I seem to be hearing more and more comments from patients and families that just leave me speechless. I can think of no good response except helpless laughter, which I can't indulge in, so I bite my tongue and say nothing at all.
Here's two from last night:
Family observing nurse use barcoder to give insulin (or rather, struggle valiantly to use the barcoder, since it malfunctions about every three minutes): "Aren't you glad that you won't have to worry about making so many medicine errors anymore now that you have a great machine to do your thinking for you?"
And from a patient who wanted the max in IVP pain meds and slept very soundly through one of the prn time windows: " You should have woke me up or at least have it all drawn up and been standing by my bed waiting for me to wake up." What in the world can you say to comments like those? :smackingf
It is sad that the individuals need so much extra care and when you have several other patients you can't give all the "sat by their bed and wipe their nose, or even pet the families egos for them" because we have 15 others just like them.
I work in LTC and had an elderly man who had become critically ill through the night, he had an order for comfort measures only, no hospitalizations, so I called his son to let him know his condition. About 15 minutes later the son was at the facility, after a lengthy conversation, the son asked "So, if I want him to go to the ER you will send him right?" I explained that I would have to call the DR. first but could tell the Dr. per family wishes, the son replied "Nevermind, I'm sure you understand that all of my family wants him to die" I repled "sure, I understand, thats how most families feel" WHAT?, wait a minute, did he just say.....wants him to die? I guess I'm used to families saying "doesn't want him to die", maybe I should've paid closer attention. That was a first for me, well I found out that this man was quite wealthy and the family was quite greedy, nevertheless he passed away a couple days later. From now on I will listen to what is being said before I open my mouth
Specializes in Cardiac Telemetry, Emergency, SAFE.
First one that comes to mind:
Had a very unfortunate patient. Sweet as pie, but her family was HORRIBLE to deal with. I could go on all day...but ill spare you all. lol.
An aide, 2 PT's and I were trying to shift the patient up in her chair (she was 300+ pounds) via the lift pad underneath her. We all took a corner and tugged..and the patient just did not move.
Patients niece, who just stood there the whole time with a nasty look on her face. "Well maybe you all shouldve eaten your wheaties." And she was totally serious. I think it offended her that we were unable to move her aunt without some effort....
had a very unfortunate patient. sweet as pie, but her family was horrible to deal with. i could go on all day...but ill spare you all. lol.
an aide, 2 pt's and i were trying to shift the patient up in her chair (she was 300+ pounds) via the lift pad underneath her. we all took a corner and tugged..and the patient just did not move.
patients niece, who just stood there the whole time with a nasty look on her face. "well maybe you all shouldve eaten your wheaties." and she was totally serious. i think it offended her that we were unable to move her aunt without some effort....
the four of us turned and looked at her : ......
she shut up after that. then she left. lol
yes, i've had people tell me that i have to lift the patient and i can because i am a nurse. whaaaat? :pumpiron:
Had a pt this weekend....she was nice enough, but a little odd. Has gotten a once-a-month infusion for the last several years at a facility out of town, and was due for said infusion during her stay with us.
We got all the info (drug amount, dilutent amount, pre-medications, etc etc) from that facility. Patient has a port that they normally access to infuse it; however she had had a jugular CVL inserted during surgery, so I was using that.
This patient did NOT understand this concept. I tried and tried to explain the CVL when after I had already STARTED the infusion she asked, "did you find the special needle to access the port?" "No, Mrs. Soandso, I don't need to do that today because you have the CVL, which is the same *type* of IV as the port is and the end is in the same place."
"OK."
After this infusion was done, she wanted to go back to bed. I told her we should go for a walk first, since she was going to bed for the night. She adamantly refused, as she was SO TIRED...."THEY NEVER GIVE ME THAT MEDICINE IN SO MUCH FLUID, AND I DON'T FEEL GOOD BECAUSE YOU PUT IT THROUGH MY SKIN........" (high pitched, whiny voice).......me, I'm dumbfounded. "So much fluid?" "YEA, IN 400 MILLILITERS, I CAN'T HANDLE IT IN THAT MUCH..*WAH*".......I finally had to get a bit tough. I told her we did EVERYTHING exactly the same, including how much saline the med was in (which was 150mls, I don't know WHERE she got the idea that it was in 400, I never said anything like that!!). "IT'S SUPPOSED TO GO IN THE PORT SINCE THAT GOES IN THE PLACE BY MY HEART (ack) AND YOU PUT IT THROUGH MY SKIN!!!!" I then just said, "LOOK, I tried to explain it before, I don't know how else to make you understand, that IV you have is the SAME kind of IV as your port, and it goes to the same place as your port, so since you have it I am NOT going to go through the process of accessing the thing when I don't have to. We got all the info from *insert medical center name*, so we did everything that they always do, nothing different."
She also told me that I "couldn't" draw blood off of it, since she has the port that's where it is supposed to be drawn from. "Ma'am, I don't want to put you through the lab drawing it if we don't have to....trust me, we always draw blood off of these lines since (again), it is the same!!"
Oy.
She also spent the day calling the TPN "that milk stuff" and telling us over and over that she wasn't diabetic when we had to check her sugars ("I know you're not, ma'am, but that IV has a lot of sugar in it, so we check these on everybody that gets it."). I'm fine with explaining things once, but PLEASE listen when I do it, you are young and completely oriented and I'm not some incompentent nutjob, mmmk?
Finally all I could do was just say TRUST ME, I know what we're doing. :) Big smile on my face. (She was a real sweetheart and we really did get along great....it just never ceases to amaze me what people think we are (or are not) doing to them!
Once had a pt who's son was concerned about his father's testicles continually growing and shrinking (son was convinced it was a hernia). So we frequently "assessed" this poor pt's testicles, not one nurse noted anything "unusual". The son, not satisfied with the situation, came up with his own solution: put his father in stirrups and point a camera to his crotch continuously, so we could see what he saw. Needless to say he got a talking to about HIPPA and pt's basic rights...
Also, before this idea of his, he took a picture of his father's testicles on his camera phone, and showed me. I stood there completely motionless and speechless..:stone
I was admitting a patient and heard the room mate and his wife say "do you remember when you would have your bath by 8 am every day?" the roommate did not get his supplies to take his bath until 10:30-poor thing.
Specializes in PP, OR, med-surg,oncology, urodynamics.
Okay it was the day before Hurricane Katrina, I was working on the postpartum unit. We were instructed to discharge the patients who were stable. One family member response has kept me speechless," Oh no, her and the baby has to stay here, cause they done already told us we have to EVAPORATE!"
Pt. A was an 80+ yr old, frail lady, who was a full code and was going down fast! We thought we'd have to code her and that would have killed her. Pt. B, who was also old and frail, had a morbid stroke and was only responsive to painful stimuli. She was a DNR. Pt B's daughter was in the military preparing to go back to Iraq in a few weeks, who was already stationed in Washington State (we're in NC) decided against a PEG tube. As the daughter of Pt B is talking with the Hospice case manager, the family of Pt A, who we had to send out of her sister's room for getting in the way of the staff, overhears their conversation and says to the daughter, "you ought to be ashamed of yourself, starving your poor mother to death"!! Needless to say, we had to call security!!
......
(She was a real sweetheart and we really did get along great....it just never ceases to amaze me what people think we are (or are not) doing to them!
sweetpeanurse
61 Posts
Took no offense!
It is sad that the individuals need so much extra care and when you have several other patients you can't give all the "sat by their bed and wipe their nose, or even pet the families egos for them" because we have 15 others just like them.