most and least favorite DX to care for?

[MollyJ]

In general, what is your favorite diagnosis to take care of?

I liked Tricyclic OD's (cause they could really crash sneaky and fast); unstable GI bleeds, acute respiratory failure, acute asthmatics and ectopic pregnancies. You could say I don't mind a mess. Of course, I also like happy endings.

Least favorite:

OD's on stupid meds; hysterical young women and teen girls; almost anybody related to a prominent or rich person or, god forbid, the rich person themself; drunks.

[radnurse2001]

I most like to sedate children. the least would be GI bleeders

[zenmaster]

I'm not so sure I really have a 'fav." diagnosis, or even one I really hate. I do, however have personality types of patients who I either sympathize with or, absolutely do not tolerate. Among the patients who I absolutely do not tolerate are "slugs" who do not even attemt to get better, to the point of not trying to lift a washcloth when one is handed to them, or even try to comprehend the teaching that you are so desperately trying to give away. I am not talking people who are in denial, but genuine slugs. We have all had a few in our days, I'm sure. The patients who I can sympathise with are usually the one others hate so much i.e. COPDers, massive poopers,chronic bell ringers, and even an occational patient or family who think we are handmaidens. After all, these people must have a perception of what a nurse is. Right or wrong, I find it my duty to either change that perception, or try to understand, and be compassionate towards them. I mean some people out there just truley do not understand us, and who am I to put my standards on them?

[Banshee]

Most fav-watching someone who is "circling the drain" make a recovery. Esp bad accidents in younger people.

Least fav- anyone with $ and assumed power pushing their weight around and making threats-especially when their drunk!

[silverheart]

Most Disliked Dx:

GI bleeds, Anything to do with activated charcoal(Yuck)

Anything cardiac (not my specialty)

and something i call "The Death Watchers"

(family members that are not close to the pts. that stand around the bed just waiting)

and family members that go out of their way to point out your shortcomings (however trivial it is)

Favorites are OB:

Precip. deliveries, stat sections, Mag. drips

I also get a charge out of getting a vein that no one else could.

oh yeah and has anyone had this experience:

(no offense intended to anyone)

An extremely overweight woman (fluffy) that tells you right before a pelvic exam that it MAY smell bad "down there".and it will knock you over,even the doc had tears in his eyes.

(that pt. also swore she was pregnant with twins and the uterus was nongravid on US) weird case.

silverheart

[JennieBSN]

Yeah, I also hate those women the ED rushes up to L&D because they 'appear' pregnant and have abdominal pain...only to discover they're just FAT and the only thing 'living' in their uterus is blood and air...

Or the ones the ED rushes up saying 'she's crowning!' only to check her and find she's long thick and closed...and no sign of a baby coming ANYTIME in the near future...this has happened to me TWICE. Grrrrrrrrrr.

[Lynn Richardson]

My least favorite dx to work with are several: I hate dealing with the drunk going through DT's. I hate the drug seeker who comes into the ER weekly with a toothace, a headache or a pain in his big toe! I hate big open bed sores! The stench nearly kills me! And talking about stench, I hate GI bleeds. I pray that I never have one myself or my own smell will make me puke! Also, I hate uneducated family members who try to tell me what medical treatment is best for Mama or Daddy. And I despise a COPDer who insists on smoking and then getting all anxious when he can't breathe! HELLO!!!!!

Many of you hate dealing with psych patients. I do not mind that. I love trying to help someone who is depressed, suicical or anxious. I just want to take them in my arms and cradle them. I feel so sorry for them, having been severally depressed myself at one time. But, as many of you do, I love the adrenaline rush of a code, trauma etc.....Nothing compares to the feeling of "saving someone".

[Rogaia]

Originally posted by nurs4kids

Favorites: Anything Neurosurgical, I love the way they're fine one minute and crashed the next. Like the newly diagnosed brain tumors, family is very emotionally needy. Love big wounds and any abdominal surgeries, the more tubes the better.

