Eat Before You Get Here!

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WHY is it that as soon as people step one foot into the ER, they suddenly are overcome with hunger and thirst? Now I can understand if the patient is admitted and has been there all day and has eaten nothing. But I don't understand how when someone comes in at 10:30 at night they IMMEDIATELY ask for food and drink because they haven't eaten all day. They have had the entire day to eat.Its not my fault that they didn't eat at home. I don't know how many signs are posted stating "no eating or drinking until evaluation is complete". Then again we have I don't know how many RESTRICTED AREA signs and people ignore those too. The other day I needed to use a bedside table but there was a tray on it so I asked the young lady if she was finished. And she said(snottily)" THAT was lunch. I didn't even GET dinner, yet." She was NOT an admitted pt. Matter of fact she was discharged an hour later. Does this happen everywhere? :uhoh21:

Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
i was saying that while yes some patients do indeed just complain and ask for anything they can possibly get (and expect it imediatly) there are sometimes legit reasons.

i have seen the demanding ones. i have had them as roomates. the ones whoes visitors nothing can satisfy them, demand extra tvs and turn them all up really lound despite their child (i go to a childrens hospital) crying in pain and they do nothing to soothe them, and the roomate (me) having her head wraped up from having it operated on. i know that those patients are out there, which is what made me be determined to not be one of them.

i am usually fortunate enough to be on wards that have low patient nurse ratios (i am usually on the neuro floor though last time i was on the transplant/short term stay ward) so the nurse can spend that little extra time doing it for me. however, i do realize that it might take time to get it. things come up with other patients.

the only times i have been mad being kept waiting was when i wet the bed because my nurse did not get there in time to un hook my iv and help me to the bathroom, however after the 2nd time it happened that day i found out the person at the other end of the call bell was not telling my nurse that i needed to go and they got mad, and started checking on me a couple of times an hour.

i am sorry that i got mad at you but i felt liekyou were insinuating that i am one of those patients. i try my hardest to not be. i hold all my requests (minus bathroom) until either the nurse or tech makes rounds and ask for all of them at once, so that they are not constantly running to my room for every little thing.

eta

i also just realized that i used kitchen 2 times in my original post. there is the kitchen that you order the meals from, then there is a little kitchen with snacks for the patients on each ward. that is the one that i get the saltines from, and if i was not hooked to an iv i would happaly go get it myself.

it's not nice to come on a vent thread and tell all those mean nurses who are venting about p.i.t.a. patients that they're wrong to vent, or that they need to consider the patient's side of it or whatever. i get that you're a patient and you can tell us the patient's side of it. most of us have been patients at one time or another, or at least family members of patients. but we're also nurses, and until you've walked a mile in our shoes, you don't get it.

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Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
i know, one of our doc's is thinking about doing a study. ........ dorito's or fritos as an antiemetic. seems there are some pt's that have " really bad vomicin" , so bad infact that waiting their turn is just too much for them. firtst they try to alleaviate this terrible sickness by cussing out the triage rn, then, once the snack machine is spotted they seem to gravitate to it, put money in the slot , buy fritos , consume a bag or two, then.... to our amazemet, their nause is cured. usually just in time to be able to consume large doses of percocet. if ist wasn't for the amazing effect of these snack products, our pt's may never be able to take the percs. so, i would like to give a harty "shout out":yeah: to the frito lay company for their help with the n/v pt's in our er waiting area.

truly a miracle, isn't it!

your post should have had a "beverage alert," because i just sprayed coffee all over my screen!

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Specializes in adult critical care.

yeah, food in the hospital is a loaded subject. i remember as a patient, just had my first child, and was i starving!! hello, labor for 14 hours will make you peckish. was not allowed double portions on my tray (i weighed 100 lbs immediate postpartum) in spite of the fact that i was breastfeeding. cafe had no snacks. the postpartum unit was locked one because one mother said she was going to the vending machine and never came back. so i guess all new moms are potential criminals. i had to bribe housekeeping to get me a snack from the vending machine because i was so hungry. truly like a dungeon.

yet as a nurse, i must say that most of our customers are a little unrealistic. no, i'm sorry, i can't puree a pizza for you. yes, i know you just had bariatric surgery and can't have solid food. perhaps some more jello? or the irate family member because their loved one hasn't eaten in days. because they, um, are in a coma and can't chew or swallow. see that tube in their nose? food goes in it. that's why its called tube feeds. as for family membes raiding our food pantry, all we have is tube feeds, ensure, etc. no one is that hungry.

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Specializes in CNA, Surgical, Pediatrics, SDS, ER.

One noc I had a pregnant girl come in w/ N/V on and off for the past 5 mo. Ahh ya you are pregnant.:banghead:

Anyhoo she was getting IVF---then turns around and gets pizza hut delivered to her room! :no: ***!!! Needless to say she was d/c'd immediatly.

I absolutly do not get it! You are not here to be fed and watered you are here to seek medical attention food is not a priority except for those few special circumstances. If you are here wanting to eat then you should not be in what is called the EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT!

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Specializes in ER,ICU,L+D,OR.

How dare they come in wanting to eat. They should come in bringing us food, instead

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Specializes in M/S,TELE,ORTHO,ER.

Ha ha ha ha ha!!!

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Specializes in ED, Trauma.

I sweetly remind the ones who constantly complain about having to be NPO that "I've not lost even one patient to starvation in the ER yet" in an effort to lighten the mood . Or, if they are being particularly nasty I just straight up say "You're not going to die from not eating or drinking but I do have other patients that could be in the process of dying right this very minute that I need to attend to."

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Specializes in M/S,TELE,ORTHO,ER.

IMHO the title of this post could be "...and can I get you some hot wings with that?"

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Specializes in ER,ICU,L+D,OR.

Give those hot wings to the patient with cholecystitis. Awesome.

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I had a pt just the other night that was admitted with afib with RVR-HR was in the 140s, BP was 100-110/60-75. I had done the 15 mg Lopressor IV thing, and now I was titrating a cardizem drip; he was asymptomatic, family at BS. All the family (and the pt) could complain of is he hasn't eaten today, no not a diabetic. After hearing this complaint 3 or 4 times in an hour, I finally said that "being hungry isin't gonna hurt him, but not slowing his heart down while at the same time not tanking his BP, just might." They left shortly after that, and the pt went to sleep, cardizem at 5mg/hr, hr 105, bp 105/65. Gotta LOVE the family!

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Specializes in ER, ICU, cardiac.

I didn't get to read this whole thing b/c it was long, but this is a HUGE pet peeve of mine!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We have gross food too! Why do people not eat at home? Do they think we are a five star restaraunt?? The homeless people, I will slip them a little something. I am ok with that. The crackheads will eat everything in sight, so I try hard not to feed them b/c it is a neverending battle. We have one patient that drives me nuts!! He always comes in with nausea/vomiting. He has diabetic gastroparesis. We gave him iv fluids, zofran, phenergan, the works. Wrote him up for outpatient gallbladder workup. Educated him on the lowfat bland diet. Literally walked into the ED 1 hour later. He left and got a big mac and fries, and came back in for nausea and vomiting. Are you f)*^&%ing kidding me???????????????

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Specializes in Emergency...Community,Visiting.

Where I work the two basic needs when being brought into the room are: "Can I get a meal, and do you have cab vouchers"? I think its hilarious, yet sad.

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