Seriously?!?

[AngelfireRN]

I have about hit my limit today.

I'd be very interested in hearing y'all's experiences with patients who come in spouting all manner of malarkey that makes about as much sense as a milk bucket under a bull.

Case in point, a certain UTI patient who was responding well to antibiotic therapy telling me, "I just thought you'd want to know, one of my 'nursing friends' told me this was probably viral'.

"Um, no, probably not, considering we are seeing improvement with antibiotics. Viruses don't tend to respond to antibiotics and viral UTIs are incredibly rare in an immunocompetent patient."

"Well, he said it was probably viral and that's why it kept coming back and that ***(partner) needs to be treated too so they don't catch it." (Mind, we aren't talking about STI, just a very far gone UTI that was 3 weeks running before treatment was sought). This argument went on with her continuing to tout this 'nursing friend' and his infinite wisdom for about 20 minutes. Finally, after refuting multiple asinine claims, I had had enough.

"Hon, if your 'nursing friend' told you that a UTI in a healthy patient was viral AND transmissible, he needs to contact his nursing school and ask about a refund."

This was followed by telling me that the antibiotics 'gave her a panic attack' and that they had tried to call 'for days and days' without getting an answer. And was capped off by the partner telling me, "You scared us to death telling us that antibiotic might be expensive, it was only $13!"

Okkkkkk, I'm sorry I tried to prepare you and you got a pleasant surprise?

Anyone got any other head-scratchers?

[CharleeFoxtrot, BSN, RN]

15 hours ago, paramedic-RN said:

This sounds like all my patient's every day, you must be used to a more educated and sensible patient population. This won't be the last ignorant and ridiculous patient you deal with.

Nope they are everywhere. This week it was a 90 something with severe anxiety that discovered the internet, pinterest and Dr Oz (...sigh...). Now they not only are allergic to everything - insisted we add 15 more to the 30 existing allergies on the profile - but wanting us to write scripts for quinine water and a colonic cleanser.

[Wuzzie]

Patient called in requesting a refill. I called her to let her know that she still had refills on her prescription. Her reply "Yes I know and I would like you to call it in for me". ? I explained that she needed to call her pharmacy to get it refilled. This was followed by a nuclear reaction on her part that we were supposed to know when she needed a refill and call it in for her so she doesn't run out of medications and that it was poor customer service to expect her to call in her own refills. Ensuing explanations of how this works in the real world resulted in a howler monkey verbal tirade of a magnitude such as I have never experienced before. I did not call in her refill.

[AngelfireRN, MSN, RN, APRN]

17 hours ago, paramedic-RN said:

This sounds like all my patient's every day, you must be used to a more educated and sensible patient population. This won't be the last ignorant and ridiculous patient you deal with.

On the contrary, I practice in a very rural area where old wives tales abound as far as treatment. However, MOST of my people are open and receptive to my explaining why something is not so. Ignorance I can handle. Ignorance can be taught. Ridiculousness I can handle. Just something about this one got all over me, like it wasn't enough that they had to repeatedly tell me what their 'nursing friend' said, but then to accuse me of causing the panic attack and then 'scaring them' by warning them that the meds might be spendy? If I'm such a sorry excuse for a provider, why come back?

This is why I love being on my own. My old office manager would have had a field day with that one. I just handled it and went on.

[AngelfireRN, MSN, RN, APRN]

19 minutes ago, Wuzzie said:

Patient called in requesting a refill. I called her to let her know that she still had refills on her prescription. Her reply "Yes I know and I would like you to call it in for me". ? I explained that she needed to call her pharmacy to get it refilled. This was followed by a nuclear reaction on her part that we were supposed to know when she needed a refill and call it in for her so she doesn't run out of medications and that it was poor customer service to expect her to call in her own refills. Ensuing explanations of how this works in the real world resulted in a howler monkey verbal tirade of a magnitude such as I have never experienced before. I did not call in her refill.

We have people call and request refills and then call back to see if they've been sent scant minutes later. We get the same reaction in equal parts when we say they'll be in by the end of the day and to call the pharmacy first to see if they have it rather than blowing up our phone. Seriously, I've had the same person call for the same med 5 times in one day. It took telling them that one more call was grounds for dismissal from the practice to get them to quit. Then they called my mother.

[Kitiger, RN]

21 hours ago, AngelfireRN said:

We have people call and request refills and then call back to see if they've been sent scant minutes later. We get the same reaction in equal parts when we say they'll be in by the end of the day and to call the pharmacy first to see if they have it rather than blowing up our phone. Seriously, I've had the same person call for the same med 5 times in one day. It took telling them that one more call was grounds for dismissal from the practice to get them to quit. Then they called my mother.

Small towns are fun! ?

[Kitiger, RN]

My patient also informed me that he uses sea salt now, since his doctor told him he couldn't have salt. "Sea salt is healthier", he says, "because sea salt doesn't actually have salt in it, it just tastes like it does." I asked him if he meant Lite Salt, which is half potassium chloride ... "No!", he said, "I know about Lite Salt - that stuff is no good - but SEA salt is good for you!"

*sigh*

[hawaiicarl, BSN, RN]

On 1/30/2019 at 1:28 PM, Davey Do said:

Yeah! Don't cut off your nose to spite your face!

(Even though it will grow back.)

Did your nursing friend tell you this?!?!?!? ?

[Davey Do]

1 hour ago, hawaiicarl said:

Did your nursing friend tell you this?!?!?!? ?

Yes, hawaiicarl, my nursing friend told me that if you cut off your nose to spite your face it will grow back and my friend knows what she's talking about!

She's an expert in the area of noses and she was recently honored by allnurses with an award:

[Emergent, RN]

3 minutes ago, Davey Do said:

Yes, hawaiicarl, my nursing friend told me that if you cut off your nose it will grow back. and my friend knows what she's talking about.

She's an expert in the area of noses and she was recently honored by allnurses with an award:

I'll bet you give a lot of likes Davey. ?

[Davey Do]

36 minutes ago, Emergent said:

I'll bet you give a lot of likes Davey. ?

I gave you a Like Emergent, but then I thought, "Hey- is Emergent saying that I'm a brown-noser?!

Well maybe I am! What's it to you, assurgent Emergent?!

[canoehead, BSN, RN]

I generally just reassert that I don't agree, and maybe they could ask their pharmacist, or their specialist, or another nurse, or look it up(!) because it sounds important.

[guest1048932]

I cannot tell you the number of people who have told me the following:

"I'm highly allergic to Ativan/sleeping pills/Gravol/Benadryl. It makes me sleepy."

"I'm allergic to senokot/fleet enemas/lactulose. They all give me explosive diarrhea."

And my personal favourite, from a patient's mom...

"She's HIGHLY allergic to Narcan. They gave it to her when she OD'd on Dilaudid."

Me, "And What happened when your daughter was given Narcan?"

"She started breathing faster and woke up."

Me "... Uh... That's what Narcan is supposed to do. You wake up. And then you don't die."