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

[elizabells]

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?

[Poi Dog]

Put my car keys in the fridge.

Locked my keys in the car.

Drove off with my bag on top of the car.

*I should not be allowed anywhere near my car/keys after a long shift*

[becca001]

Okay, I worked 6 12h NOC's in a row, remembered on the way home that I had promised DH on the first workday that I would water the lawn. Turned on the sprinklers and went to bed. Only problem, it had been raining the entire 6 NOCs.

[That Guy, BSN, RN, EMT-B]

got off work, went shooting, ate lunch, drove home (5+ hour drive) met some old friends up, drank our faces off, went back to his place, air hockey tourney THEN passed out. Total of 38 hours up straight. That was stupid but incredibly fun.

[cherrybreeze, ADN, RN]

I fell asleep in the shower once (as a kid). Leaned up against the side, resting my head on my arm (the shower had a shelf about shoulder level). Woke up when my butt hit the floor.

In my defense, I always had the HARDEST time waking up for school. I would hit the snooze button, fall back to sleep, and dream that I had actually gotten up! I would usually be in the middle of eating breakfast in my dream when the alarm went off again and I'd realize that I was still in bed. D'oh.

One day I made breakfast after work. I made scrambled eggs, a batch big enough to have leftovers that I could eat on subsequent mornings (I had some leftover turkey sausage that I sliced in to them, it was REALLY good so I was psyched to have lefties). Well, the next morning, I could not find the eggs ANYWHERE in the fridge...I was stumped. Took quite a while to figure out that I had taken out the tupperware to put the eggs in and then put the container, with the eggs, back in to the cupboard where the tupperware goes. I was mad; I wanted those eggs!

[Stephanita]

I worked my reg. 12 hour shift but was begged to do another back-to-back due to lack of staffing.

By about 5 minutes home from my 30 minute commute, I wondered why my hair and face was wet ... I put the top down on my convertible.

[LouisVRN, RN]

Woke up when my son came into my room to wake my husband up. Frantically started trying to give my husband "report" on my patients and telling him, everything would be okay, he just has to take care of this one patient for me for awhile. Could not understand why he wasn't asking me any questions or wasn't saying anything. Finally he told me to go back to sleep.

Thankfully, I have never fallen asleep on my way home but always stop by McDonalds to get my husband coffee. Could not for the life of me understand why the other week the cashier handed the card back and asked if I had another method of payment. Stared at her dumbfounded as at the time we were buying a house and I had well over 10k in the bank and was trying to buy a $2 cup of coffee...this was until I realized I had handed her my insurance card, LOL. Apparently Aetna does not cover McDonalds.

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

came home, opened the front door where the dog was enthusiastically greeting me, put him on a leash and went off for a walk. came back home with the dog on the leash and realized that a) my husband was home, b) he'd been home all day and c) the dog was soaking wet which meant he'd just been for a swim . . . .dh couldn't figure out what he'd done to make me so angry that i'd come home and, ignoring him, stomped off with the dog.

[RNOTODAY, BSN, RN]

I am pretty good at staying awake..... but when I start verbalizing..."ok, green means go, red means stop",and really have to THINK about it... I know I have worked too many hours....

[ashleyisawesome, BSN, RN]

a couple sundays ago i worked an 11-7, then went straight to class from 8-12.. came home and fell asleep. we had learned about meningitis that day and i had a dream that i was assessing my cat for s/s.. apparently i was checking her fontanel and bending her head forward to check for hip/knee flexion when my boyfriend woke me up and was like "stop it, you're hurting the cat!" lol

[beckster_01, BSN, RN]

A couple weeks ago I decided to run a 5k after drinking a large latte and working a 14 hour shift. Smart...

I also tend to act like I am drunk after working a night shift, so I generally avoid stopping at the grocery store, mall, etc. on the way home

[Poi Dog]

I also tend to act like I am drunk after working a night shift, so I generally avoid stopping at the grocery store, mall, etc. on the way home

I look drunk (red/glassy eyes, red face) after a long shift

[amarilla, RN]

Great thread!

Left the remote in the fridge and the soda on the table.

Fed the dog twice, (she was happy!).

Tried to do laundry after a 16 hour shift...tried and tried to keep my eyes open while everything washed and dried at the laundromat. After finally getting done, putting it all in the car, driving home and collapsing into bed, realized when I woke up that I had left all the towels in the dryer. Oops. Had to use the dog's towels (don't tell DH!) until I replaced them all the next day.

Gas station guy rings up $25 of gas: I hand him what I thought was a twenty and a five. He stands there, hand out, waiting. I'm like, uuumm..??. He says: this isn't enough money. I look in his hand - a ten and a five. Looked in my wallet, not understanding what's happening. He has to remind me that 25-15= $10 left to pay. Oh, yes. Oops. I try not to stop anywhere on the way home now after bad shifts and carry only small bills. (LOL)

I have a 45 minute+ commute but I will stay and sleep in the car in the lot if I've done a back-to-back and am too zonked. Too afraid of that time or two that I've driven home but can't recall the trip.

I stay off the phone too - had a few family birthdays coming up and was trying to stay ahead of them all. Thought it would be a bright idea to call my niece in the am for her birthday after 3 12 hour nocs. Great idea - too bad I was a month early. Her birthday isn't September...it's October. *facepalm. In the meantime, other niece wonders why I didn't call her for the birthday I'd missed the day before. *double facepalm.

Safe travels everyone!