Diagnoses you never thought you'd see?

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What's the most unusual patient you've ever had? I've had a couple--one was a woman whose admit orders included that she was NOT to have any food from home. They suspected that her husband was POISONING her.

The other was a woman who was a former LPN with a textbook case of Munchausen's syndrome. There was really nothing wrong with her but she kept insisting (moaning, actually) that she was SO sick. Very weird.

Specializes in Cath Lab, OR, CPHN/SN, ER.

I would get cracked up on a discharge diagnoses where I used to work. One of the options was "Hit by Train". Really? If they're hit by train, they're probably being discharged to the morgue (also an option).

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Specializes in Med/Surg.

Forgot about this one......as a nursing student, I watched a mastectomy....on a 19 year old male patient. Doesn't happen very often!

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Specializes in Oncology.

I say a few strange ones while in school- Anencephaly, Stevens-Johnson. Also saw a suspected case of Munchuasens by Proxy.

Had a patient once with Methoglobinemia.

Had a patient with a flesh eating fungal infection as well.

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Specializes in Community, OB, Nursery.

Patent Urachus. That is really interesting, and fortunately, fixable.

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Specializes in Management, Emergency, Psych, Med Surg.

STD in a 2 year old! What was done about this?

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Specializes in Management, Emergency, Psych, Med Surg.

"Smiling Mighty Jesus" according to the patient, spinal meningitis in reality.

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Specializes in Emergency Dept. Trauma. Pediatrics.

I am sure this isn't odd for y'all but my friends dad was injured by a bomb (can't remember the type where they have lots of different stuff in it??) Shrapnel?? Anyway, here it is 30 something years later and he will still have stuff work it's way out of his leg. FREAKIEST THING I have ever seen (but I am not a nurse yet LOL) I mean like a good size stick thing will slowly start coming out. Gives me goosebumps thinking about it.

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Specializes in Geriatrics, Cath Lab, Cardiology,Neuro.

When I worked as an aide at a Assisted Living Facility we had a woman in her 80's with a prolasped uterus which looked like a giant testicle and the kicker was she gave birth to ONLY ONE CHILD!

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Specializes in Geriatrics, Cath Lab, Cardiology,Neuro.

What about the post a long time ago where the "school nurse" who was a CNA "diagnosed" a kid with "wingworm"!

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While working in hospice saw a woman with cancer that had eaten through the top of her skull - yet she was still alive, and even taking liquids (minimally). I was just an attendant, but b/c I was in nursing school the nurse asked if I would like to help with the dressing change to the top of her head. She warned me that it would be gruesome - and it was. Once the gauze was removed, the brain was visible, and to my surprise it pulsated like a heart b/c of the extreme vascularity. If I remember correctly, the nurse dusted the open area with a powdered flagyl before re-applying the occlusive dressing.

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Specializes in Geriatrics, Cath Lab, Cardiology,Neuro.

I've seen a male pt. who had some sort of heart surgery (maybe CABG) years ago and the doc's never put the chest plate back so all this fluid built up and surrounded the heart and it ballooned out so it looked like a giant water balloon on his chest. It was very uncomfortable for him!

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calcyphylaxis in an endstage renal pt. There was nothing we could do to prevent new necrotic sores from occurring on the pt's body. Her body was just literally rotting away a little bit at a time..sad, and painful.

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