Demanding pt provides nasal sample on labeled card

Nurses General Nursing

Published

I floated to med/surg last night. I volunteered to take a 10 days post total knee woman who had proven manipulative and was driving everyone batty with her demanding behaviour. I turned on my best bedside manner and gave her TLC, VIP tx, some breakthrough pain med, and a restoril, and she was a happy camper, sleeping all night.

She was making very slow progress secondery to her lack of motivation and obesity. She had told staff that she planned on teaching her husband to do all her wiping after urinating when she got home, she wanted this done right!

So, at 6 am after I did the lab draw from her central line, she handed me a small card. On it she had labeled two samples she had placed there. The were hard crusty boogers, one from her nose, and one was a dry loogie she had coughed up. She wrote her name under each sample and where she had obtained it. She wanted me to give it to the doc. She said she had provided such samples in the past, but the doctors never seemed to want them, but if she was a doctor, she sure would be interested in them.

Ha ha, isn't nursing fun? :lol2:

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Specializes in cardiac med-surg.

weird ding dong looney tune gal

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Specializes in Nurse Scientist-Research.

Wow, that's truly special. I'd be inclined to let her keep that at her bedside and present it to her doctor personally. Not that he/she deserved it; just to help spread the joy of the experience.

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Specializes in Tele, Infectious Disease, OHN.

I work with an infectious disease doc who has a patient who comes in once a year with a baby food jar full of the bugs that crawl out of her nose at night.....Why she wants to turn them in once a year is beyond me.

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Specializes in med-surg,sa,breast & cervical ca.

Lol, oh dear that is special!

We recently got a transfer that felt it necessary to bring the nurses a sperm sample several times a day right up to the nurses desk in front of all the other patients-nice.

..But boogers and on a card! Well that's a nice touch!

Isn't great that some patients are so proud of their body fluids:barf02:

-Ms.P

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Specializes in geriatric, hospice, med/surg.

What a nifty idea for second year residents! lol I'd be inclined to save it in a biohaz bag, pass word along to the next shift of nurses, save it, and then have someone from the appropriate shift hand deliver it to the doc, saying it's from so and so in room so and so...she insisted you have it!

Geez....just when I thought I'd heard it all!!! People constantly surprise you in the world of illness and degenerates!

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I work with an infectious disease doc who has a patient who comes in once a year with a baby food jar full of the bugs that crawl out of her nose at night.....Why she wants to turn them in once a year is beyond me.

Yuk!!:smackingf :barf01:

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Specializes in Pediatrics (Burn ICU, CVICU).
I work with an infectious disease doc who has a patient who comes in once a year with a baby food jar full of the bugs that crawl out of her nose at night.....Why she wants to turn them in once a year is beyond me.

That is about the nastiest thing I've ever heard.

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What a nifty idea for second year residents! lol I'd be inclined to save it in a biohaz bag, pass word along to the next shift of nurses, save it, and then have someone from the appropriate shift hand deliver it to the doc, saying it's from so and so in room so and so...she insisted you have it!

Geez....just when I thought I'd heard it all!!! People constantly surprise you in the world of illness and degenerates!

:idea: Well, brilliant minds think alike. The next shift got a big laugh and an nice plastic bag containing this important sample. LOL, I even put a pt label on it. :jester:

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That is about the nastiest thing I've ever heard.

I have to agree, I would say that shows real dedication to this endeavor beyond the paltry effort of my pt. Some people have strange collections, eh? :rolleyes:

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Specializes in Case Management, Acute Care, Missions.

I had the privilege of being shown my friend's grandmother's BM diary. She has kept one for years - states the date, time, consistency, color, odd smell etc. Honestly thinks that the doctors want all that specific detail... and no - she does not have a hx of bowel/GI problems. :chair:

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tell her the nasal specimens tested positive for c-r-a-z-y.

leslie

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