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!
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....
OK...it WAS my dad. I was in nursing school, and my dad had recently been dx's with lung CA. During a blizzard, in early January, Dad passed away at home (2 bedroom house, 15 people in there waiting for the inevitable) and the stress level was through the roof (which by the way, had six feet of snow on it, and was sagging, making it difficult to open and close the doors). Well, when he passed away, mom and I knew it would be a while before he could be taken out of the house because the roads were impassable. We didn't have anything to keep his mouth closed (to prepare him for the undertaker), so we used a knee-high hose, tied at the top of his head. After we tied it, we looked at eachother and burst out laughing, he looked like he had "bunny ears" on. We laugh to this day about it. We know that if he could, he'd be laughing right along with us. We have to remember as nurses, there are a whole lot of things worse than dying. Levity and humor keep us going, and the ability to laugh instead of cry makes our job just a bit easier. I don't think anyone could love their dad more than I did, and still do, but we just had to laugh... :chuckle
A friend of mine had a patient several years ago on reverse isolation. He was on intermitt antibiotics but no continuous fluids (thank goodness i guess). This was before all needleless systems. She hung his PM dose of antibiotics mixed in 100cc of saline. He was confused at times, she went back 1 hour later to flush the heplock and he had the biggest grin on his face. Somehow he had disconnected the infusion and managed to get the needle stuck in his member. He was smiling from ear to ear with the biggest erection you could imagine. The poor soul did expire a few days later, but, there was no complication from the infiltrated member.
A friend of mine had a patient several years ago on reverse isolation. He was on intermitt antibiotics but no continuous fluids (thank goodness i guess). This was before all needleless systems. She hung his PM dose of antibiotics mixed in 100cc of saline. He was confused at times, she went back 1 hour later to flush the heplock and he had the biggest grin on his face. Somehow he had disconnected the infusion and managed to get the needle stuck in his member. He was smiling from ear to ear with the biggest erection you could imagine. The poor soul did expire a few days later, but, there was no complication from the infiltrated member.
LOL! Infiltrated member! At least his last days were full of grins!!!
Another nurse and I were helping a patient on an Alzheimer's unit get undressed. And he said to her, "No! No! Leave my clothes on... you don't have to do anything and I'll still pay you!" The nurse said we're just getting you ready for bed don't worry... I guess he still wasn't covinced so he said "No, Stop! I have the Clap!" I had to run out of the room laughing...
I was a patient one time and I had a elderly man with dementia as a roommate. Whenever a nurse comes in he would try to get them to touch his member with his italian accent. At times he would poop and smear it all over himself so the nurse would come in and give him sponge baths. While the nurses would clean him up, he would try to grab them to touch this member. It was horrible for me as a patient and for the nurses that were trying to take care of this man. Then the family would come in and he would complain that the nurses were touching him inapporiately!!
Another nurse and I were helping a patient on an Alzheimer's unit get undressed. And he said to her, "No! No! Leave my clothes on... you don't have to do anything and I'll still pay you!" The nurse said we're just getting you ready for bed don't worry... I guess he still wasn't covinced so he said "No, Stop! I have the Clap!" I had to run out of the room laughing...
~Crystal
i was counting out with the outgoing shift one night when an elderly resident came up to me and asked if we were going. i asked him where, and he replied, "are we going to bed or to make love?" and then he looked at me and said "but you're not that kind of girl are you?" i no longer work at that facility, but i do miss him!
