Best Hallucinations Thread

My patient had an iv beeping "downstream occlusion "every time he bent his arm and each time it would start again he would wake up long enough to answer his phone and fall back asleep with the phone to his ear.

Caterpillars in rectum is my personal favorite chief complaint.

Or when the restrained DTers call you into their room because their girlfriends had their way with them but forgot to set them loose after. That's a classic. .

Had a patient who had some dementia. I came in to check on her at 2 am and she told me about the little mouse by the window. I assured her that everything was okay and she should go to sleep. At 4 I walked in and again she talked about the mouse. I glanced over and there actually was a mouse just sitting on top of the vent by the window. I freaked out a bit and she told me "don't worry honey. Atleast it's not a snake."

Not a hallucination but it was so funny.

I also had a patient who kept yelling at a person who didn't exist to stop touching her leg. Every 5 minutes she'd yell out about it. You'd have to go in and slap them away from her so she could go back to sleep.

Had a guy seeing beetles crawling on the ceiling and walls. Much like the huge ones in the Mummy. This guy was really freaking out over it. I told him not to worry, that they were healthy bugs since they were in the hospital. It worked.

Fresh post-op LOL kept complaining to her family that a man was under the covers, grabbing her legs. Family didn't tell us, thinking that she was "just" hallucinating. Eventually, a nurse was in the room when the patient complained that the man was grabbing her legs again. Nurse lifted the covers to show the patient and family the SCD's on her legs.

I worked neuro med/surg/stepdown/telemetry... So there are plenty that came to mind.

One of my favorites was a little old lady that kept trying to get out of bed (hx of both dementia and subdural hemorrhage s/p fall). She kept telling me about a wedding she had to get ready for (she had owned a co-owned a banquet hall when she was younger). She kept talking about laundry (tablecloths, napkins) that needed "fixin". So, to play into that, I went to the linen closet and got an assortment of towels and pillow cases. I took them into her room, and asked her if she would mind helping me "getting ready for the wedding". I "picked" the laundry up when she finished, and brought her "more" (same pile just unfolded again) and kept repeating that night and the next night - she never once tried to get up out of bed on me :) My coworkers were kind of upset - I was the only one able to get her to buy into it :)

Or the little old guy, who lived on a farm his entire life (barring the time he was stationed overseas in the service). Was very combative and actually in a net bed - there were many hallucinations he had frequently. One time, when I checked on the patient, the he was there in bed, rambling on and on and on about cows on the roof, how he can't count all of them there are so many.

a few weeks ago I was patient sitting for a combative pt with sundowners...he had been watching CNN, so he was CONVINCED someone was prowling the halls with a gun...he was in soft restraints and mittens because he kept yanking out his NG tube...anyway he kept telling me that there were people in the hallway with guns, that my parents were already dead and that my brother (don't have one) was screwing my mother LOL!!! Anyway the final one before the Haldol took effect was he told me that my parents were dead, and when I told him (again) that they weren't, he looked at me and told me "your mother raised a real dumbass didn't she?"

Had a patient who had some dementia. I came in to check on her at 2 am and she told me about the little mouse by the window. I assured her that everything was okay and she should go to sleep. At 4 I walked in and again she talked about the mouse. I glanced over and there actually was a mouse just sitting on top of the vent by the window. I freaked out a bit and she told me "don't worry honey. Atleast it's not a snake."

Not a hallucination but it was so funny.

This reminds me of when my son was about 8 and he tried to convince me that the squirrel (which had fallen in the chimney and was banging around-was going to call someone about it after the weekend-it was the second such squirrel and I had been assured they could NOT get the flue open and get into the house) so I assured him of the same thing. BUt to make him feel better, I went into the family room to check.

Well, I had to cross the room to turn on the lamp next to the couch- when I did, sure enough, there was a giant, soot-covered squirrel sitting on my mantle- and when I turned on that light, he started running around the room, making little sooty squirrel foot prints everywhere. We had a time getting him out of the house!

So, now when children (and seemingly confused elderly patients) insist there is an issue, I check it out before I dismiss it as foolishness. lol

Had a patient who had some dementia. I came in to check on her at 2 am and she told me about the little mouse by the window. I assured her that everything was okay and she should go to sleep. At 4 I walked in and again she talked about the mouse. I glanced over and there actually was a mouse just sitting on top of the vent by the window. I freaked out a bit and she told me "don't worry honey. Atleast it's not a snake."

Not a hallucination but it was so funny.

I work in psych and one of my favorite stories is about a delusion not hallucination. It was reported and documented on admission that one of the (psychotic) patient's delusions was that he was good friends with the bishop of our large local diocese. He insisted that he would come the next day and get him out of there.

Imagine our surprise when the bishop showed up to visit the very next morning! He did not however try to get him released, but did help reassure him he was where he needed to be.

Over the years I've heard other seemingly grandiose, paranoid or delusional comments which turned out to be based on facts.

Lesson learned...Don't discount those hard to believe stories just because someone carries a diagnosis of psychosis!