Irritating spouses/family that don't understand?

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Specializes in Home Health,Dialysis, MDS, School Nurse.

I understand that those who don't have medical experience dont understand some things. You don't know what you dont know....I get that. But sometimes I get so irritated by the converstions i have with my husband. He was seen in our clinic and was prescribed antibiotics. He reads his bottle and takes his pills and goes on and on about how his dose is "500 mg" and that's alot and he must have a really bad case and yada yada. I simply say "thats a pretty standard dose". And he's like "but its 500mg"! I try to explain by saying "you took 1000mg of tylenol the other day and it didn't touch your headache, but if you took 10mg of morphine you'd be flat on your @ss. " I get blank stares most of the time.....

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I know.

I grew up with a Nurse Mom, so there was always some basic knowledge in my house about stuff like that. Then I talk to my in laws and they have no clue.

I had a family friend taking Lasix for 30 years. Her doctor prescribed it when she was pregnant in the early 60s (???, I'm assuming for toxemia, Good lord!) and since it kept the weight off she just kept taking it... *facepalm*

Or, you have a cold- take an antibiotic!

Or, it's raining out, you will catch a cold!

Or, you can get the flu from the flu shot!

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Specializes in ICU, LTACH, Internal Medicine.

Consider alternative:

- kiddo whining and hurting all over after a good sports training session? Go take shower, pasta for dinner for your carbs, take Motrin AFTER dinner, mom will do massage, then go to bed and please be gone till morning. Done. Yes, I know what I am doin'.

- weather changed, synuses hurt like ****, you got this meeting at 7 AM tomorrow? Go take SMALL ice bags, put them over where it hurts, through a towel. Take two Tylenol synus, I said TWO, not four. Go finish what you were doing, then go sleep. Done. Yes, I know what I'm doin'.

- again ate something that was not intended for consumption by a normal human being, let alone YOU? Here is Pedialite, drink it... yes, more, more, then some more... ok, I'm off for Imodium and Pepsid, will be back in 15 min. Drink it. Done. Yes, I know...

- yeah, I got a reaction again. Local, don't worry. I took everything I need. No, no Epipen this time. It will be done tomorrow. Yes...

The universal responce on all that:

- is it really so simple? SO easy? Are you sure? Will we better off going to that urgent care, or I need to call 911? How it comes you just KNOW it is ok?? (and so forth till problem disappears).

RN/BSN wife vs. two hard science advanced degree husband :roflmao:

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I dunno. I like the food thing to just explode and run it's course.

I hardly ever slow it up with Immodium.

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Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
I understand that those who don't have medical experience dont understand some things. You don't know what you dont know....I get that. But sometimes I get so irritated by the converstions i have with my husband. He was seen in our clinic and was prescribed antibiotics. He reads his bottle and takes his pills and goes on and on about how his dose is "500 mg" and that's alot and he must have a really bad case and yada yada. I simply say "thats a pretty standard dose". And he's like "but its 500mg"! I try to explain by saying "you took 1000mg of tylenol the other day and it didn't touch your headache, but if you took 10mg of morphine you'd be flat on your @ss. " I get blank stares most of the time.....

Yes, that's irritating. My parents never got it. They always followed my sister's advice (Gucci nurse with big corner office, hasn't been near an actual patient since 1982) over mine (bedside for almost 40 years.) But my HUSBAND irritates the crap out of me, too. He's a nurse, worked CTICU 12 years ago, and has been ER since. He thinks he knows all about everything, including CTICU. Won't accept my word on CTICU issues because he knows better. Sometimes I want to shoot him.

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and on the other end of the spectrum my wife will flip out cuz our daughter barely has a 100F fever and i reply with " ok, and?"

or when she crashes something and i say " youre fine, i know it hurts but jeez its not that bad" lol. then i get to hear the wife call me mean as she complains that one of her MDs hasn't discharged a pt yet lol...gotta meet the DRG and get paid don't ya?! lol not that im complaining she makes more than i ever will lolol

you should hear some the fights we have lol. She is a program manager for a very large health care co and im just a little RN. She kills more physicians before i start my shift than i will see all day.

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Specializes in Pediatrics Retired.

Or you could just agree with him and move on...You know you love us!!!!!!!!!!!

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OldDude.

We'll agree when they stop bugging us. Do you know how many pictures of body parts I have on my phone from friends asking me if this looks infected?

LOTS.

When I say, "It looks okay to me, but if it hurts, go see your doctor!" they tell me what they Googled and how they must have xyz disease and Ruby Vee, pass me the gun please...

And I'm a liberal!

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Specializes in Pediatrics Retired.

You know you love us. Just google it.

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You know you love us. Just google it.

*facepalm*

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Specializes in NICU, ICU, PICU, Academia.

True story: In-laws were Texas snow birds during the brutal Indiana winters back in the days before EMRs and home computers. FIL was prescribed Lasix by his Indiana cardiologist post-MI (along with a butt ton of other stuff). Makes annual trek to Texas. Comes home the following Spring looking like crap. "Too weak to do anything". Turns out the TX cardiologist prescribed him furosemide- which he faithfully took in addition to his Lasix.

"Keith", says I "You're being double dosed with Lasix- no wonder you feel terrible!"

"No I'm not- one is Lasix and the other is furosemide. They're different drugs!"

"Didn't you tell the Texas doctor what meds you were on?"

"No, I wanted to see if the meds he gave me were any better than what the Indiana doctor gave me."

Stubborn. Old. Man. Gack!

Then there was the revolting issue of her six year old pessary. I will spare you the details in the interest of good taste and on account of it's lunch time somewhere in the world right now.

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MMJ- hahahhahahahahahahahaaaaaa!

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