Despise anything respiratory or renal. Psych just makes me realize how little I learned in school. Ohhhhh, HATE endocrine patients...don't say the word "insulin" in front of me, I freak!!!

Endocrine patients are quite / sad / and confused during the denial stage, we have to be very patient with them in this time.

During acceptace stage they will be nice/ co-operative/ understanding and participate in group discussion with the educator and with each others.

[sugoud]

What I hate: MS patients who have been in institutions too long and complain about EVERY part of their body, very hard to make them happy, very manipulative.

Any pt under the age of 18.

What I love: Geri patients that are so patient and eventually overcome their problem ie; stroke, hip replacement.

[NotReady4PrimeTime, RN]

The last two days have been an adrenalin junkie's dream. (Or nightmare, depending on your point of view!) I admitted a 12 year old from a regional hospital with a really bad rep for hanging on to critical peds patients way too long. She had been in a head-on MVA and had a classic seatbelt injury, intact skin but shredded everything else. Had been to OR twice and was now in DIC, hypotensive, two PEA arrests behind her, and developing pulmonary edema. We've had such bad experiences with transfers from this hospital, inotrope syringe pumps dying in the elevator, patients arresting in the hallway from the elevator to the unit and that sort, so I had dopamine, epi and norepi all running into the bed at the last reported rate so that we could switch her over without any profound drop in BP. The actual admission was great, it went downhill from there. I spent all day yesterday doing stat orders because she was determined to die, and we weren't going to let her. As I left last night she was on her way back to the OR, then if she made it out, onto dialysis. (Myoglobin was 49,500!!) Okay, I'm good for awhile, let me have the sedated, paralyzed, ventilated RSV baby for a few days!

[Bekka_Lass]

Favorite: alert geriatric patients, they actually appreciate anything you do for them. Acute CHF, Pulmonary Edema, Sepsis, Pneumonia, Asthmatics...I like the respiratory patients alot:)

Least Favorites:The TSTL(too stupid to live) ones, "I didnt have a thermometer..I didnt give the baby tylenol(fever104.6R) any 30 year old with vomiting or diarrhea(whine whine whine) and the ones with a complaint over 3 months old(What made tonight different at 3am?)

[NRSKarenRN, BSN, RN]

Most Favorite:

Elderly, CHF, COPD, trach and vented patients: Can see a result of suctioning, nebs,treatments etc...same as client with wounds, puzzle to find most effective tx. Fecal impactions: Expect to see "have glove and lubricant, will travel" written on my tombstone. Endstage patients who've been thru the medical mill and need comfort care.....learned so much from my hospice patients re resilency of the human spirit and that there is an afterlife.

Least Favorite:

Renal Failure/Dialysis clients...no output, can't tell by looking at em whats wrong without labs....no urine freaks me out for some reason. Vomiting clients...hangup from my childhood.

No experience: Birthin babies beyond my own. Never wanted the experience, don't think I could handle the loss of one baby.

[JayRN]

This is a fun topic!

Favorite: Cute little old people, Post heart transplants (very emotional and rewarding!), LVADs, Post OHS, Thoracotomies, epidurals, anything technically challenging, pleasantly confused patients, pleasant hallucinating pt's (that can be a lot of fun sometimes!), ambien (we call it the naked man drug, cuz some of the male pt's that take it just get naked and confused in a very funny way!), oh and the list goes on!

Least favorite: Emptying suction containers whether it be respiratory or GI... I gag all the time, Deep sternal wounds that gape and you can see into their chest, I hate caring for psych pt's...they just annoy me...callous, mean, insensitive I know but that's why I'm not in psych! Down syndrome pt's that are post OHS (frustrating), whiners, manipulative ESRD dialysis noncompliant pt's that think they should get a kidney transplant, LVAD or heart transplants that stoke (makes me very sad), and what burns me the most are condescending pts or family members and pt's that think they are entitled to the whole world!