Pleasantly confused

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i just love my "pleasantly confused" patients when i get them. they can say and do things that can make my shift a more pleasant one.

sometimes, elderly ladies will think i'm their granddaughter and ask me what i'm still doing up and tell me to get to bed. i work nights and sometimes their blinds are still open & they can see it's dark out or their lights are off & they realize they're in bed.

i had one lady thinking one night that i could bring the firewood so she could cook the pig.

here's the conversation on the call light the other night ~

nurse: may i help you?

patient: i need a shot.

nurse: you need something for pain?

patient: i need a drink.

(heehee...she must be used to getting a hot toddy before bed.)

when i asked a lady her name the other night, she said, "a b c d e f g".

i find it cute when they call for help to go to the bathroom, they say, "i need to go potty" as if they're a toddler.

do you have anything to share?

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Specializes in Transplant, homecare, hospice.

I had a patient say that to me before when I asked him what his name was, he said, "A B C D E F G...." Lol....that's funny. I've had some interesting patients here on my floor. 'course we get our fair share of confused patients because they have encephalopathy....related to the end stage liver disease. I had a lady once, she was a nurse. She was so sweet, and pleasantly confused. She used to make me laugh....I used to enjoy taking care of her. She was a hoot.

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Since I work in a Sub-Acute Rehab, I get quite a few pleasantly confused. We have one 103 year old lady, go figure who just had her 2nd left hip orif in one year, she is so strong and fiesty. I love her, she always says, "Dear I don't belong here, I live right up the street in North Salem." North Salem is really up the street. She is constantly giving us kisses and telling us she loves us. Oh yeah and she wears a wig, if she doesn't have her wig on she tells us it is not her best hair day, I need my wig. She will tell you she was born in 1902 also. I asked her how old she was and she replied,"103." I told her how good she looks for 103, which is true and she said, "That's what good sex does to you." I nearly fell over, laughed for a whole day. She drinks 2 glasses of beer a day too. We give her her beer and one day I tried to trick her and give her apple juice, just to see if she knew the difference,she sure did. "This isn't my beer." She will tell you if it is stale beer too. :beer:

Also have one lady who tells me all the time what an ass I have. "Thats some ass you have. I bet a young man would think it is an inviting ass":wink2:

There is so many I can't think of them. Everyday at work I get a great laugh though!

MrsStraty RN

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When I was a cna we had a lady who was an RN and had been a nurse at the facility long before she was a resident. She would tell us she was the queen of England and expected to be treated like a queen. She would tell us this while she was sitting on her throne (the toilet). She would also let the staff know that she was a nurse and she knew how to wipe someones butt and it was to be done properly or else someone would be getting fired. She would sit in the hallway in her wheel chair and when we would walk by she would fire us. We would get fired several times per day. I really did like her.

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Since I work in a Sub-Acute Rehab, I get quite a few pleasantly confused. We have one 103 year old lady, go figure who just had her 2nd left hip orif in one year, she is so strong and fiesty. I love her, she always says, "Dear I don't belong here, I live right up the street in North Salem." North Salem is really up the street. She is constantly giving us kisses and telling us she loves us. Oh yeah and she wears a wig, if she doesn't have her wig on she tells us it is not her best hair day, I need my wig. She will tell you she was born in 1902 also. I asked her how old she was and she replied,"103." I told her how good she looks for 103, which is true and she said, "That's what good sex does to you." I nearly fell over, laughed for a whole day. She drinks 2 glasses of beer a day too. We give her her beer and one day I tried to trick her and give her apple juice, just to see if she knew the difference,she sure did. "This isn't my beer." She will tell you if it is stale beer too. :beer:

Oh my, she sounds absolutely wonderful! Don't you just love people like this?

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Specializes in Tele, Infectious Disease, OHN.

I had a little lady who was 86. Came in thru the ED with COPD exacerbation and a touch of narcosis. We had to use a venti mask on her the first day. The second day she wanted me to "call a lawyer because I've been assaulted". She said she knew her rights and we could not touch her without her permission. By that afternnon she loved me and wanted me to call a lawyer so he would bring me a legal pad and a box of pencils as a gift from her to me. The night ended with her on the phone and complaints coming in from the random people she was calling. I unplugged the cord from her phone and she "made" a lot more calls and had some interesting conversations.

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oh, i had the sweetest pleasantly confused lady one night. here's what happened:

(i was doing rounds to check on my patients, i walked into one room to find a patients iv catheter still connected to the tubing and the solution still running dripping through the catheter onto the floor. i also noticed a trail of drops of blood leading to the bathroom door. so i knocked on the door)

me: honey are you ok in there?

patient:yes dear, here i come

me: are you bleeding?

(i hear the toilet flush and the patient opens the bathroom door and walks over and sits on her bed)

me: honey, you pulled your iv out

patient: oh honey, that had to come out. i needed to use the bathroom

she was so cute, how can you get frustrated with her

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Specializes in LTC, med-surg, critial care.

I have one lady who always tells me that she would like a tallcan of Budweiser with dinner.

One lady does nothing but call everyone sir. "I don't like you right now sir" "I don't think so sir" "Can I have more to drink sir?"

My very favorite resident will kiss my hand when I sit with him. Granted it takes a few minutes for him to get my hand to his lips...

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My very favorite resident will kiss my hand when I sit with him. Granted it takes a few minutes for him to get my hand to his lips...

Awwwwwwwwwww...

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we have this great man in at the moment. ex-alcoholic, cirrhosis, completely demented, and he just makes my night! he's got this beautiful smile that he bestows upon you even when you've just woken him for the millionth time overnight, and he loves everything you do for him, like turning the light on and off, stopping his iv pump alarming, giving him his antibiotic... he's the one person that i don't get just a hint grumpy with when his bed's soaked for the third time in one night!

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Specializes in PeriOp, ICU, PICU, NICU.

Not a nurse, but when I used to volunteer for a nursing home, I used to love hearing the stories these elder folks had to share.

Once, I had to take an elder lady for ice cream ( inside the facility) and when we got there she could only choose from the sugar-free ice cream. Well, she wanted the regular kind and when she was told to chose from the other, she threw herself on the floor and cried. She had a fit. It was actually amazing to see how some do go back in time.

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