Silliest thing you ever did after a long shift...

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So my unit is way over census and understaffed. I've had an utterly ridiculous assignment the last few nights; you know, the kind of shift where when 0700 rolls around the fact that you and all your patients are still alive seems like a victory? Yesterday morning I arrived home just beat. My legs felt like the bones might shatter any minute, my lips were puffy (a weird thing that happens when I'm overtired), my hands were shaking and I just felt like hell. I went to brush my teeth, as you do, and after a few seconds I realized that something didn't taste right and my mouth felt really sticky. I looked down at my sink and discovered that I was not, in fact, brushing with toothpaste. Turns out that Crest Vivid White and Eucerin Plus Intensive Repair Hand Ointment are packaged in tubes of almost the exact same size and shape. That'll learn me to keep them next to each other on the counter. :trout:

So dish: What's the silliest thing you've ever done after a wretched night at work?

Specializes in vascular, med surg, home health , rehab,.

Just before Christmas, after a long night went shopping for gifts; stopped at an ATM, and walked away without the money, $200 or so. The bank swore it didnt get sucked back in, someone had a very good christmas on me. I was devastated, a mere student at the time making peanuts. Hope karma really is a *****.

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Specializes in Med-Surg/Peds/O.R./Legal/cardiology.

annmarie,

O. M. G. !!!

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Specializes in vascular, med surg, home health , rehab,.
annmarie,

O. M. G. !!!

Tell me about it, actually it was more now I think of it, its was in the late 80's. a fortune to me. Anyway, lesson learned. Go home, go directly to bed and don't pass go.:nono:

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Specializes in LTC , SDC and MDS certified (3.0).

:uhoh3:. When leaving in the AM I always followed this guy from the OR. I always checked out his butt. This one time, I worked 3-11 @ one job then 11-7 and being 5 mos pregnant I actually told him he had an amazing butt. The next night he was asking my friends if I was available.

Many a time I woke up in the afternoon thinking I was still at work, Then not being able to remember the drive home.:nono:

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Specializes in ER/Trauma.

Had a horrible loooong shift, working nocs as a CNA while I was in PN school. Most of the shift I had a headache, one I just knew was going to disintigrate into migraine land at some point, I was just praying to get through the shift so I could get home and sleep.

On the drive home, the lightning bolt of the migraine hit and I just could not stand the light of headlights coming at me. I decided to pull off the road for a bit and close my eyes. Put the car in park, shut it off and tired to relax a bit. Next thing I know, a state trooper is tapping on my window. Seems someone had called the police because I looked like I was passed out in my car along the roadside. I explained about the headache and needing a bit of rest before I could make it the rest of the way home. Nice officer, very understanding, he offered to call someone to come get me. I rested for 30 more minutes before I could make it the rest of the way home, but let me tell you, I was embarrassed!!

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I've walked aimlessly around my house with a coffee cup. When the cup was empty, I forgot where I laid it down...so, went to get another coffee cup. When I came to, there were 5 coffee cups sitting all over the house (with 2 or 3 swigs of coffee left). :uhoh3:

Sometimes I wonder how any of us make it home.

Me too!!! Coffee cups half full all over the place.

After working 2 doubles in a row, I made something to eat before going to bed..next morning I was looking for the milk and I finally found it....in the OVEN!!:uhoh21:

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Specializes in EMS, ER, GI, PCU/Telemetry.
I am new to nights doing 12's which turn out to 13-14 becuase understaffing. On my 4th night in a row, I came home and fell asleep against the steering wheel. I was mortified when someone woke me up to make sure I was alive. I am still embarassed but I bet my neighbors thought I was partying all night. Ugh, if they only knew..........lol

god ive done this before! luckily the last time i conked out i was at a red light and my foot didnt come off the brake... a nice lady behind me came and knocked on the window and asked if i was ok. i was so embarrased!

oh and falling asleep sitting on the side of the tub is always fun...

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Specializes in Telemetry/CCU/Home Health.
BTDT, more than once, unfortunately. I can make it home, but it's too much effort to make it to the door. Just a *little* nap ;).

Once when I was getting out of report late, I heard my name over the overhead speaker asking me to call Security. DH had called the unit clerk who looked at the board and seeing only day shift's names up there said that I had already left. DH, afraid I had gotten into an accident on the way home, called Security to make sure my car was still at work. It was (since I was, LOL). I felt a little silly having Security trying to find me (although they never did get around to checking the unit where I actually worked :rolleyes:). DH knows I'm a girl who likes to get her sleep :).

Ditto to both of these, my husband was frantic trying to find me, I have a history of falling asleep at stop lights on the way home....I have taken more than one mini nap at a red light, I have about 20 on my way home from work......

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Specializes in Trauma, Teaching.

I fell asleep driving north on the Golden Gate Bridge, fortunately they have the bumpy ridges along the lanes and sides, woke me back up. 8 miles up the road I fell asleep again, and barely woke up in time to make my turn off the highway. After that, dh refursed to let me drive to work anymore, he drove me both ways, he'd get the babies up, dressed for church if it was Sunday morning, take me home, make sure I got in the house and then go off to preach whereever he was filling in that day.

I fell asleep once while eating toast, woke up to find a bite still in my mouth. Swallowed, put the rest aside and back to sleep.

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Specializes in NICU, Infection Control.

I had a co-worker who worked 3 in a row 12 hr nights, then caught a plane to visit family back east. She woke up a while later w/her head on the man next to her, a big drool mark on his shirt. Thing is, he had fallen asleep w/his head on top of hers. If she got her head away, he'd know about the drool mark. So, she just went back to sleep. Next time she woke up, he was awake, too. The drool mark was dry, she just laughed, apologized, explained about working the night before.

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Specializes in OB.

I'm one of those who gets in trouble shopping if I go afterworking all night. I wish it was just Walmart though! I've bought a pair of suede jeans (I'm in my 50's and was a size 18 at the time - scary!) because they were on sale, I've spent WAAYY too much on jewelry, books and art work. My closest friends for some reason find this really amusing and are known to come get me after a long shift and say "Let's go shopping!". I never have the sense to say no.

I also carry on whole phone conversations in my sleep and awake with only a vague memory of having spoken to someone about something. I've bought magazine subscriptions in my sleep (that shopping thing again!) Apparently I'm really agreeable when sleeping because one of my supervisors discovered this and would call at midday getting me to agree to all kinds of overtime!

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Specializes in Jack of all trades, and still learning.

error, check below

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