ER Nurses... I Am so Sorry

LikeSweetSoulMusic · Apr 12, 2010

Those secondary findings often are the important ones! Glad he's okay.

jlr820 · Apr 12, 2010

Certainly no need to apologize for this. I suppose sometimes on here many of us vent about patients coming to the ED for so called "minor" complaints. In the end, however, they sought our help, and we should provide it to the best of our ability. Thus, no apology necessary. What's more, it led to the discovery of another as yet unidentified medical condition. Now that it has been identified, he can be treated for it. Sometimes the chief complaint isn't the "real" problem. I once had a patient who came in for a minor scalp laceration (she fell while chasing after her cat). While assessing her, my "little voice" kept saying "There's more going on with this patient...something isn't right." Long story short, we ended up identifying 1. an underlying cardiac abnormality, 2. severe hyponatremia, and 3. a severe UTI (as in damn near urosepsis). All she wanted was a cut sutured, but her HPI and some good assessment uncovered several other issues. She was admitted to the IMCU. God doth work in mysterious ways.

Editorial Team / Moderator · Apr 12, 2010

I had a patient who came in complaining of losing hearing in one ear ... OMG, the wax in that ear!! After we got a lot of it out, he could hear again. He was nearly in tears with gratitude because he was unemployed but had finally landed an interview the following day, and was so worried about not being able to hear during his interview. It was nice to help him. Some days I'd rather have a bunch of earwax patients than STEMIs, you know?

NurseLoveJoy88, ASN, RN · Apr 12, 2010

I enjoyed reading all the posts. ER nurses rock ! I did as well as the hospital staff advised him to get an irrigation kit and some testing supplies, now that he is started on metformin. When he told me the story I got the giggles, couldn't believe ear wax could cause so much pain, poor thing.

dthfytr, ADN, LPN, RN, EMT-B, EMT-I · Apr 12, 2010

On one "worst shift of my life" an ER doc said something to me that I've never forgotten. I can only speak as an ER nurse, those from other areas will have to decide if it is helpful to them.

"Sometimes the hardest part of the job is forgiving the patient" William Einig, DO

dscrn · Apr 12, 2010

I enjoyed reading all the posts. ER nurses rock ! I did as well as the hospital staff advised him to get an irrigation kit and some testing supplies, now that he is started on metformin. When he told me the story I got the giggles, couldn't believe ear wax could cause so much pain, poor thing.

I think that the pain starts whenwe try to gt the wax out.using qtip, bobby pin, whatever-jamming in the wax even further...

feisty · Apr 12, 2010

I am not an ER nurse but I would say most nurses would agree that the patients that are frustrating aren't ones of this nature. Those individuals who abuse the system continuously, deplete resources, and exhibit horrible attitudes are the ones who frustrate us in our practice.

I personally enjoy caring for others regardless their health concern.

fungez · Apr 12, 2010

Eh, in my short career in the ER, I didn't care what people came in for as long as they were pleasant. And it worked out well for your dad.

**canoehead, BSN, RN** · Apr 13, 2010

Absolutely no need to apologize for that visit. Now if he comes in on a Saturday night six months from now just for another syringe out and complains about the wait, he'd better bring pizza.

PostOpPrincess, BSN, RN · Apr 13, 2010

Lucky that he went--it was meant to be--imagine the symptoms he must've been having!