Published
One night in the icu, I needed help to turn a patient who was on a vent, and sedated with a versed drip. I had asked a nurse to come into the room, and she followed. We went to both sides of the patient and proceeded to grab the lift sheet when she said........"Wait just a minute, I have to FART!". She then proceeded to back up from the bed, turn around, lift up a leg, and farted as loud as can be. She then returned to the bed grinning to herself and helped me lift the patient.
I couldn't wait to get out of the room. I about died laughing inside. I couldn't wait to "put on a play" for the nurses in the nurses break room and replay that moment for them. They were laughing so hard. We still laugh to this day!
Anyone have any others to share????? :chuckle
Let those without sin cast the first stone.I think we all try hard be professional while maintaining a sense of humor. Each person is an individual. Let's try to let the One who should judge do that.
It did however remind me of a time long ago, when I was a student nurse.
We were on our very first med/surg rotation when one of my classmates had a patient expire. The instructor guided her through post-mortem care and then asked me to help her take the patient to the morgue. We were asked if we knew where the morgue was. Not wanting to appear unprepared or needy of instruction, we both replied "yes".
We took the stretcher to the bottom floor. Neither one of us knew where it was but took a guess at the bottom floor. We figured there would be those little signs somewhere that lead the way. So, off we were on the bottom floor wheeling this poor patient around looking for some little non-existant sign. We gave that poor man a tour of the bowels of that hospital including several places more than once.
After passing the cafeteria three times, someone asked us if we needed help finding the morgue. You talk about a sigh of relief! By then she and I both were about hysterical trying not to laugh at ourselves and oh SO AFRAID that we would be found out by our instructor and reprimanded. That kind soul that gave us the information we needed so desperately will never know the gratitude we both shared for her that day. :bowingpur
Some things you will never forget. That one was a great lesson in asking for instruction when needed!
I strongly agree with u - Do not PRETEND to know if one doesn't really know at all. It's not embarrased to say sorry I don't know.
As a student Practical Nurse, my good buddy Brian was always experiencing the funniest patients and situations. On this occassion, a Jewish patient at a Catholic hospital was having issues with the meals being provided her. Brian, thinking on his feet as always, contacted the dietician to come in for a consult to insure the patient would be getting both foods to promote healing and to the liking of said patient.
Brian stepped outside the room to let the dietician speak to this fiesty patient...but did not get too far, as a violent bout of coughing was soon heard from the room (pt in for serious resiratory problems)...Brian ran back into the room to find that it was not his patient, but the dietician that was coughing and heaving (with hand over mouth) running to the patients bathroom announcing she was going to be sick (an accurate warning)...she vomited all over the restroom...Meanwhile, Brian is trying to make as much noise around the room as possible to drown-out the wretching sounds...too late...the patient announces to Brian "I hope she is not making my _ _ _ _ing food!" All in a days work........
LOL There's one in every crowd.
Guess the gal who saw no humor has my sympathy. There is a time and place for laughter in hospitals but having just lost my dad in one, I hate to think that this is how he was treated. Maybe it was OK - but might have been better kept to themselves. As advocates for our patients and families we need to remember other people look at this with less sympathy for our warped humor.
This short story does'nt involve a nursing really, but one of my more laughable experiences in the hopsital. When i was 18 i was put in the hospital and to undergo chemotherapy treatments. My family was all there trying to give me support so i would'nt be afraid. My cousin especially! On one of the first times getting my blood drawn, my cousin was holding my other hand while the nurse drew my blood. This may sound creepy, but i was mesmerized by all the procedures i went through, including this one. My cousin excused herself while the blood was being drawn, went outside into the hall and fainted. The other family memebers went out into the hall to tend to her. She was so sorry she "let me down".. lol
*********ok, I agree that we use morbid humor to cope. God knows our job really sucks sometimes and it takes more than alittle FUNNY to tolerate it. HOWEVER, we have to remember that we should respect the dead. That dead man could have been YOUR dad, or grandad, or even husband, and how would you have felt if you sensed or God forbid...heard the nurses giggling and laughing??????? No, I am NOT "one of those", but I do try to rmember what we are here to do, and that is to give the BEST most PROFESSIONAL care to out patients and their families....
I agree. I have been very disillusioned by the lack of professionalism among the nurses I work with. Recently I had to explain to a nurse's aide why it was not appropriate to belch in the face of a resident in the nursing home. The aide stated it didn't offend any of the other RN's why was I making a big deal out of it? We deal with difficult situations requiring a sense of humor but when that involves ignoring the right to dignity and respect of the pt. and/or their family--I take offense.
