Holding our tongues vs things we really want to say!

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Have you ever wanted to tell a patient in triage....You've got to be kidding, you came to the ER for this?:banghead: What makes you think this is an emergency?:angryfire Do you know the definition of EMERGENCY and this is not an emergency.:down: Have ever laughed when a patient gave their chief complaint?:chuckle Have you ever wanted to laugh? Have ever wanted to tell a mother how stupid she is?:saint: Have you ever just wanted to have a virtual TV show staged from your triage area.....haha:yeah:

Specializes in ER.
I don't disagree with what you're saying, but what I was describing was an entirely different demographic -- what my grandma would call the "more money than common sense" crowd. ;)

I figured you meant the "milk toast" crowd, which is what they call it up here in Massachusetts. I don't know why or what it means, though... maybe I"ll just go google that right now.....

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Specializes in ER.
Ok, come on, you have to admit it was a bit funny, morbid too.

oh, I get it - that IS funny - I have to hold back my "dark humor."

The ONLY reason it gets me in the gut, so to speak, is a man (upstanding citizen, nice family, nice kids....) would come in feeling "depressed, vaguely suicidal" and always would get evaluated by the doctor, sometimes was held and sent off to inpatient treatment, but sometimes sent home "with a responsible person." Well he never would talk much, just had this scary, eerie quiet about him. I remember clearly asking him if he had a plan (the last time I saw him) with his SI (he was also a section at the time). He said he had a gun and he was GOING to do it. The next time I saw him was when I was in the morgue and I was shocked. He was determined. He was quiet, he provided for his family, all seemed well on the outside.

He shot himself in the head in front of his wife, kids.... heartbreaking. It still shocks me. I remember thinking that he was different and there was something about him that was more serious than the "others" who would come in. It angered me when he "appeared" ok and the docs would send him home with follow up outpatient care. It just led me to the conclusion that if you are seriously suicidal or homicidal and you are determined, the mental health system will not rescue you. It's so sad. :crying2:

He never seemed to be seeking help and his wife just seemed so lost when she came in with him. Like she didn't know how to help him. Now she knows no one else did either.

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Specializes in ICU/Critical Care.
oh, I get it - that IS funny - I have to hold back my "dark humor."

The ONLY reason it gets me in the gut, so to speak, is a man (upstanding citizen, nice family, nice kids....) would come in feeling "depressed, vaguely suicidal" and always would get evaluated by the doctor, sometimes was held and sent off to inpatient treatment, but sometimes sent home "with a responsible person." Well he never would talk much, just had this scary, eerie quiet about him. I remember clearly asking him if he had a plan (the last time I saw him) with his SI (he was also a section at the time). He said he had a gun and he was GOING to do it. The next time I saw him was when I was in the morgue and I was shocked. He was determined. He was quiet, he provided for his family, all seemed well on the outside.

He shot himself in the head in front of his wife, kids.... heartbreaking. It still shocks me. I remember thinking that he was different and there was something about him that was more serious than the "others" who would come in. It angered me when he "appeared" ok and the docs would send him home with follow up outpatient care. It just led me to the conclusion that if you are seriously suicidal or homicidal and you are determined, the mental health system will not rescue you. It's so sad. :crying2:

He never seemed to be seeking help and his wife just seemed so lost when she came in with him. Like she didn't know how to help him. Now she knows no one else did either.

Oh.:( I'm sorry.

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oh, i get it - that is funny - i have to hold back my "dark humor."

the only reason it gets me in the gut, so to speak, is a man (upstanding citizen, nice family, nice kids....) would come in feeling "depressed, vaguely suicidal" and always would get evaluated by the doctor, sometimes was held and sent off to inpatient treatment, but sometimes sent home "with a responsible person." well he never would talk much, just had this scary, eerie quiet about him. i remember clearly asking him if he had a plan (the last time i saw him) with his si (he was also a section at the time). he said he had a gun and he was going to do it. the next time i saw him was when i was in the morgue and i was shocked. he was determined. he was quiet, he provided for his family, all seemed well on the outside.

he shot himself in the head in front of his wife, kids.... heartbreaking. it still shocks me. i remember thinking that he was different and there was something about him that was more serious than the "others" who would come in. it angered me when he "appeared" ok and the docs would send him home with follow up outpatient care. it just led me to the conclusion that if you are seriously suicidal or homicidal and you are determined, the mental health system will not rescue you. it's so sad. :crying2:

he never seemed to be seeking help and his wife just seemed so lost when she came in with him. like she didn't know how to help him. now she knows no one else did either.

yeah, that's scarey, and not really supposed to be part of this post....but when i read it.....i thought in the beginning.....he's serious...he's gonna do it....just from your words. it's a scarey thing for me with suicidals.....and that has always been a pet peeve of me how the emds and sometimes the rns just fluff "certain" / vs all psych patients off somehow. i could never be a psych nurse...did that rotation in school...not my cup of tea....but, while i was on vacation a few months ago they had a female come in, wasn't overly "suicidal ideation" in her vocalization.....but, for some odd reason ( security was not there, there was no family either)....and she hung herself wih the hospital sheet from the door to her er room. a friend of mine was going back to a trauma bay and saw her......omg....frenzy insued.....resuscitation in the psych room is like.....moving into a new home without furniture....bare to the bone!....she lived....and there has been discussion about these (pysch) rooms since....tucked away in the new ed so they are away from the other patients....cluster....f**k is all i can say about that....it's a different thread .....i started this one so felt comfy in my rambling here...hahahahahaha

