Stories from the Edge (of sanity)

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Situation- guy's in the ED bed being treated for vomiting (emergent vomiting apparently) and his wife is at bedside- He starts throwing up and his wife (who is standing next to the big pink vomit catching device) YELLS to us at the nurse's station- "Aren't you going to DO something?! He's throwing up!" (And yes, he had been treated/medicated). Apparently the act of vomiting is an emergency in and of itself and the average spouse just isn't capable of say, I don't know, handing her husband the emesis basin.

*whew* sorry about the rant, but she had a really effective evil eye and I just had to get it off my chest. Maybe I was just stressed today because of the 50 PEOPLE WAITING today when I came on shift, and not an emergency in the bunch...nah, I love this job :D

Feel free to share your humorous/strange stories here (in a general, HIPPA-friendly way of course)- It would make for entertaining reading, I'm sure :roll

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How about 'Well maam, what do you do at home when you're alone with him?":confused: or "Pass him that pink pan...quick! :chuckle

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I just thank God he was in our ER when it happened so we could, once again, save a life. :chuckle

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:roll :roll :roll

I couldn't help but to laugh at this one. I frequently think the same things.. 'uhm.. and what would you do at home if you didn't have us to wait on you hand and foot? Well.. then do it!!' AHHHHHHHH!!! Don't get me wrong, I love my patients and it's not that I mind doing it or helping out.. just that it gets frustrating when you are extremely busy and are having to do the piddley stuff that is so obvious that you want to scream.

Rachael

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I've just got two things to say on this:

1. If it weren't for cigarretes, ETOH and (as is here) STUPID PEOPLE we'd all be outa work!:D

and

2> See my signature line.:p

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Specializes in ICU, CM, Geriatrics, Management.

Maybe it'd be a good idea to eliminate peoples' excuses ahead of time.

Let's let 'em know when they come in the room, that if their hubby (or whatever) starts puking, to please hand them the basin.

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Specializes in Emergency Room/corrections.

:chuckle there IS something about the idea of whatever you ate for dinner returning unexpectedly, LOLOL What is it about vomiting that totally freaks out the average person??

Friday night, we had a 27 yr old male, admitted for the flu, (holding in the ER as usual) and his mommy had to call and talk to the RN about his "emergent condition", he was unable to tell her how he felt. :rolleyes: He was able to walk to the bathroom, I am surprised.

Tonight, we will be seeing our regular group of "emergent" sore throats, headaches, back aches and extremity pain (AFTER they have all been out running around all day) .... tomorrow is a work day and those notes from the Dr to take a day off of work are very necessary....

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Along the same lines.....

Patient holding the "puke pan"......family runs out of room to nurses station, screaming "he's gonna puke!!" My response...."so puke". :confused:

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:chuckle :roll :chuckle

I had a pt's family member come running out of the room, flag me down in the hall and say "He said he feels really hot. Do something!" I go in there and there are 4 other family members standing around the bed staring at him like he's about to die, saying "Do something, he says he feels really warm!" I look and he's got 5 blankets piled on top of him (not to mention the heater was turned on high and it already felt like it was 90 degrees in that room!). I pulled off 4 blankets, checked on him 2 minutes later and he said he felt so much better. I guess it takes a college education to figure out that having 5 blankets on you makes you feel really really warm!:rolleyes:

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or when parents bring in a kid w/ a 104 temp and you undress them, administer meds....and they redress and cover them back up...."but their cold...." - yeah, it will help bring the temp down....sometimes i feel like saying "by all means, encourage that seizure..."

once, we were really busy... >20 holds, >45 in the waiting area (this was the worse hospital i ever worked at by the way) and i had a 20 some year old woman break through the locked ED doors yelling, I can't wait any longer, I have thrown up 4 times....by this time i was rather peeved...i promptly told her that it is pretty rare to die from puking so to get her butt back outside....of course then i was called a few choice names, but it was so worth it...

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Originally posted by Mushu

I just thank God he was in our ER when it happened so we could, once again, save a life. :chuckle

lol:chuckle

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I think sometimes people are just so tired of watching or hearing their loved one puke, poop, pee, etc, that they freak out...sigh. Sometimes I wish we could give everyone 1 mg of ativan after they are triaged (patient, family, nurse, doctor)...:)

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