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 LTC.

I'll stop at stop signs and sit there trying to figure out why no one else is waiting for the light to turn green, and are just going. I've done this a few times. Each time it takes a couple of minutes to figure out that I'm at a stop sign and not a stop light.

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Specializes in Med-Surg, ER, Hospice.

A few years ago my husband and I and another couple had been planning on taking a trip to Texas for a fishing tourament. So, I request the time of from work, the powers that be say no (go figure). Anyway I get this bright idea to switch shifts with the other nurses so I can still have my time off, this means I will be working 7 12 hour nights in a row(duh). :smackingf

The day for the tip arrives and the plan goes like this: I will go home get our stuff, hook up the boat and then go get my husband from work. No big deal right. Well I'm just glad he checked "our stuff" before we actually left state.... I hooked up to the wrong boat and didn't even notice. Needless to say I still get ribbed about that.:uhoh3:

Who knew... a pontoon boat doesn't look like a bass boat after 7 12's in a row, at least it was hitched right.:lol2:

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Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
i'll stop at stop signs and sit there trying to figure out why no one else is waiting for the light to turn green, and are just going. i've done this a few times. each time it takes a couple of minutes to figure out that i'm at a stop sign and not a stop light.

i have the opposite problem -- i tend to treat stop lights as if they were four way stop signs. almost got creamed a couple of times!

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bump. And hallarious

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Specializes in RN- Med/surg.
i have the opposite problem -- i tend to treat stop lights as if they were four way stop signs. almost got creamed a couple of times!

lol- i did this the other night- could not figure out why the guy perpendicular to me would not get going rofl....bet the guy behind me wasn't happy!

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After 18 hours, half on med surg and half in ICU, I went home feeling like crap. N/V/D all day at work. I took 50 mg of phenergan and 2 tablets of vicodin. Went to sleep for an hour. Woke up still in alot of pain. I also thought that it was 6 hours later. So I take another 50mg of phenergan, and 2 tabs of vicodin. On top of that, since I thought I wasn't sleeping well I'd add 10mg of ambien. Went back to sleep for another hour. Woke up. Still in pain, now with a headache. Grab benedryl and another ambien and 2 tabs of vicodin. I just wanted to sleep!

I slept for a very long time. I woke up the following day, confused. I call my mom at work and ask her what day it is, and why is it so sunny out in the middle of winter? Mom calls the ambulance, rushes home. I'm confused. I think it's Feburary when it's June. I freak out because I think I have to work and I missed my shift. Finally, I came to the conclusion I took 2 ambien, benedryl, 6 vicodin, and 4 phenergan in the span of 2 hours. EMS takes all the pill bottles with them, they're worried about my bp, sky high. 231/125 on a 24 yo. Given lots of fluids and dr's orders to never ever work more than 12 hours again and the dr did give the note to the supervisor. I was so mentally tired. I'm amazed that I did not cause any damage to my liver. My poor mom thought I was having a stroke - she said my words weren't clear, like I'd been drinking, and she said a jackrabbit couldn't follow my train of thought.

Apparently, I took much more benadryl and vicodin than I thought - I was missing a total of ten vicodin and the prescription was filled that day. I was soooooo incredibly desperate for some sleep.

I am glad you are ok bethin. That could have been bad.

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you know when you're driving, and you can't remember how you got from point a to point b?

i was driving home after a 16 hr shift.

i was a total puddle.

i was sooooo relieved to pull up in front of my house, thinking how long that drive home had been.

when i got out of my car, i realized i had driven to my workplace.

there were several messages on my cell (which had been turned off) from hubby, frantically asking, "where did you go? i saw you pull up in front of the house, and then you took off. where ARE you?????"

I just made my dog bark frantically, I was laughing so hard at that one. So you had driven home, and then drove back to work?

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Specializes in ER, CCU.

I Just Stop At All The Green Lights On The Way Home.

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I Just Stop At All The Green Lights On The Way Home.

I do that sometimes.

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Bump.

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My dog had a corneal scratch and had atropine ointment that had to be applied twice daily. The vet told me to be sure and wash my hands after applying. I came home, put in the ointment, got undressed and fell into bed. When I woke up my vision was blurry and I was having trouble focusing. Ok so I was a little tired, no big deal. Put the coffee on, washed my face and saw this huge blown pupil on the right side. I was thinking WTH did I have a brain bleed? Then I remembered the atropine ointment...I must have rubbed my eye when I was sleeping. Do you know it took almost 3 days for my pupil to go back to normal. I called the vet and told him what I'd done, he assured me no worries, but I'd just have to let it wear off. I had to work for the next 3 days with a blown pupil, felt like an absolute idiot.

The other one was at work. A group of us were on our 3rd 12h night shift.

Someone had brought in a Gary Larson book of comics. There was this one where the OB MD is holding a just born baby and saying to the parents, "and as I cut the cord, a new life begins" He cuts the cord and the baby shoots around the delivery room like an inflated balloon will when you let it go. The way it was drawn the baby looked like all but the head was deflating and the parents nurse and MD were watching with these dumbfounded expressions. We started laughing and couldn't stop, we had to be quiet which made it funnier, tears were rolling down our faces. One nurse had a horrible cold with respiratory involvement. She couldn't breathe. An RT stopped and gave her a breathing treatment. Which of course just made us laugh more.

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Silliest thing after a long shift? Stayed for another one.....:down:

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