Share The Weirdest Reasons Patients Push The Call Light

nursefrances, BSN, RN · Feb 2, 2012

Speaking of Freudain slips: I worked with an eye surgeon prior to being a nurse. We had this patient (a lady who was not nice at all and very pushy). The Doctor was educating her and meant to say "sting, itch or burn" but instead he said "Sting, bit##, or burn" It was sooo hard to keep a straight face, and the doctor turned beet red.

lol:rotfl:

sharpeimom · Feb 2, 2012

when i was a brand new nurse, i worked on an ortho floor and had a new rough tough post op patient who had been in a motorcycle accident. he had just had surgery on his right hand and wrist. the arm was elevated and he had been told pre op that his fingers would be numb for awhile afterward. he seemed ok with it.

he had medicated for pain and had been sleeping -- hard. it was about 3 am and all was quiet. suddenly, his bell sounded and he began calling, "help! my fingers have all fallen off! if they hadn't fallen off, i'd still feel them!" i reassured him that they were still there and showed him his very swollen hand complete with fingers and thumb. all seemed to be well and i turned on his night light and left.

i was back in the hall and he called to me: "will you please come back and reattach them if they jump off to go biking again?"

clousehaus · Feb 4, 2012

or the woman who called to report an intruder in her room -- she was right on, too! a confused little old man was trying to crawl into bed with her!)

i was a pt on a psych inpatient unit a long, long time ago. i awoke one night to find my room mate (a nice gentleman who seemed to have dementia) straddling me as i lay in bed, and attempting to pull down the covers.

being groggy, and unsure what to do, i replied "no honey. not tonight." to which he said "oh, sorry." and promptly climbed off my bed. scared me so bad that i spent the next night alone in the restraint room.

hindsight being 20/20, i should have contacted the nursing staff as he had a bad day the next day.

RH-CC2011 · Feb 5, 2012

A floor nurse getting ready to give an enema (she had been putting-off all day). ... suddenly she starts complaining about the burnt-toast smell coming from the breakroom and drifting down the hall. !!!! ???? SERIOUSLY? Is that REALLY the worst smell we've run across today? Bahahahahah!!!!

Angela Heeling · Mar 8, 2012

One of our residents routinely has behaviors for the CNA's but straightens up around nurses. I've become accustomed to checking on him or standing by whenever he presses his call light, so I can witness what happens. I answered it one time, and when I ask him what he needs he says that he is "concerned that the residents of this facility are not getting enough Vitamin D because you need Vitamin D to absorb Calcium".

Alrightee-then. I just know that if I had been an Aid he would have done or said something less appropriate.

ninja-nurse, BSN · May 16, 2012

No joke, I had a patient who was looking to move into an area. He called me in at the busiest time of night to show me real estate ads in the paper and ask what I thought about each one.

destova · May 16, 2012

Had a pt in the hospital for ortho, total pita all day: maybe 30yrs old, obese, on sodium and calorie restrictions, crabby as all get out and unwilling to do anything for herself. She put her call light on, I went in to answer as she outright refused to answer the intercom. She wanted me to call the kitchen and order her two lobsters *immediately*. Informed her we don't have lobster in the hospital and she is on a restricted diet anyway. She insists that I should go to a restaurant and get it for her or she'd report me for "noncompliance" and "harassment due to weight bias". Okay then dear, using fancy words isn't going to work with me. I gave her the number for patient rep department and told her they'd be happy to file her complaint.

RNsRWe, ASN, RN · May 17, 2012

I am glad I found this thread! I needed a good laugh after the rough day I had at work today.
Here's my funny story:
A 70 year old male patient wanted to be put back on his bipap machine after eating his lunch. When I went to his room to answer his call light he said with a straight face and calm voice: "Can you call the respiratory therapist so she can put me back on the pap smear machine."
I knew what he meant and he didn't realize what he had said. I told him no problem and I would be right back. I called the RT (in a quiet, private area) and told her verbatim what he wanted (barely able to control my laughter). For the rest of the of the day whenever the RT and I passed in the hallway we would stop and look at each other and burst out laughing.

omg, funniest thing I've read in ages!

RNsRWe, ASN, RN · May 17, 2012

I answered the call bell for another nurse's patient once... The patient said, "can you please ask the doctor if we could change my dietary order to 'double portions' so that my husband could get some food, too, instead of walking down to the cafeteria for dinner?"
We don't offer such a service at my hospital... I don't know where she got the idea that we do, because I told her nurse (who has worked there for many years) and she hadn't heard of the place offering it, either.
Needless to say, we took care of that and did not bother our doctors with that phone call.

I wouldn't have even bothered discussing it as a possibility......it isn't a "service" anywhere. The woman wanted her hubby to get free food and not have to move an inch to get it? Too bad! Dietary is there to fill the doctor's order for HER, not her husband, and you can bet insurance isn't going to take kindly to "double portions". It ain't a continental breakfast at the Hilton, babe.

RNsRWe, ASN, RN · May 17, 2012

Without having read through all nearly-600 posts, I'll throw out my favorite from a few years back:

Elderly patient, A&Ox3 but "odd". Do her admission, hand her the call bell, explain what it's for. I turn away from her to pick up something or other, and she presses the call bell. I know this because there's a little 'ding' I hear in the room, just before the light goes on in the hall and the bell sounds at the desk. I turn back to her, say "I'm right HERE, dear, what is it you need?" She responds that she just wanted to make sure it worked. :rolleyes: Oh, ok. Smile, move a few steps to do something else--STILL IN ROOM--and 'ding'. Sigh. Ok, Lady, what's your problem? "I wasn't sure it was really working". Smile....YES IT'S WORKING, SEE THE LIGHT?? HEAR THE 'DING'??

Ok.

Ready to leave. Am one step from the doorway, and....yessiree.....'ding'. Turn back. Smile. "Are you confused as to what to do with that call bell control?" Patient: "No, I just wanted to make sure it was still working".

Well, it WAS working until I ripped it outta the wall.....just kidding

GitanoRN, BSN, MSN, RN · May 18, 2012

i recall having a pt. in urology unit known for having fun with the call light, well on night he rang and there i went, i asked him what did he needed and he said " i just wanted to see if you would come" :uhoh3:

KrCmommy522, BSN, RN · Apr 18, 2018

Just realized old post!