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Specializes in ER.
yeah, that's scarey, and not really supposed to be part of this post....but when i read it.....i thought in the beginning.....he's serious...he's gonna do it....just from your words. it's a scarey thing for me with suicidals.....and that has always been a pet peeve of me how the emds and sometimes the rns just fluff "certain" / vs all psych patients off somehow. i could never be a psych nurse...did that rotation in school...not my cup of tea....but, while i was on vacation a few months ago they had a female come in, wasn't overly "suicidal ideation" in her vocalization.....but, for some odd reason ( security was not there, there was no family either)....and she hung herself wih the hospital sheet from the door to her er room. a friend of mine was going back to a trauma bay and saw her......omg....frenzy insued.....resuscitation in the psych room is like.....moving into a new home without furniture....bare to the bone!....she lived....and there has been discussion about these (pysch) rooms since....tucked away in the new ed so they are away from the other patients....cluster....f**k is all i can say about that....it's a different thread .....i started this one so felt comfy in my rambling here...hahahahahaha

oy! our video monitors don't work for our psych rooms..... ahhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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I know this is an ER thread but as a previous medsurg nurse ( I would get the pts from the ER) I always loved the crack head regular that would come in complaining of abdominal pain.... I would suggest to them that maybe they should have spend a few bucks on food during their last 3 day binge.....

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When I worked ER full time the nurse manager always knew when I worked triage from the compliants she got the next day. I didn't care. I was known for saying the press-gainey people could just go **** themselves. I always asked "What exactly made this an emergency?" "You couldn't buy tylenol for your child but you could afford the pack of cigs in your hand?" "You didn't know that having sex could get you pregnant?"

I was well known for a triage "incident" that involved a woman who had a doctor's appointment the next day come saying, "I'm going to die. I', just going to die." She had a cold. No fever, No HA, No sore throat, just your garden variety cold. I triaged her and after I listened to her complain about dying for 5 minutes I looked at her and said, "You think you are going to die. You LITERALLY THINK YOU ARE GOING TO DIE! You think you are going to cease to breathe and have a heartbeat. You literally think you are going to die and your family is going to have to bury you." She got mad and screamed at me, "I have never been treated so rudely in my life!" I just told her, "Next time you think you are going to 'die' from a cold, why don't you just go to Wal-Mart and buy Claritan. I bet you they won't treat you rudely."

I'm surprised I didn't get fired over that one.

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Specializes in LTC, ER.
When I worked ER full time the nurse manager always knew when I worked triage from the compliants she got the next day. I didn't care. I was known for saying the press-gainey people could just go **** themselves. I always asked "What exactly made this an emergency?" "You couldn't buy tylenol for your child but you could afford the pack of cigs in your hand?" "You didn't know that having sex could get you pregnant?"

I was well known for a triage "incident" that involved a woman who had a doctor's appointment the next day come saying, "I'm going to die. I', just going to die." She had a cold. No fever, No HA, No sore throat, just your garden variety cold. I triaged her and after I listened to her complain about dying for 5 minutes I looked at her and said, "You think you are going to die. You LITERALLY THINK YOU ARE GOING TO DIE! You think you are going to cease to breathe and have a heartbeat. You literally think you are going to die and your family is going to have to bury you." She got mad and screamed at me, "I have never been treated so rudely in my life!" I just told her, "Next time you think you are going to 'die' from a cold, why don't you just go to Wal-Mart and buy Claritan. I bet you they won't treat you rudely."

I'm surprised I didn't get fired over that one.

Too funny! Now I don't feel so bad about the things I've said in triage!

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Always wanted to ask:

"Why did both of you (parents) bring in the 2 other (well) kids, in with your "sick" kiddo, who only has a temp of 101, at 0300 on a school night..."

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Always wanted to ask:

"Why did both of you (parents) bring in the 2 other (well) kids, in with your "sick" kiddo, who only has a temp of 101, at 0300 on a school night..."

The same reason why people like that take all the kids with them to whatever 24-hour store they go to when they "need" beer or cigarettes, for which they always have money, at 0300 on a school night.

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Specializes in FNP, Peds, Epilepsy, Mgt., Occ. Ed.
Always wanted to ask:

"Why did both of you (parents) bring in the 2 other (well) kids, in with your "sick" kiddo, who only has a temp of 101, at 0300 on a school night..."

Hey, you mean they didn't have grandma, grandpa, and an aunt or uncle, too??

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Specializes in Hospitalist.

OK, I'll admit to this one. I have been known to say (jokingly to pts with whom I have a good rapport) "You're starving? It takes 14 days to starve to death, and, honey, you haven't been here THAT long".

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