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 Med/Surg.
I was working triage last Sunday and Dad brought in daughter for "psyche reasons" stated that she might be suicidal and that she was not acting normal. 16 year old calm (not looking too happy) in chair answering all questions appropriately--denies suicial ideation, plan etc. Dad standing there holding religious book--telling me that she is disobedient and everyone is concerned in their family. Pt. states she just didn't want to go to church today....Dad told her she had to go to church or he was bringing her to the ER...she said fine- take me to the ER. Dad states "she is disobedient and not acting normal--and wants to date" I ask Pt. if she is the oldest child in the family (thinking that perhaps parents aren't familiar with teen age behavior???) She tells me that she is the youngest of 5. She then tells her Dad "fine I won't have a boyfriend then..." all the while looking at me like she is embarrassed and somewhat defeated. There was no indication to hold her in the ER so I sent her to urgent care...as she rounded the corner and looked back at me with sad eyes she mouthed "thank you". It broke my heart...me thinks parents need to be evaluated by psyche...don't threaten kids with the ER to try to control them...UGGHHH!:angryfire

:eek: gotta love those holy rollers!!!!

Specializes in med/surg, Icu/Ccu. ER, PACU, HHC, LTC.
We had a pt who came in yelling he was stabbed with a pencil. We checked it and told him he will have to wait (we saw no bleeding no puncture wound nothing) he yelled that he was going to die of Lead poisoning. Our doctor told us to bring him in to the main Ed even though we had no beds, she said put him in express and she will send the PA to look at him. Turns out he took a pencil and mildly poked himself in the stomach but he really came in because he had an STD and was embarrased to tell the triage nurse. I was told to give him three different meds and unfortunately I was a little busy so he got his meds after I brought in the 7 people he jumped over. The MD was not happy but I was the charge nurse and everyone was watching what I would. Had I given him the meds and sent him out in less then 15 minutes there would have been an all out war in my triage area not to mention the unit. It would also get into the community how to get in real fast when the unit is busy. (I did offer to medicate the pt immediately if the PA went out and explained to the people in the waiting room why he got preferential treatment but she turned me down (moonlighting doctor not on our staff rarely works ED scary....)

Soooooooooooo been there, and i really admire your ability to *nip that in the bud*....ER's do not need to show patients how to abuse us. When I worked in ER, one of my doc's was the same way with people that made the most noise in the waiting room. Although I understand his reasoning to a point, I so hated triaging when he worked and being the one to have to explain why someone was taken out of order and it was apparent to the uneducated he/she should not have been seen first. We should not have to explain the reason, only the meaning of triage. I do feel bad for NP's or PA's when the doc puts them in the middle, kinda. An employee with strep throat at the end of her shift got that kinda treatment once and the NP saw her and ordered the bicillin and wanted her done before others waiting longer....I told her if she wanted her treated first to go right ahead (after all she is a nurse, though she tended to forget this way too often) and other nurses weren't pleased that she wanted this patient to be done first and she let her wait.......I had to work with the doc all night so I made my point and did send her on her way a bit early, but not enough to make the Doc or patient or NP think they got away with anything.........:uhoh21::madface::wink2::icon_roll

Specializes in Pediatric Pulmonology and Allergy.
I was working triage last Sunday and Dad brought in daughter for "psyche reasons" stated that she might be suicidal and that she was not acting normal. 16 year old calm (not looking too happy) in chair answering all questions appropriately--denies suicial ideation, plan etc. Dad standing there holding religious book--telling me that she is disobedient and everyone is concerned in their family. Pt. states she just didn't want to go to church today....Dad told her she had to go to church or he was bringing her to the ER...she said fine- take me to the ER. Dad states "she is disobedient and not acting normal--and wants to date" I ask Pt. if she is the oldest child in the family (thinking that perhaps parents aren't familiar with teen age behavior???) She tells me that she is the youngest of 5. She then tells her Dad "fine I won't have a boyfriend then..." all the while looking at me like she is embarrassed and somewhat defeated. There was no indication to hold her in the ER so I sent her to urgent care...as she rounded the corner and looked back at me with sad eyes she mouthed "thank you". It broke my heart...me thinks parents need to be evaluated by psyche...don't threaten kids with the ER to try to control them...UGGHHH!:angryfire

Did you get social services involved?

