Fake crying and bad acting in the ER

[Emergent]

I see a lot of untalented actors in the ER. They walk to their rooms telling their sad stories that sound like poorly written scripts. Then they plop down onto the gurney, starting what sounds like feigned tearless crying. Some of them continue to wail after you've left the room, amping it up every time they see you walk by through the glass door, peeking through their eyelids to see if you've noticed.

I've seen some really bad acting in the ER!

[emtb2rn, BSN, RN, EMT-B]

Aahh. Nothing like the sternal chest rub & ammonia to get the patient to stop.

As you tell them they're getting an ngt and a foley.

[imintrouble, BSN, RN]

What's even better, is when ER sends the actors to the floor, and we get to witness the performance too.

[LDrounette]

Having never worked in the ER, as a nurse, this certainly gives me a new perspective on what you guys go through. It also sheds a little light on a couple experiences I've had as a patient, and a patient's family. The fakers can really make you jaded, I know. I remember getting some of the eye rolling and doubtful looks when I had my husband in the ER several years ago. He thought it was his appendix. Apparently the triage staff thought differently. After they got tired of listening to him holler for an hour in the waiting room, we got to an exam room. After the CT, there was a sudden change in their demeanor and everyone was in a really big rush to get him to the OR before his appendix ruptured. I also had similar attitudes toward me in the ER when I went in with what turned out to be a bowel obstruction.

It's certainly easy to get frustrated with those who are just seeking drugs, but sometimes we have to make sure we remember that pain is definitely subjective, and be careful not to blow someone off because we don't believe they are exhibiting an "appropriate" pain response.

[ppfd, BSN, EMT-P]

Had them call 911 from the ED waiting room because they didn't want to wait.

That usually doesn't work out the way they expect it to.

Years back I was working EMS and had a elderly man cut off all his fingers expect the thumb running a saw.

He refused any pain meds.

Yet its the 3rd gen welfs "self prescribing" what works best for their non injuries and illness.

Had an ED doc once say a "10" on the pain scale should be equal to being burned alive.

Pain scale LoL, everyones a 10.

[OrganizedChaos, LVN]

Having never worked in the ER, as a nurse, this certainly gives me a new perspective on what you guys go through. It also sheds a little light on a couple experiences I've had as a patient, and a patient's family. The fakers can really make you jaded, I know. I remember getting some of the eye rolling and doubtful looks when I had my husband in the ER several years ago. He thought it was his appendix. Apparently the triage staff thought differently. After they got tired of listening to him holler for an hour in the waiting room, we got to an exam room. After the CT, there was a sudden change in their demeanor and everyone was in a really big rush to get him to the OR before his appendix ruptured. I also had similar attitudes toward me in the ER when I went in with what turned out to be a bowel obstruction.

It's certainly easy to get frustrated with those who are just seeking drugs, but sometimes we have to make sure we remember that pain is definitely subjective, and be careful not to blow someone off because we don't believe they are exhibiting an "appropriate" pain response.

I had a similar experience in the ED. I went there early in my pregnancy because I was SOB for a couple of hours. So I finally get into triage & the nurse just acts like I'm there for meds or wasting his time. He tells me it's normal & pretty much to get over it.

Then I go back to a room, HA! The doctor was just as rude as the nurse. Your vitals are fine, you're fine! Well I ended up having a seizure, or a couple (don't remember for obvious reasons). They thought I was faking it. Even though they have me meds to stop the seizure. When they were gonna discharge me, they wanted to send me to a psych hospital. My husband was furious & said he would take me home. I do have a hx of epilepsy but for some reason I was acting. I just want to know what their reasoning was. If I was faking it, why give me meds? Ugh!

[explorereb96, ADN, BSN]

It does seem that from a patient's perspective, that NO one is to be believed. Even the drug seekers have a problem. Unfortunately, everyone is in the "don't sue me but you are a drug addict and we know it, you won't get any pills from me," mode. I got hurt at work 2 years ago. After all the treatments etc. I had a pain condition. i didn't ask for this pain condition and I tried every method offered. i did end up on opiates etc. but found they did not help anyway. After 2 years I opted to go off of them cold turkey. Never want to go through that hell ever again. So, now recently I went in for my gallbladder. They have previous records etc...so of course I get the eye roll and the confrontation about how that if I was looking for pain medication, that I was barking up the wrong tree etc... I am ALWAYS like oooh hell no....not on your life. Keep that crap away from me. I have zero desire for anything more than a Motrin. Unless of course, if you are cutting me open.

