Scratching your head in wonder!

Nurses General Nursing

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Specializes in Education, Acute, Med/Surg, Tele, etc.

So just yesterday some family members of a patient came to the nursing desk. I was there charting and just overheard the converstation. Typical orders from family...make sure she gets dinner, make sure you don't let her out of bed without help, give her a sleeping pill at night...you know, the usual.

Then I over heard something very odd! "Why don't they give red blood anymore?"

Okay got my attention. I am thinking "okay what the heck? What are these people talking about!". Considering my unit secretary was just as perplexed at this as I was...I chimed in.

"I am sorry, couldn't help but overhear...can I help you perhaps?" I said with a smile.

The family went on telling me Ad Nauseum about the fact that their loved one was getting clear blood products in her IV. I excused myself for a moment and checked in on the patient...sure enough...normal saline running. The patient had had her blood given days before...and now she just had her IVF going.

I went back and explained this...but the family insisted she was to have continuous blood flowing into her for 5 straight days, and thought that we must use dye to diffentiate blood products for safety reasons and why we didn't add the dye this time...

Okayyyyyy...I was able to solve their delema by showing the doctors orders and that we typically don't just run blood in folks 24/7 in a med surge unit...but not till I handed them the phone to their inistance to speak to the MD...he assured them the facts I was saying were true (thank you doc! He supported me in saying "why don't you listen to the nurses more...they DO know what they are doing you know".

Sometimes I do scratch my head and wonder about people now a days...how do these people make it through daily life???

Anway...we did have a fun time at the desk afterwards...docs and nurses alike saying things like "oh I am sorry your insurance doesn't pay for the good red stuff"...or "well your insurance only covers the dog kind which is clear...", or "we ran out of dye"...LOL

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Specializes in OB.

I wonder what the family would think was running in if the patient had a "banana bag" up?

Sorry - couldn't help myself.......

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Specializes in FNP, Peds, Epilepsy, Mgt., Occ. Ed.

And to think I wondered how all those "Nigerian bank" scams got enough victims to make them worthwhile. Silly me!!

That's hysterical, actually! "Clear blood!" :lol2::lol2::lol2::lol2::lol2::lol2::lol2:

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i wonder what the family would think was running in if the patient had a "banana bag" up?

sorry - couldn't help myself.......

:yeah::lol2::clown: funny!!!! :clown: :lol2::yeah:

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Specializes in ICU/ER.

I truly believe we as a society are dumbing down. 100 years ago this family would have froze to death in the winter.

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BagladyRN,

A note on the "banana bag"...I had a student working with me once that asked, how we were to get "this" back into the IV (banana) bag? .... she had just emptied the foley. Scary !

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Specializes in CNA, Surgical, Pediatrics, SDS, ER.

WOW, that's hilarious! :lol2::lol2::lol2::lol2::lol2:

Did they have t-shirts on that said "I'm w/ stupid!":confused:

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Specializes in Education, Acute, Med/Surg, Tele, etc.

I am busting a gut laughing! Oh guys that is just tooooo good! Banana bag!!!! LOL!!!!!!

Yeah...infuse one part clear blood with 30cc's of red food coloring to equal one unit of PRBC...easy! LOL!!!!!!

Oh and that student...what, once around the body wasn't enough? LOL!!!!!!!!

Yes, I really honestly wondered about this couple...how do they do anything on a daily routine and still survive???? Scary things folks...they drive (they are about late 60's)..what is next, why doesn't the green light have the red dye in it???? LOL!!!!!

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BagladyRN,

A note on the "banana bag"...I had a student working with me once that asked, how we were to get "this" back into the IV (banana) bag? .... she had just emptied the foley. Scary !

:bugeyes::chuckle:bugeyes:

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Specializes in Education, Acute, Med/Surg, Tele, etc.

Its funny about banana bags...I have had patients ask me how the urine gets all the way up there against gravity...I teased one that was a pretty funny fellow and said I had it on a pump...LOL, of course I let him know that was a joke and told him what it was (again)...but he and I got a good giggle on that!

I have also had families try to hand the foley bags UP thinking some nurse was silly enough to forget it and left it down...I always wondered if they ever thought where that typical drip chamber that drip drip drips is on those if they feel it is an IV! LOL! (since I have had people panic that their IV isn't working because they don't see it drip every second...and then I show them the pump system set to 50ml/hr and say...wait a min. Or a filled chamber where the drip isn't seen..LOL!).

Not to mention that sudden pain or discomfort the patient started feeling from the tug or back pressure???

Also with foleys...I have chosen to NEVER use the ones with the front plastic chamber ever again. I have had people have a absolute freak out that "it is about to overfill...don't you care about damaging the bladder?" as I smile and dump the chamber into the bag itself...and the satisfaction of their duh expression when they realize I may know a thing or two about this nursing thing?)... LOL!

I have also had a patient freak out that they were getting chemotherapy or something radioactive from the banana bag since it was so dayglow yellow! They thought I was trying to kill them...nice!

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Also with foleys...I have chosen to NEVER use the ones with the front plastic chamber ever again. I have had people have a absolute freak out that "it is about to overfill...don't you care about damaging the bladder?" as I smile and dump the chamber into the bag itself...and the satisfaction of their duh expression when they realize I may know a thing or two about this nursing thing?)... LOL!

I hear that a lot too. Ah well...I'm sure at one time I might not have realized it either!

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Specializes in Education, Acute, Med/Surg, Tele, etc.

It is odd though...I was taught to not question a nurse outright, that they are professionals and know more about what they are doing than you do. If I had seen something like that...I more than likely would have taken a closer look (but not touching...never touch that hospital stuff was another lesson)...and realized it was just one chamber attached to a HUGE bag...LOL! But that is just me, and I am old (LOL 38 is old now according to my students and kids! LOL!)...

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