Getting Sick at Work

casi, ASN, RN · May 20, 2011

Yep BP of 200/101 massive headache, couldn't walk straight, couldn't talk straight have a hx of htn and knew my BP had been slowly creeping up despite meds. My charge nurse made me go to the ER. BP decreased in ER and sent home

One week later feeling awesome on new BP meds. In a patient's room distracting patient from painful dressing change. Next thing I know I'm sitting on the floor. My BP was 90/50. Trip to the ER. Lots of IV fluids later I was sent home and told I was a wee bit too sensitive to beta blockers.

kakamegamama · May 20, 2011

Sliced 2 fingers once while removing a blade post circumcision. Required 8 stitches. Went back to the unit & finished the shift. I much prefer the nurse's side of the bed, I decided!

trebugRN · May 20, 2011

At the bedside in a isolation gown, in a the warm room beside a sweet old lady helping talk her thru a PICC insertion. Couple of days before I had my 2nd blood patch from a major spinal headache, I was a little more dehydrated that I realized. I blacked out cold and fell backwards all they way onto the hard floor. Ended up in the ED where my sister was a nurse. CT showed no problems. Went back to the floor, started throwing up. Had a long weekend of nausea and disturbed vision. ;-) Adding that the other nurse in the room still sees me and laughs about almost calling a code because it took so long to rouse me and my eyes kept rolling back in my head.

Sonjailana · May 21, 2011

Fell down went boom. Went to work, Soooo painful. Worked for like 90 min, my manager is like, are you ok? I said, no, and said I need to go to ER. My leg was so swollen it was stuck on my scrubs. Broken tibia...and my manager asked if I wanted to take my phone with me to ER!

Lesson..if you go boom and it's the most severe post fall pain ever..don't try to 'walk it off'

nursinger · May 21, 2011

Twice. Once I had chest pains and had a heart attack and second, I strained a muscle in my back and the muscle went into a spasm a WOULD NOT LET UP. I would have rather been in labor.

LTCangel, ADN, BSN, LPN · May 21, 2011

Yes, twice. first time it was a kidney stone. I was working night shift and just kept having left flank pain that worsened to the point of being excrutiating. Our census was low, so we only had 2 nurses and an aide. My coworker said run down and sign yourself in and they'll call when they're ready cuz I really didn't want to leave her alone. I got a CT-kidney stone-script for pain meds and push fluids and went back to finsh the last 4 hrs of my shift. Second time, I was in charge that day and actually was having wonderful morning. We were fully staffed, patients were stable, I felt great and then BAM! extreme pain in my sternal area, nausea, and felt like I was going to pass out. One of the girls pushed me to ER in a W/C and it was a gallbladder attack. I was sent home and the Clinical Coordinator ended up doing Charge. It happens....

Kooky Korky, BSN, RN · May 21, 2011

Not as a nurse, but I did end up in the ER after an allergic reaction to what I ate during my brake. It was not really how I wanted to spend my New Year's Eve lol

Your brake? Like a brake on the car? :)

sharpeimom · May 21, 2011

yep! tripped over my shoe lace walking upstairs and ended up with eight sutures in my knee and two more in my hairline. :eek: i also ended up with a black eye. my manager was a real wit -- he told me the next

time i wanted a night off christmas week, to try asking for it instead.

JulieCVICURN, BSN, RN · May 21, 2011

Another kidney stone here. Charge nurse thought I was faking and wouldn't let me go until I puked, wet my pants, and turned so gray I scared the crap out of them. I got admitted and had to have a scope to remove it because it was too big to pass but not big enough for lithotripsy.

Long Term Care Columnist / Guide · May 21, 2011

Blood pressure of 260/130, about a dozen years ago. I'd been having a lot of headaches due to stress and knew my pressure was up, but it wasn't until I was trying to get a BP on my patient and heard only my own pulse pounding in my ears that I knew something was really wrong. I found a dynamapp and had one of my colleagues wrap the cuff around my arm..........WOW. We tried it again because neither of us believed it was really that high, but the second reading was even higher.

Now, did I do the sensible thing and hand off my team to another nurse, tell the supervisor why I had to leave, and go down to the ER? Heck no..........I finished my 12-hour shift and THEN went downstairs. By that time my pressure was down to 190/110 so I wasn't admitted, only given some beta-blockers and a Rx for an ARB; however, the ER doc said if I'd come down there with the reading I'd had the night before, he'd have put my hypertensive butt in the ICU---do not pass Go, do not collect $200.

I'm sure glad it's been under control for some time. If that happened now that I'm in my 50s and diabetic, I'd probably stroke out......scary stuff!

caliotter3 · May 21, 2011

Happened to me once at a client's home. I passed out and got a ride to the hospital in an ambulance, a new experience for me. Needless to say, I wasn't too happy when the client decided they didn't need my services any longer. My agency didn't go out of their way to keep me working after my illness.

IdrilRN, BSN, RN · May 23, 2011

I've gotten sick at work one too many times. I had gall stones and pancreatitis. The worse was when I was passed out in the bathroom after vomiting and having diarrhea for 15 mins before someone found me. I think the scariest part was coming too and although I didn't have a clue as to who I was but I sure understood what a blood pressure of 70/35 and a sat of 70% meant. I still have stomach troubles but my wonderful co workers come and check on me after 10 min in the bathroom.