Most trivial complaint ever?

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Specializes in Plastics. General Surgery. ITU. Oncology.

I have two doozies for you. I was working on a very busy and desperately understaffed general surgical ward. We had a patient come back from major abdominal surgery (excision of a bowel ca and formation of a stoma) who almost immediately started to go down the tubes BP of 60/30 HR 140 you get the picture. I fast-bleeped his team then escalated to a crash call. We worked on him a good two hours, got him stable then transferred him to HDU (he came through just fine) I was three hours over my shift time dealing with this critically sick patient.

Arriving for work the next day the Ward Manager calls me into her office and gives me a right royal telling-off for not doing a toe dressing on the patient in the opposite bed (hernia repair, slight graze on toe) When I said I'd had a full-blown crisis situation to deal with her response was "Well you could have asked someone else to do it" Words failed me at that point.

The second delightful occasion (on the same ward) was a lady in diabetic acidosis. Full on emergency. As we were working on her a relative of another patient in that bay opened the curtains around the bed and yelled at us "My mother wants a cup of tea". The medical registrar basically read her the riot act. Result? Official complaint against that doctor.

HEADDESK.

Can anyone top these fine examples of human tolerance and decency?

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Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.

this one ought to be fun!

"the bathroom is too far away." this from a healthy, 57 year old visitor who then peed in her pants rather than walk down the hall to the bathroom. repeatedly.

"mommy's squishy is too soft." fifty-something daughter of an octagenerian complaining about the pillows.

"this gown doesn't flatter my complexion." fifty-something socialite admitted for acute mi. her complexion was pretty pale . . .

"i need a nurse to write this down for me -- my pen died." dr. world famous cardiologist who was peeved when i handed him my pen and let him write his own orders.

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Specializes in LTC.

We just had a family member call state on us because she came in and her moms tv was not on. Mind you her mom was in bed asleep.

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I had a winner the other day, "My mother's ice isn't icy enough." My manager and I cracked up over that one. She said to tell her to go outside and fill up a cup. lol

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"She said to tell her to go outside and fill up a cup. lol "

That's cold!:)

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I just had to post. We had complaints at the LTC facitlity that the toilet paper was too narrow.

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A patient had a hissy fit at me once because I yawned (well it was 3 am!) I love reading these posts - it reinforces my vow to stay away from bedside nursing.

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Specializes in ortho, hospice volunteer, psych,.
i just had to post. we had complaints at the ltc facitlity that the toilet paper was too narrow.

i just spit tea all over my laptop's monitor!!:rolleyes:

oh dear... i have one brand upstairs and another brand downstairs because we're avid coupon users.

what if one brand is narrower than the other? what will we do?:confused: :eek:

i had a psych patient complain once that she just couldn't be in the dayroom becaause one place that was

about half an inch square was lighter than the surrounding area.:uhoh3:

kathy

shar pei mom:paw::paw:

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I have two doozies for you. I was working on a very busy and desperately understaffed general surgical ward. We had a patient come back from major abdominal surgery (excision of a bowel ca and formation of a stoma) who almost immediately started to go down the tubes BP of 60/30 HR 140 you get the picture. I fast-bleeped his team then escalated to a crash call. We worked on him a good two hours, got him stable then transferred him to HDU (he came through just fine) I was three hours over my shift time dealing with this critically sick patient.

Arriving for work the next day the Ward Manager calls me into her office and gives me a right royal telling-off for not doing a toe dressing on the patient in the opposite bed (hernia repair, slight graze on toe) When I said I'd had a full-blown crisis situation to deal with her response was "Well you could have asked someone else to do it" Words failed me at that point.

The second delightful occasion (on the same ward) was a lady in diabetic acidosis. Full on emergency. As we were working on her a relative of another patient in that bay opened the curtains around the bed and yelled at us "My mother wants a cup of tea". The medical registrar basically read her the riot act. Result? Official complaint against that doctor.

HEADDESK.

Can anyone top these fine examples of human tolerance and decency?

This is a PERFECT example of why I don't think I will ever work in a hospital again. You definately have more patience and understanding than I do:p

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Specializes in L&D, OR, ICU, Management, QA-UR, HHC.

I had a second day (otherwise healthy) post op C-section who had just been assisted back to bed (could have done this on her own) once we had gotten back to nurses' station she called out in a panic. Running back in she asked me to "Scratch my butt for me, I'm all comfortable and don't want to move." Needless to say I did not. Can you imagine asking someone to scratch your butt for you? I have always wondered who has been taking care of her newborn. :uhoh3:

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Specializes in Med/Surg & Hospice & Dialysis.

The ceiling tile is dirty.

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The ceiling tile is dirty.

Hey, State dinged us on that one!

"Whenever I come to visit, Mom is tired."

Um, you come at dinnertime and Mom is 93.

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