[intothecosmos]

My favorite was when I was walking a woman to the bathroom to collect a urine sample, and she decided to "pass out" directly in front of the nurses station on our way back to her room. It was all I could do to catch her, the urine and her IV bag.

[intothecosmos]

I had a similar experience in the ED. I went there early in my pregnancy because I was SOB for a couple of hours. So I finally get into triage & the nurse just acts like I'm there for meds or wasting his time. He tells me it's normal & pretty much to get over it.

Then I go back to a room, HA! The doctor was just as rude as the nurse. Your vitals are fine, you're fine! Well I ended up having a seizure, or a couple (don't remember for obvious reasons). They thought I was faking it. Even though they have me meds to stop the seizure. When they were gonna discharge me, they wanted to send me to a psych hospital. My husband was furious & said he would take me home. I do have a hx of epilepsy but for some reason I was acting. I just want to know what their reasoning was. If I was faking it, why give me meds? Ugh!

I went to the ER once for the worse abdominal pain I had ever had. Felt like someone was stabbing me in my right ovary. I thought maybe I had appendicitis. I was at work at the time of the initial pain and my supervisor told me I needed to be seen. As I was bending over to get my things to go to the hospital, it felt like something popped and a feeling of warmth spread through me. The pain started to diminish some but at the thought of having a possible ruptured appy now, I still went in. There were only 2 people in the ER, and I had to get a male nurse who put in my IV. The doctor decided to give me morphine even though my pain was tolerable (4/10), and a CT scan. About 2 hours later, the nurse comes in and rips out the IV, saying, 'you can go home, you're JUST constipated. Gas pains can be painful.' I looked at him and told him what I had felt wasn't gas, and he shrugged and left. Doctor walks in right after him and told me there was free fluid in my abdomen so he thinks an ovarian cyst ruptured which caused the extreme pain. I wanted to strangle that rude nurse for trying to belittle the pain I felt. I guess it can be a two way street, and we need to remember that.

[OrganizedChaos, LVN]

I know one bad apple can ruin the bunch but we can't have the same attitude with every patient that walks through the door.

[TheGooch]

I went to the ER once for the worse abdominal pain I had ever had. Felt like someone was stabbing me in my right ovary. I thought maybe I had appendicitis. I was at work at the time of the initial pain and my supervisor told me I needed to be seen. As I was bending over to get my things to go to the hospital, it felt like something popped and a feeling of warmth spread through me. The pain started to diminish some but at the thought of having a possible ruptured appy now, I still went in. There were only 2 people in the ER, and I had to get a male nurse who put in my IV. The doctor decided to give me morphine even though my pain was tolerable (4/10), and a CT scan. About 2 hours later, the nurse comes in and rips out the IV, saying, 'you can go home, you're JUST constipated. Gas pains can be painful.' I looked at him and told him what I had felt wasn't gas, and he shrugged and left. Doctor walks in right after him and told me there was free fluid in my abdomen so he thinks an ovarian cyst ruptured which caused the extreme pain. I wanted to strangle that rude nurse for trying to belittle the pain I felt. I guess it can be a two way street, and we need to remember that.

I would have contacted the patient advocate and filed a complaint. People only act that way when they feel they can get away with it.

[travelea]

I apologize for any inconvenience, ma'am. The pain scale at this hospital cannot exceed the number ten. I told you this when you were here yesterday... and the day before... and the day before..and the day before..

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

Having never worked in the ER, as a nurse, this certainly gives me a new perspective on what you guys go through. It also sheds a little light on a couple experiences I've had as a patient, and a patient's family. The fakers can really make you jaded, I know. I remember getting some of the eye rolling and doubtful looks when I had my husband in the ER several years ago. He thought it was his appendix. Apparently the triage staff thought differently. After they got tired of listening to him holler for an hour in the waiting room, we got to an exam room. After the CT, there was a sudden change in their demeanor and everyone was in a really big rush to get him to the OR before his appendix ruptured. I also had similar attitudes toward me in the ER when I went in with what turned out to be a bowel obstruction.

It's certainly easy to get frustrated with those who are just seeking drugs, but sometimes we have to make sure we remember that pain is definitely subjective, and be careful not to blow someone off because we don't believe they are exhibiting an "appropriate" pain response.

Sorry you had a bad experience, but it's not polite to step on someone's thread like this.