Stupid Allergies

Me: "Do you have any medication allergies or is there anything that you can't take?"

Pt: "I'm allergic to insulin."

Me: "What happens when you take it?"

Pt: "It drops my blood sugar."

Me: Thinking...(oh geez mister do we need to do some education or what?)

Had a patient the other day, mid 50's female. She told our triage nurse that she was allergic to Codeine, as it caused rash, and "Cocaine, it makes me slutty." Yes, we documented it, and got a much needed laugh.:chuckle

had a pt not allergic but "afraid " of choclate ice creme....

I got this one last week...so funny.

Me: "Do you have any medication allergies"

Pt: "Yes, I'm allergic to potassium".

Me: "Oh you mean you had a bad reaction to a potassium IV? Did the IV site itch or did you have pain at the site"

Pt: "No, I'm allergic to all potassium, even the kind in fruit".

Me: "....."

Speechless.

orr....

Pt: "I'm allergic to aspirin"

Me: "You take an aspirin everyday at home..."

Pt: "Yeah, but I'm allergic".

Me: "...."

Hot Dogs!

I know this has been a thread before, but I had some good ones today:

Pt's actual list of allergies:

ice cream( not lactose) just ice cream

Les Schwab Tire Store-sneezing

Shoe Stores( no specified store)

candles- not the wax just the smelly part

hahah

all I entered: environmental allergies- sesitivity to smells

Had any other good ones lately?

Now, I find the tire store (and possibly shoe store) symptoms really interesting and possibly relevant. Does it indicate the patient could be allergic to rubber or latex? Maybe.

Allergic to oral Dilaudid, but not the IV form. Or, allergic to 2mg IV Dilaudid but not allergic to 4mg dose of IV Dilaudid.

Now, I find the tire store (and possibly shoe store) symptoms really interesting and possibly relevant. Does it indicate the patient could be allergic to rubber or latex? Maybe.

I was thinking the same.

Not a patient, but a newly-hired CNA:

CNA: "I have to use latex gloves. I can't use vinyl."

Me: "Why? Do you not like vinyl gloves? Do they not fit you well?"

CNA: "My doctor told me I have to use latex gloves."

Me: "Are you sure that's what your doctor told you?"

CNA: "Yeah. He says I have to have latex gloves. Lots of people are becoming allergic to vinyl, and I could stop breathing."

Me: "You're sure that's what he told you?"

CNA: "Don't you know anything?"

I was going to ask if the doctor has specified powdered or unpowdered latex gloves, but thought better of it in the end ::wink2:

Most people don't know the difference between a simple preference and general irritation versus a true allergy.

Years ago, when I used to work in restaurants as a general manager, I had this woman to tell one of my staff that she wanted to know for a fact (and for the staff to check the label) if any of our products contained MSG because she had a "severe allergic reaction".

My staff member came to tell me that the boxes that the food were in, did not list the ingredients...which they do not have to, under Federal guidelines because they are not for consumer purchase.

I went out to talk to the woman, explained the problem, and her friend, who was a nurse, said, "Well, go ahead and just order and you can send them the medical bill if you get sick."...they laughed.

Well, she wasn't laughing when I told her that I would be unable to serve her ANYTHING because if she had that serious of an allergic reaction, and because I couldn't guarantee which products had MSG, which ones didn't (I knew that some of them did) and we had no control over cross-contamination for MSG.

When she found out she wasn't going to get lunch, she had to confess that it wasn't even an allergy...just a preference.

I also watched her turn 3 shades of crimson.

Not a patient, but a newly-hired CNA:

CNA: "I have to use latex gloves. I can't use vinyl."

Me: "Why? Do you not like vinyl gloves? Do they not fit you well?"

CNA: "My doctor told me I have to use latex gloves."

Me: "Are you sure that's what your doctor told you?"

CNA: "Yeah. He says I have to have latex gloves. Lots of people are becoming allergic to vinyl, and I could stop breathing."

Me: "You're sure that's what he told you?"

CNA: "Don't you know anything?"

I was going to ask if the doctor has specified powdered or unpowdered latex gloves, but thought better of it in the end ::wink2:

I had the occupational health nurse at the nursing home I used to work at switch me to nonpowdered latex gloves, when I started breaking out from the powdered ones we used (obviously this was several years ago). She said I was "probably allergic to the powder." How much worse do you think my hands got when they'd sweat more in the non-powdered ones? Any pictures of me from that time period that showed my hands, you could see the "glove line," white skin on my arms and RED RED hands....swollen to beat the band, too. OUCH. I thought they'd never recover; I was using waterproof tape to tape the cracked skin shut on my knuckles, I looked like a football player.

Most people don't know the difference between a simple preference and general irritation versus a true allergy.

Years ago, when I used to work in restaurants as a general manager, I had this woman to tell one of my staff that she wanted to know for a fact (and for the staff to check the label) if any of our products contained MSG because she had a "severe allergic reaction".

My staff member came to tell me that the boxes that the food were in, did not list the ingredients...which they do not have to, under Federal guidelines because they are not for consumer purchase.

I went out to talk to the woman, explained the problem, and her friend, who was a nurse, said, "Well, go ahead and just order and you can send them the medical bill if you get sick."...they laughed.

Well, she wasn't laughing when I told her that I would be unable to serve her ANYTHING because if she had that serious of an allergic reaction, and because I couldn't guarantee which products had MSG, which ones didn't (I knew that some of them did) and we had no control over cross-contamination for MSG.

When she found out she wasn't going to get lunch, she had to confess that it wasn't even an allergy...just a preference.

I also watched her turn 3 shades of crimson.

For some reason, I love this!

I'm allergic to onions (yes, a true allergy, to the tune of 125mg of Solu-Medrol in my heinie, and a 10 day Prednisone taper last time I got ahold of any) and whenever I eat out, I request no onions on my food. Cross-contamination is possible, that's why God made Epi-Pens, and to date, I have not had to use it. I don't throw a hissy if my food comes out with onions, I'm polite if I can not eat around them and have to ask for another dish. My hubby usually gets mad, though, he's seen what can happen.

If I even run a raw onion over my hand, I get hives where it touches. Anybody else do this?