NPO stories (NPO what??!)

Specialties Operating Room

Published

Specializes in Only the O.R. and proud of it!.

OK - how about a little levity.

What are some outrageous, funny, or off the wall NPO stories out there??

Just this AM, my first case is delayed one hour because my patient drank water for the entire hour trip to the hospital, and while in the Pre-An area.

(I think that Europe/Australia have more lenient water NPO standards...)

I've had patients think that a light breakfast (pancakes, juice, and eggs - light??!) is OK even though they've been told to be NPO.

Dave

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We had a patient NPO because he had aspirated and was waiting for more tests. His wife gave him Ginger Ale while visiting and his kids "tattled" on her. Later I see them as they are leaving and told her to "Stop!" I then preceeded to tell her in a stern voice "So you are the ginger ale lady - I have been looking for you." Her whole family starting laughing loudly and she turned three shades of pink and apologized profusely. We all got a good laugh and she promised not to do it again. It was some nice levity and helped reduce the family's stress level.

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Specializes in cardiac, diabetes, OB/GYN.

I don't know that this is really funny but it DID teach me something...When a student I went in the morning to visit my patient for an interview for clinical...She was in a semi private room near the window..Thinking I was respecting the privacy of her room mate I drew the curtain between them and then began helping my patient by reading items from the menu so she could choose for breakfast. Suddenly I heard a loud moan from the lady next door. Ever the helpful student, I pushed aside the curtain to see if I could help the roomie...To my inquiry as to what I could do to help her out she fairly shouted "YOU"RE KILLING ME!" When the shock of that statement cleared I asked her how that could possibly be...Well, turns out ( and I should have figured it out since she had an NG tube down) that she was NPO and just hearing all the delicious food discussed was driving her crazy. Now I know the diet status of every patient and am ESPECIALLY conscious and courteous to those sharing hospital rooms....More nursing lessons learned...Something I have not forgotten in 25 years....

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Specializes in Burn/Trauma ED.
just hearing all the delicious food discussed was driving her crazy.

What hospital was this!?!? :rotfl:

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As a nursing student, I had a pt who was NPO for a procedure. This patient was caught drinking water. She thought water "didn't count". We stressed to her that she can not have foods or ANY liquids including water. About an hour later (I was on break) another nurse went into the pts room to hang another bag of IV fluids. The pt stopped her and said "NO, NO, NO, They told me that I cannot have any fluids!!" The staff thought this was pretty funny, so did I. But, it reminded me that we need to really break things down in the SIMPLEST terms for people. :chuckle

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We had to postphone one child's T's&A's because dad had stopped in at McGolden Arches on the way to hospital as a bribe ...

As a nursing student, I had a pt who was NPO for a procedure. This patient was caught drinking water. She thought water "didn't count". We stressed to her that she can not have foods or ANY liquids including water. About an hour later (I was on break) another nurse went into the pts room to hang another bag of IV fluids. The pt stopped her and said "NO, NO, NO, They told me that I cannot have any fluids!!" The staff thought this was pretty funny, so did I. But, it reminded me that we need to really break things down in the SIMPLEST terms for people. :chuckle
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I used to work L&D and taught Lamaze classes. I told my classes that when they went into labor, they should stick to clear liquids as that was what the Drs recommended. I told them clear liqs could be almost anything that if held up to the light, you could see through. Well, you would not believe how many of them added donuts to their NPO list because you could SEE through THEM(that center hole). That happened so many times that I began telling the classes, NO DONUTS EITHER!! LOL. :rotfl:

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we had a patient being transported by ambulance from an OSH to us for a femur fracture. The truck stopped at McDonalds and the patient ate too...

Meanwhile, we are at the hospital waiting on the patient to arrive and wondered what was taking so long.

Hello.....NPO

I had another patient who was having surgery (can't remember what exactly)...I went out to holding and asked him when the last time he ate anything or drank, he replied last night. So, I said "nothing for breakfast"....he says "oh no, I had breakfast....about 4:30 this morning." Good thing I asked. He didn't tell anesthesia that he ate either. He was supposed to be a 7:30 start.

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Specializes in NICU, Infection Control.

My son was scheduled for a CT scan about 2 pm and was NPO because they were going to anesthetize him for this test. He had a fever that day, and I did call in to tell them, they didn't care about that but, no, I couldn't give him Tylenol. (I didn't have any suppositories) They suggested letting him take a bath, which he did, playing around in there for about an hour. Unbeknownst to me, he also drank about a gallon of bath water. :eek: Yes, he did barf in the middle of the procedure, scaring the c**p out of the anesthetist. I was mortified. I'm sure they were thinking, uh huh, NICU nurse, right.

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npo = NO PLEASURES ORALLY.....HAHAHA...KEEP IT CLEAN...LOL...

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I've seen an elderly lady stuff herself with candy bars before elective surgery, since the surgeon's office staff had cautioned her not to "eat breakfast." To her, breakfast was bacon, eggs and toast.

Told her her surgery would be cancelled. She said that candy sure tasted good!

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Specializes in surgical, emergency.

One of my favorite NPO stories. Mom driving junior in for his t&a. Looks in the rear view mirror, and sees her darling child, slucking down a big old Mt Dew that he had hidden under the seat for just such emergency!!

On the same subject....have you noticed, how someone's story can grow.

"just a sip", becomes a "couple of swigs", to half a glass, to a whole pot of coffee. Frankly, I'm not sure I trust someone who says they took only a swallow. Today, I actually took an empty 8 oz styrofoam cup in the holding area, and made someone show me how much she drank, I wasn't getting the same story each time I asked.

I am scared to death of the pt that comes back in, after being canceled for not being npo. I actually heard someone say, "see, I told you it wouldn't matter". He lied to us the second time, "to prove a point". He got a couple chapters of the riot act.

And also, does it seem that the general public knows so much more than us poor medical pros. When we say NPO after midnight, that only means to them "if it's not too much trouble for you". :angryfire :angryfire

MIke

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