.

It is funny what people will come to the ER for

I had a pt 50 year old female CC:Leg pain - her daughter comes up to the triage desk and says "Mom, your staying. Her chief complaint should be she was choping wood in the rain and choped her leg instead." Mom didn't want stiches, she kept telling her daughter just put some aloe vera on it and wrap it up. :bowingpur

While in the the next bed: CC:Leg pain - I steped on cactus needle. she had ONE small cactus thorn in her toe. :bluecry1:

Specializes in neuro, critical care, open heart..
If your after a dumb diagnosis. I once saw Miss Day B on a chart.

I'm sorry, I just don't get it. I've said it out loud a hundred times. Am I just that stupid?:confused:

+ Add a Comment