Patient called me Chubby... LOL

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Okay so I know all of you experience nurses are like " welcome to the club", but this was my first time being called a name by a pt. Granted she was disoriented but she oriented enough to see that I was chubby. So I have to admit I am chubby, I'm 5'5 and weigh about 169lbs exaxt. My question is how do you deal with name calling. For me I laughed it off and I recognize that in nursing you definitely can't wear your heart on your sleeves and you must have thick skin. So how do you all deal with name calling ? :bugeyes:

Sorry, I don't think it was "funny," and certainly not enough to post twice about how funny it is. My feelings would be extremely hurt if I was on the receiving end of that comment. Maybe you have to be female to understand that, I don't know.

Oh come dont take things sooooooo seriously,even the OP was kinda laughing,it certainly didnt look like she is very much hurt,you need to learn how to take things lightly....on the other hand there are always people who look for negativity in the internet posts.

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Specializes in Med/Surg.
Oh come dont take things sooooooo seriously,even the OP was kinda laughing,it certainly didnt look like she is very much hurt,you need to learn how to take things lightly....on the other hand there are always people who look for negativity in the internet posts.

The really funny thing was about the pregnant question....to me, it would have been really awkward. I'm sensitive about that kind of thing, sue me.

It doesn't surprise me for a guy to think that patient was SOOOO funny.

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Specializes in School Nursing.

I've been called pregnant and fat both. I figure, I am fat, if it bothers me that much, I should lose weight. Of course, I'd LOVE to lose weight, just doesn't seem to come off that easy.

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Specializes in LTC, Med-SURG,STICU.

I have been called everything you can think of and I think a few pts/residents made up some new names. Most of the time I really do not care what they call me as long as they do take a swing at me. The words do not hurt nearly as bad as the fist do.

Here is something that happened the other day that I found cute. I was working in the dinning room and one of the residents "whispers" to their table mate "they have a lot of heavy girls working in here today". Mind you she is whispering, but I am half way across the room and I am hearing this whispering. Also, she was correct, we all were plus sized gals. That little old lady my have been unable to hear much, but her eye sight was sharp as ever. You got to love the elderly.

I always try to keep in mind that beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

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Specializes in LTC.
Hi Nursingstudent19 !!

I guess being called "chubby" is a mild name that we can all be called. At least she didn't curse at you ! If you are "chubby" then I would have been called "tubby" ! Hehe :smokin:

Hope you are doing well ! Miss you !

Praiser :heartbeat

I miss you too praiser !!!! Hope you are enjoying your summer off.

I also want to thank everyone for their replies. I got many words of wisdom and laughs out of your posts. You guys are so supportive to us students.

Love,

(Your "chubby" nursing student)

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Specializes in Peds Hem, Onc, Med/Surg.

I think chubby is worse than How far along are you? Um I'm not pregnant.

I still took it to heart and its my motivation to lose weight.

At least you found humor in it.

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Specializes in oncology, med/surg (all kinds).

i have had the when-are-you-do comment/question more than once. more than twice. one time: twice in one day. those new scrub tops that tie in the back: don't tie them too tight. one person asked if i knew what i was having --i just said "no" and let it go, but later i thought i should have said "a cheeseburger and fries" the other person --same day-- made a reference to my "pregnancy", and he was astute enough to recognize a little single eyebrow raise as an indication that he said a no-no.

i am not a small woman. i have always been sensitive about my weight (even when i wasn't heavy and just believed i was). then lo and behold---i turned 40. if you want to refer to me as chubby...well....i am. my skin is finally getting a little thicker! call me what you want!

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Specializes in LTC/Rehab, Med Surg, Home Care.

I ignore it or laugh. I work with a lot of dementia pts and they will say pretty much whatever is going through their head at the moment. I had one lady looking straight at me say "How much do you think she weighs?" LOL! My coworkers were very embarrassed by this, but I thought it was funny. Yes, I'm a big girl. It's a fact, I know the size of my clothing--it's no surprise to myself, my doctor, or my husband!

Another lady likes to pat the nurses on the behind, and she's been known to say "oh, you really have a big butt" not only to me, but to a number of nurses of all sizes.

Just blow it off.

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a little different but one day in clinical, it seemed like i got every agitated, and disoriented patient on the floor. one of them had the remote that was broken and he wanted that blanking with an f tv turned off. when i told him i'd see what i could do and go ask the desk, he called me a blanking with an f liar, that's what the last 4 said. just happened to find the maintainance guy in the hall, he fixed the tv, and the little old man started telling me i was the greatest thing since sliced bread.

next patient: elderly disoriented with a mouth like a sailor, kept screeching (she'd never use the call bell) she needed to urinate using a word that rhymes with hiss. i kept reminding her that she had a foley all day.

next: another elderly patient dementia, spent the morning just mad and cussing about everything from too much ice to the ice had melted, spent the afternoon telling me what a nice chest i had. i stayed out of grabbing distance of that 85 + yo.

i just remember that most of the comments aren't really directed at me, and some aren't even coming out of a cognizant mind. some of the words they used are ones i'd tell people to be quiet if they did it in public, and i have (i'm not shy about it, i once walked up to guy (big burly man) who had on a shirt with f word on it in walmart and told him it was totally inappropriate, my husband was petrified the man was going to smash me into the ground--actually the man turned beet red, and apologized.) for my patients, some of them i'm glad they have some spunk and spitfire in them.

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Yep they taught us in nursing school not to take things personally,peeople who exhibits their hostility toward others are using a defense mechanism called displacement of angry feelings and possible hopelesness,we as health care providers must always keep in mind that those are sick people under a lot of stress and who probably under normal cirmustances would hold their horses,and like someone else stated that people can use such comments as motivating factor to improve their outer appearance...it actually works great...

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Specializes in Woundcare.

From a disoriented but very sweet elderly patient, "Honey, when are you due?" Me: "huh?" Patient: "The baby, dear, when are you due?" Me: "Oh! Um, 5 years ago? Haha!"

For the rest of the day several people at work were commenting on my "glow" because they all think they're freakin' comedians. LOL

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Specializes in Med/Surg/Pedi/Tele.

Being beligerant to a patient isn't the right answer. At least with psych patients. My boss had someone call her "fat" and she just looked at him and said "oh jeez.. I thought I was pleasantly plump". They both laughed it off. I would just say thank you to them and leave it at that.

I had an elderly woman tell me I was mean and I just said thank you. What else can you do trying to reason with an alzheimers patient will get you no where.

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