There is a hugely funny side to Nursing :)
Debbie and I were first year student nurses on the same medical ward. We were on a day duty when the ward sister asked Deb to give 2 Bisacodyl suppositories to a lady who had not had a BM in 5 days. It was the first time Deb had given suppositories and afterwards confessed to me she wasn;t sure she had put the in the right opening !!!
The next day we were the afternoon shift. At handover we were told this lady had the most horrendous "frothy" lady partsl discharge had had commenced on oral antibiotics, topical cream and pessaries !!!!
Deb didn't dare say it was probably just the 2 suppositories dissolving !!! They did however report that she had had a MASSIVE BM.
SB
One night I was working in a Dementia care unit, when I could smell the most horrific poo smell. It came from a lady who was lying sound a sleep, with the quilt right up to her neck. Trying not to wake the other resident in the room, I tried to gently wake the lady and started to pull the quilt back, only to find there was at least 3 gallons of liquid faeces everywhere from her neck down to her toes !!! She immediately reached up and put her arms around my waist !!! It took 2 of us 2 hours to get her showered and the room cleaned up. I had to change in to a "spare night gown" and worked the rest of the shift dressed like that.
Each time my co-worker and I looked at each other we burst out into laughter, it was the only way we could deal with the situation.
SB
As a new nurse in a tele unit years ago, I thought that I would be helpful in watering the nice plants that we had on a shelf above the tele monitors and computers. Well, little did I know that evening shift had done the same, and the gallon of water I so blissfully gave the plants promptly overflowed when I took off to lunch. The water flowed so much down the counter and over the sides, that the water leaked into the computers and shorted out 3 monitors and computer hard drives. When I came back, the supervisor, charge nurses, engineering, and housekeeping department were all circled around the computers. The were busily changing out computers and refiguring them, as we had at least 20 patients on continuous tele.
Needless to say, there was a sign the next day next to the plants stating:
Do Not Water the Plants!
Charge Nurse to do on M-W-F only!
Years ago, I was admitted to the hospital for kidney stones. After the usual course of tests, etc, they attempted a removal with "a basket" and such. After the procedure, I'm groggily laying in bed and the doc comes into the room, his face sort of sad/concerned. He sat on the edge of the bed, put his hand on my arm and gently described what he had done. I listened attentively, but with a bit of a pained expression the whole time. He finally got to the bottom line - he wasn't successful in the attempt and I'd have to have the stone surgically removed the next morning.
I kinda felt sorry for him - his look was a mix of compassion and dejection. In my discomfort, I was reluctant to give him more bad news. Seeing the odd expression on my face he asked, "Is there anything you'd like to say?" I matter of factly stated, "Yeah. You're sitting on my catheter!"
It was like he was just given a huge jolt of electricity as his entire body seemed to leap in unison about two feet off the bed. He turned about 10 shades of red and made his appologies. I lauged my orifice off afterwards.
The next day, when I went back to the OR, the last thing I remember hearing was this doc telling the OR staff the tale and their chortling over the incident. It was comforting to know that the doc didn't take himself so seriously and was willing to tell a funny story at his own expense.
This story came back to me when I started clinicals this past week. For some strange reason I have a fear of accidentally tugging on tubes stuck in sensitive areas....
wetdiaperengineer
6 Posts
Let those without sin cast the first stone.
I think we all try hard be professional while maintaining a sense of humor. Each person is an individual. Let's try to let the One who should judge do that.
It did however remind me of a time long ago, when I was a student nurse.
We were on our very first med/surg rotation when one of my classmates had a patient expire. The instructor guided her through post-mortem care and then asked me to help her take the patient to the morgue. We were asked if we knew where the morgue was. Not wanting to appear unprepared or needy of instruction, we both replied "yes".
We took the stretcher to the bottom floor. Neither one of us knew where it was but took a guess at the bottom floor. We figured there would be those little signs somewhere that lead the way. So, off we were on the bottom floor wheeling this poor patient around looking for some little non-existant sign. We gave that poor man a tour of the bowels of that hospital including several places more than once.
After passing the cafeteria three times, someone asked us if we needed help finding the morgue. You talk about a sigh of relief! By then she and I both were about hysterical trying not to laugh at ourselves and oh SO AFRAID that we would be found out by our instructor and reprimanded. That kind soul that gave us the information we needed so desperately will never know the gratitude we both shared for her that day. :bowingpur
Some things you will never forget. That one was a great lesson in asking for instruction when needed!