What was the MOST ridiculous thing a patient came to the ER for?

Specialties Emergency Nursing Q/A

And did you have to treat them?

I am just curious. Your stories always seem to either crack me up or shake my head in amazement.

Thanks for sharing ?

Specializes in ED, ICU, Heme/Onc.

I had a patient who asked me why I wasn't going to send menses stained underpants to pathology. There was no other complaint other than "heavy cycle", no gyn history or pregnancy.

I don't think my relative actually filed, although the only reason she didn't was because she would have lost custody.

She bragged that she was planning to, however.

I wonder what she said around or to her kids? There are things that they really don't need to hear, out of consideration for their feelings.

I wonder what she said around or to her kids? There are things that they really don't need to hear, out of consideration for their feelings.

I do know that she was permanently banned from a large number of therapists' offices in her city for saying things like, "Now tell the nice counselor how much you hate Daddy."

:down:

Like I said earlier, the kids have nothing to do with their father and our mutual relatives will not tell me why. I shudder to think what he may have done (or, more likely, not done) for this to happen.

I say "not done" because when they were married, it was really obvious that he was the kind of father (Yeah, yeah, I know moms do this too) who only showed interest in the kids when other people were around.

I do know that she was permanently banned from a large number of therapists' offices in her city for saying things like, "Now tell the nice counselor how much you hate Daddy."

:down:

Like I said earlier, the kids have nothing to do with their father and our mutual relatives will not tell me why. I shudder to think what he may have done (or, more likely, not done) for this to happen.

I say "not done" because when they were married, it was really obvious that he was the kind of father (Yeah, yeah, I know moms do this too) who only showed interest in the kids when other people were around.

She really should not have done that. It may be the kids were brainwashed and manipulated by the mother and that's why they avoid the father.

She really should not have done that. It may be the kids were brainwashed and manipulated by the mother and that's why they avoid the father.

No, it was one of those far too common situations where neither parents should have custody.

:(

The overwhelming majority of divorced women I know want their kids to have a good relationship with their fathers (ditto never-married women, and the inverse for custodial fathers). She thinks it's totally hilarious that the kids don't want to see him, and that's heartbreaking to me.

Specializes in Retired OR nurse/Tissue bank technician.

Once I was probably the patient that was being talked about. *hangs head* I had injured my ankle at home and was limping quite a bit-my job required being on one's feet and sometimes moving equipment. When the charge nurse saw me limping, she said I had to bring documentation before the next day or I'd be off work-which meant no wage.

I lived in a community with no walk-in clinics (Urgent Care in the US), my GP's office closed at 5 and it was already evening. I went by the hospital and fortunately the ER was essentially empty-just one person in observation, so I signed in and apologized profusely to the MD, who was very good about it-not sure what she said once I left the building, though.

I've seen parents bring their cooing, happy babies in because they had the hiccups or because said babies had sneezed-twice! *insert sniffle and wobbly lip on the parent's part* These weren't even newborns-one was about 6-8 months and the other 4-5 months. The babies were more upset at the indignity of having their diapers taken off and their temperature taken than they were by their hiccups or now non-existant sneezes.

Another time I was in the ER myself with a suspected SJS reaction. I had been triaged and had to wait for a bit to get into a room. A woman, late 20s, was near me in the waiting area, along with a man and his 7 year old son; the boy had hit his head the day before and was still feeling dizzy and sick. The woman was nice and pink, eating while she waited, calm, etc. The boy was white and I was fire red, so she really seemed out of place among the three of us. As we all waited, the woman and the dad got to talking and he asked her what she was there for.

She said she'd come straight from her family doctor's office (yes, she'd already been seen by her GP that morning, barely an hour before) because she had a lump in her neck (pointed to her submandibular area)-I couldn't see a thing, no matter how she turned her head. She said her family doctor had felt it, said it was 0.5-1cm, was most likely a lymph node that was taking care of a bug of some sort, that it would probably pass in a few days and she may or may not come down with a cold or flu-both were going around. If it didn't go away, then come back in a week or two, or if it got lots bigger (meaning she and others could actually see it) then come back sooner.

So, given that report from her GP, why was she in the ER?

She wanted a second opinion. :angryfire :trout:

Specializes in Management, Emergency, Psych, Med Surg.

An oyster? This is so funny.

Specializes in Management, Emergency, Psych, Med Surg.

There were so many things. Hangnails, pregnancy tests, etc. As the triage nurse, after assessing these pt I would usually recommend an alternative to them. I did not turn them away but I would encourage them to go home and get a pregnancy test at a pharmacy. The problem was that many of them were not smart enough to know how to use it.

I had a woman come in with her daughter who had lice. We gave her a prescription and explained the procedure. She looked at me like a deer stunned in the head lights. She had NEVER been to a pharmacy!!! Came straight out of the East Texas woods. ( I grew up in East Texas, I know how people are there).

There were so many things. Hangnails, pregnancy tests, etc. As the triage nurse, after assessing these pt I would usually recommend an alternative to them. I did not turn them away but I would encourage them to go home and get a pregnancy test at a pharmacy. The problem was that many of them were not smart enough to know how to use it.

I had a woman come in with her daughter who had lice. We gave her a prescription and explained the procedure. She looked at me like a deer stunned in the head lights. She had NEVER been to a pharmacy!!! Came straight out of the East Texas woods. ( I grew up in East Texas, I know how people are there).

Not smart enough to know how to use a pregnancy test, and now they might have a baby? Niiiiiiice.

How long ago was the head lice kid? Nowadays, people like that would know all about pharmacies because their kids would be on ADD meds before they are out of diapers, and antipsychotics before they started kindergarten, and getting an SSI check to boot, even though the child probably has nothing more wrong with them than the misfortune of being born to the wrong parents.

Specializes in Emergency Department.

Sometimes we wonder.... lol...

Specializes in Emergency Department.

Amen to that.

Specializes in Emergency Department.
Had a man come in for shooting up with coffee - yep you read it right.

He said "I thought that if it gave me a buzz when I drank it, it would really make me feel good if I shot it"

Skin grafts, Vanco, psych unit.

That's a new one... gees.

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