OK...it WAS my dad. I was in nursing school, and my dad had recently been dx's with lung CA. ... Levity and humor keep us going, and the ability to laugh instead of cry makes our job just a bit easier. I don't think anyone could love their dad more than I did, and still do, but we just had to laugh... :chuckle
i cried and laughed when i read this! we spend an entire evening laughing about "50 things to do in wal-mart" the night my husband passed away. and i know he would have laughed with us (maybe he was!) at some of the dumb things suggested! like getting a lawn chair, a book, a drink and something to each and setting it up and relaxing in the garden area, or asking an associate for something you know they don't have in stock...laughter is the best medicine, my new hubby who isn't at all medically inclined laughs at some of my stories from work. even the worst scenarios tend to get funny as time goes by
Back When I Worked In Inpt. Psych As A Staff Nurse I Was Resposible For Caring For Pts. In The Recovery Room AFTER ECT-SHOCK THERAPY I Was Accountable For Monitoring Their Condition After The Shock Was Given, Checking Vitals, Nasal O2 Etc. In My First Team Mtng. Reporting On A Post-ECT Pt., I Reported That The Pt. Was Drowsy But Oriented Post-COITALLY! (instead Of Post-ictally) . There Was Silence In The Room THEN Raucous Laughter. The Chief Psychiatrist Cleared His Throat And Said-PERHAPS You Can Report On You Weekend Later And Stick To Telling Us About Your Pt. I Was Mortified!
i was working in scrubs (that tied) one day in the nursery and my scrub pants fell off. i caught them before they hit the floor, thank goodness noone was at the window, ha, ha.
:rotfl: :imbar i too can sympathize with you. one night after a 3-11p shift i stopped by to turn in my time sheet in the agency box. i had scrubs on that tied. i got out of the car and walked up to the box and dropped in my time sheet, turned around and my pants dropped to the ground. it was dark out and thier were two cars parked in the upper part of the parking lot. i had no idea if anyone was in them or not. i was so red i think i glowed on the way back to my car. i sure hope no one seen that and i hope there were no security cameras that caught me in action.:imbar :imbar :biggringi
I thought of another one on me. I was about 18 years old and in a CNA I class. This was my first experience in the medical field at all aside from knowing that I wanted to be a nurse one day. I was assigned to do clinicals at a local nursing home. My patient that I was assigned to ate a very good dinner and then had to go to his room to go have a BM.....well, picture this I am trying to get him to the BR as quickly as possible and assist him with his pants and his diaper. The poop was already coming out and yes I dropped it on the floor!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I was so embarrassed!!!!!!!!!!! I could not believe that this had happened to me..... poop balls in a little trail.....:) This was my first assignment..............I have never told anyone about this until now.
Specializes in Geriatrics and Quality Improvement,.
I was working 3-11, one other RN, on med surg. We were standing at the desk and my patients family came out to say that they didn't think Dad was breathing. The other nurse and I sent the visitors out and pulled the curtains. I stood on one side, she on the other. I was using my stethoscope listening for lung sounds and I assumed she was planning to feel for a carotid pulse. All of a sudden, she turned his head towards me ( I was bending over, inches from his face) and pulled down on his chin. In her best ventriloquist voice, she said, "hello". Unfortunately, it was my patient and I had to try to tell the loved ones that Dad had indeed ceased to breathe without losing my composure. When I got to the charting room I laughed till I PIMP!
This was supposed to be funny? Sorry, I missed the hilarity there.
Cara
so, I also assume that he nurse who asked me to aid in transferring a patient who had expired in the w/c by asking..."Can you help me with this, she is all dead weight. " is also not funny? :stone
vablueyes
39 Posts
OK...it WAS my dad. I was in nursing school, and my dad had recently been dx's with lung CA. During a blizzard, in early January, Dad passed away at home (2 bedroom house, 15 people in there waiting for the inevitable) and the stress level was through the roof (which by the way, had six feet of snow on it, and was sagging, making it difficult to open and close the doors). Well, when he passed away, mom and I knew it would be a while before he could be taken out of the house because the roads were impassable. We didn't have anything to keep his mouth closed (to prepare him for the undertaker), so we used a knee-high hose, tied at the top of his head. After we tied it, we looked at eachother and burst out laughing, he looked like he had "bunny ears" on. We laugh to this day about it. We know that if he could, he'd be laughing right along with us. We have to remember as nurses, there are a whole lot of things worse than dying. Levity and humor keep us going, and the ability to laugh instead of cry makes our job just a bit easier. I don't think anyone could love their dad more than I did, and still do, but we just had to laugh... :chuckle