Diagnosing Patients

S.N. Visit, BSN, RN · Jun 14, 2005

Yes, When I was first married my husband got a new construction job spraying fiber glass. Every night when he'd come home from work, he'd cough & hack up blood.

I told my husband I thought it was the fiber glass, but since I'm not a Dr. he wouldn't take my word. We went & had extensive test done & ended up in the hospital for 3 days. I told the Dr. I thought it was because of the fiber glass. Dr. dismissed my idea . We went for a second opinion. New Dr. confirmed it was the fiber glass (he inhaled some and got an infection!)

alyca · Jun 14, 2005

My sister called me on the phone in tears, saying that she was having horrible abdominal pain and thought it was maybe horrible PMS cramps or her appendix. After asking a few questions (pain was on the right side and radiated to her back, pain was a severe cramp that lasted 30-45 seconds, then let up for 5 minutes or so before repeating), I told her I thought it was a kidney stone. She went to an urgent care center, they played around hemming and hawing until she told them that her sister thought it might be kidney stones. They ran a few tests, and lo and behold, it was. A whole handful of them.

bobnurse · Jun 14, 2005

Nurses cannot diagnose....................

But when i was in the army as a medic, we diagnosed all the time. We did S.O.A.P. notes, and presented it to the physician or PA in charge. We gave our subjective, objective info, our diagnosis, and plan for treatment. He then OK'd it or made changes.......

MIA-RN1, RN · Jun 14, 2005

Have any of you diagnosed a patient, only to have the doctor look at you like you are crazy, and tell you that you were wrong, but it turns out that you were indeed right?
My husband was having chest pain on his right side, so our GP ordeder a CT. It showed that he had nodular infiltrates. He also ordered bloodwork, which all came back normal. I told the doctor that I believed that he had Sarcoidosis. He said..."That's impossible, I ran an ANA and it came back negetive." I told him that an ANA was not diagnostic of Sarcoidosis, he just laughed and rolled his eyes at me.
After many months of diagnostic testing, my GP decided to send him to a cardiothoracic surgeon. He ended up doing an opn lung biopsy, which proved that I was right.
We had to follow up with our GP, and he said "I thought that's what was going on!" I was speechless.
Anyone have similar stories to share?
Kristi :)

While I finish up school I am working in a clinic staffed by NP's and I have a great time diagnosing patients and then comparing it to the NP's diagnosis. I get it right more often than not. Its a great learning tool because even tho nurse's can't diagnose, its important that we pay attention to symptoms etc.

I also diagnosed my husband's leukemia way before the docs would consider it and also had a premonintion about my daughter that her 10th year would bring a health crisis and a couple months before her 10th birthday she was admitted to the PICU w/ ARDS and a preliminary dx of hodgkins but it turned out to just be really really bad micoplasm pneumonia. (Caused hilar lymphadeopathy which threw the docs into a tizzy)