Go ahead laugh. Laughter keeps you from going crazy.

Nurses Humor Toon

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It's been said laughter is the best medicine. It is healthy to laugh and very contagious. Nurses often become infected with giggles that can lead to uproarious laughter at some of the most inopportune times. Where have you been when you've tried to stifle a giggle?

Specializes in Critical Care.
sirI said:
Funerals.

At a family member's funeral, I cried and suddenly it turned to laugh out loud. I tried to stifle it in the beginning but to no avail.

Another funeral was someone I did not know, but again, tears turned to laughter.

It's embarrassing and so disrespectful ...

Tongue in cheek response have you considered that you have PBA psuedobulbular affect LOL. I've seen commercials for this on TV and it is what instantly came to mind. But I know what you mean I used to smile at serious times and get in trouble when I was a kid. I think it was really nerves as I'm a shy person esp back then.

2 Votes
Specializes in Critical Care.

Had a patient's family member ask us for sympathy to be more considerate of his feelings when he went all anger management on us when he didn't get his meds fast enough! Then he was even more upset when security was called because it brought back memories of his criminal past and time in jail. lol It was all I could do not to tell her off and remind her that nurses have been seriously injured, a few even killed by angry rage filled patients! Listening to her I almost laughed in her face at the ridiculousness of her enabling his bad behavior and her codependency issues.

2 Votes
Specializes in LTC, SNF, Rehab, Hospice.

I always tell new nurse/CNAs...sometimes to have to "laugh to keep from crying".

2 Votes
Specializes in Psych (25 years), Medical (15 years).

Years ago, as the Nurse for an Assertive Communuty Treatment Program, I would visit Patients under my charge if they were admitted for inpatient Psych Treatment.

I asked one particular Patient why they had to be admitted. The replay was, "I was going to poison myself with cyanide. I thought I did. But it turned out to be Country Time Lemonade".

I laughed internally and replied, "Yeah- I get those two mixed up also".

2 Votes
Specializes in Med nurse in med-surg., float, HH, and PDN.

I was having a conversation in the kitchen at a patient's condo, with his daughter and the housekeeper, when the patient shouted out from two rooms away, "QUIT HAVING SO MUCH DAMN FUN WHEN I'M FEELING SO LOUSY!" That was the quietest hysterical giggling that 3 women ever did!

2 Votes
Specializes in Mental Health, Gerontology, Palliative.
TNurse4u said:
I think us nurses have a bit of twisted humor at times ? We have to in order to survive the stress!

I worked in community mental health prior to doing my nursing training. I swear the longer I work in health the more black and twisted my sense of humour gets ?

2 Votes
sirI said:
Funerals.

At a family member's funeral, I cried and suddenly it turned to laugh out loud. I tried to stifle it in the beginning but to no avail.

Another funeral was someone I did not know, but again, tears turned to laughter.

It's embarrassing and so disrespectful ...

Pseudobulbar affect?

1 Votes
Specializes in Education, FP, LNC, Forensics, ED, OB.

Nah, just a complete aversion to funerals.

2 Votes
Specializes in Med nurse in med-surg., float, HH, and PDN.

Didn't it used to go by some other name like hebaphrenia or something? Uncontrollable laughter = ? ( I almost typed unconditional laughter!)

2 Votes
Specializes in LTC, assisted living, med-surg, psych.

Like sirI, funerals are humorous for me as well.

I remember one very well. I was fine until a woman got up to sing "Wind Beneath My Wings". She was loud and OFF-KEY. Now, the one thing that strikes me even funnier is hearing someone's faulty soprano meandering through a song, and I sat there in the church pew with my head bowed, tears squirting out of my eyes, LMAO without making a sound. Thank God I had the pew all to myself (the service was not well-attended). I'm sure it looked like I was prostrate with grief, even though I didn't know the deceased and I was there only to support her son and daughter in law.

Somehow I made it through without giggling and snorting aloud---I'd have had to leave otherwise because I believe in decorum and good manners, and laughing through a funeral Mass is definitely bad form.

I also have trouble NOT laughing when someone is throwing up. Most people get grossed out by the sound, but for some perverse reason it cracks me up. Always has. It's even amusing when I do it. I don't find the accompanying distress humorous at all, just the noise one makes when one is engaged in emesis.

This past weekend my son came to visit, and he had some sort of stomach virus which made him barf several times. I almost bit a hole in my bottom lip to prevent myself from breaking up. I did that a lot when I was a nurse, too.....couldn't let my poor patient know I'm a weirdo who thinks ralphing is funny!

2 Votes
RN yogi said:
when I was working as a CNA on an oncology floor we had six patients die in one night. The transport guy couldn't keep up. He was back and forth to the morgue all night. All I could think of was monty python..."I don't want to get on the cart I'm not dead yet." "yeah, but you will be." I died laughing every time a saw him. Sigh...I'm such a bad person.

*ding* bring out your dead!!

2 Votes

Just last night I had a patient on her side cleaning her up when she ripped the loudest fart I've ever heard come out of a 93 year old lady. My co worker that was helping me nearly choked on her tongue as I leaped out of the way expecting the feces to literally hit the side of the bed (it didn't - just gas)

2 Votes
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