Share The Weirdest Reasons Patients Push The Call Light

banditrn · Aug 17, 2006

Ya. after my surgeries they always leave the pulse ox thing on till discharge. this last surgery one night my o2 sat must have gone down somewhat significantly because i woke up on blow by oxygen. they would not have know to do that if i was not wearing it.

This reminds me of the nite in the unit where an elderly lady woke up and started screaming "My finger's on fire!":lol2: :lol2:

NurseyTonyaLPN · Aug 17, 2006

The facility I was working at the other night had two ways to call the nurse's station--a cordless phone which rang to our phone, or an emergency call button they can pull the cord to from their bed. A resident pulled the emergency call button, the CNA was on the other floor so I rushed my big, pregnant butt down two long halls to the farthest room. Her emergency? She wanted her lamp turned out. I could understand her doing that if she couldn't reach her cordless phone to call us the regular way, but the phone was in her hand!

bigmona · Aug 17, 2006

I had a patient call me in last week because her popsicle was busted up and she wanted me to go find her a new one. I don't think so!!!

StudyingRN · Aug 17, 2006

Ok not a call light story but the funniest story I have to offer:

I had a patient last week who was the sweetest lady. She was so proper and very quiet and reserved. She was incontinent and on lasix - no foley to prevent infections - needless to say I had changed her linens SEVERAL times that day. I had just rolled her to her side so I could make her occupied bed yet again and in trying to help pull herself further on her side to let out the loudest, fastest, wettest blast of air I have ever heard! I jumped a mile and without thinking said, "Gosh Mi!d*ed, you scared me half to death! I thought it was coming after me!" She proceeded to laugh hysterically all the while tooting up a storm which made her laugh even harder! This quiet reserved woman and I rolled for 15 minutes till we were both in tears!

Everytime I walked into her room after that we laughed till we cried! Oh and the best part was she was in for Pneumo but had been unable to work up a proper sputum sample. In laughing so hard so had a coughing, tooting, peeing fit, which meant we had to change the partially made bed yet again but...we got her coughing and brought up a nice healthy sputum sample for the lab finally! :lol2:

I love my patients!

Agnus · Aug 21, 2006

I've been a patient myself many times. Do feel at times uncomfortable for asking for the dummest things like ice water. What I've done was to bring a pitcher to the nurse's station and ask for ice water, just to save them a trip. There were times that I did things for my roommates, they were mostly elderly. Simple things like getting them water or warm up their plate in the microwave. I've done all that with an IV in my arm!

You're a saint. Shouldn't have to do such things. Thank you.

lpnstudentin2010, LPN · Aug 21, 2006

You're a saint. Shouldn't have to do such things. Thank you.

My last inpatient surgery my roomates friends did the same for me. at night my mom would leave to go home. they were always asking did i need anyting. and were very happy to get anything i needed. including backing me up that i was calling (on the call light) for the nurse one night when my iv was beeping. (she came in to do something else saying i should have called for her) he had herd me saying to the person on the other end i needed my nurse for the alarm and he also called on his girlfriends call light saying i needed my nurse due to an alarm going off.

thebonster · Aug 21, 2006

I've had tons of stupid ones...

Quick - turn up my radio I love this song.

Just wondering what you were doing.

Is it mealtime yet?

Where is my Dr.?

Just seeing if the call light works.

Would you feed my cat at my apartment?

doularoz · Aug 25, 2006

I had a postpartum patient call me to the room to ask if I thought it was ok that her poop smelled bad.

banditrn · Aug 26, 2006

Would you feed my cat at my apartment?

Ah, this reminds me of the time that this gal was admitted to psych - she was going to be booted out of her apartment the next day - and assumed that the staff would go over and move her stuff out!! :bugeyes:

Didn't happen.

RN-Diane · Aug 26, 2006

As a student, I had a patient who was arguing with her hubby. She called and asked me for water (or something-- this is not the part of the story that I remember). I told her that if she needed anything else to use the call light.

A minute later, I was walking down the hall when her call light went off. I was by her door, so I knocked. No answer. I opened the door and walked in on her pleasuring he husband. Apparently one of them had accidentally hit the button.

I could not believe that she, who was in pain and stuck in bed, was doing that for her husband who had been so mean to her all day. I guess they were just "making up."

SaraO'Hara · Aug 31, 2006

"I need my call light turned off* :penguin:

nicer when smarter · Sep 1, 2006

I had a patient with peripheral neuropathy and VRE who hit the call light about 150 times a shift. GOWN MASK AND GLOVE everytime....she called me in the room...I exasperted "Can I help you?", "Oh, she replies, I have a booger in my nose and I need you to pick it for me." I promptly handed her the box of kleenex and told her she could pick her own nose.