A peanutbutter jar stuck in the female anatomy

Specializes in Corrections, neurology, dialysis.
In A&E (UK) 2am, a young lad comes in with foreign body in the orifice, he had put his mobile phone on vibrate, when we eventually pulled it out there was only one missed call,:Melody:

OMG you must be kidding. Only one missed call? Now I've heard everything. :chuckle

Re: FB in dark places, pt came into triage, I heard this weird hum, like someone's hearing aid turned up too high or a cell phone on vibrate. The FB had been in a dark place AND vibrating for more than 12 hours. He went to surgery in less than an hour....Ouch!

Specializes in Pediatric Pulmonology and Allergy.

I cannot believe how common it is for people to stick things up their orifices that don't belong there!

We had an adult come in by ambulance with ear pain. Not a ridiculous condition to come to the ED but by Ambulance??? Treated by our doctor with 2 IV abx and IV dilaudid, I don't think so ...yikes

Specializes in ER.

Ok not rediculous but had one on Friday that had fallen while carrying a box, and it ruptured her breast implant. There was nothing we could do for her and the plastics doc said for her to call monday for an appointment. That being said if I had deflated one of my boobs ( don't have them just thinking if i did )I would think it was a emergency!!!!! to her she might as well cut off a leg!!!!

When I had to take dh to the ER for chest pain a couple months ago, I overheard a girl trying to get in the "express lane"... (I was signing dh in, they had taken him right back but I had to give his info to the registrar) anywho, this chick had accidentally stuck her hand inside a can of peaches she had just opened, HAD NOT visibly cut her hand at all, but was convinced that she MUST have cut it somewhere on her hand since the edge of the can was jagged. The clerk was patiently trying to ask "So... you didn't see any blood? Why do you need it checked out?" and the lady said "Because if I did cut it comewhere it might be bad! I need the doctor to look at it!"

All I could think of was the fact that I DEFINITELY do not have the patience to work in the ER.

When I had to take dh to the ER for chest pain a couple months ago, I overheard a girl trying to get in the "express lane"... (I was signing dh in, they had taken him right back but I had to give his info to the registrar) anywho, this chick had accidentally stuck her hand inside a can of peaches she had just opened, HAD NOT visibly cut her hand at all, but was convinced that she MUST have cut it somewhere on her hand since the edge of the can was jagged. The clerk was patiently trying to ask "So... you didn't see any blood? Why do you need it checked out?" and the lady said "Because if I did cut it comewhere it might be bad! I need the doctor to look at it!"

All I could think of was the fact that I DEFINITELY do not have the patience to work in the ER.

I, for the life of me, cannot figure out why people do this sort of thing.

Do they not have anything else to do that day?

These people must be attention seekers, is all I can think of.

When I had to take dh to the ER for chest pain a couple months ago, I overheard a girl trying to get in the "express lane"... (I was signing dh in, they had taken him right back but I had to give his info to the registrar) anywho, this chick had accidentally stuck her hand inside a can of peaches she had just opened, HAD NOT visibly cut her hand at all, but was convinced that she MUST have cut it somewhere on her hand since the edge of the can was jagged. The clerk was patiently trying to ask "So... you didn't see any blood? Why do you need it checked out?" and the lady said "Because if I did cut it comewhere it might be bad! I need the doctor to look at it!"

That pt if it happened in my ED would get a visit from psychiatry.Which means labwork and urine sent then when the results were back and the Pt was medically cleared she would go to the Psych emergency dept. How do you like our ED we take strange people and make them sick.:angryfire

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