Got to thinking about this one today, and was reminded of it when I read another thread on here...what's teh dumbest thing you've ever heard in nursing, as an explanation for a malady?
For example, the one that sticks out for me is one that I heard as a new nurse, many moons ago. I was doing an assessment on a patient, and a family member of said patient had her sone with her, who was profoundly mentally and physically handicapped. Of course, I would have never presumed to ask the nature of his complaint, but she was only too happy to volunteer it.
"When he was born, the nurse in the room had long fingernails and she scratched his head. That's why he's like this. It's all her fault. We tried to sue her, but the judge threw out the case."
I was stunned, to say the least, and didn't challenge it as hogwash outright, but I did ask,
"Did she puncture his scalp with her nails?"
"No, she just scratched him on the head. It didn't show, but she did it."
You can bet money I was VERY thorough with that assessment. Heaven forbid the lady get staph or some other dread condition because my hair or eyelashes were too long.
Anyone else ever heard a completely absurd reasoning for someone's ailments?
dumbest thing I ever heard was when I was in the third grade, walking to school behind a group of eighth-grade girls: when you got married you had to let a guy put his "thing" in your "pee-hole". NNOOOOO WWAAAAYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ROFL..... this day has been a major roller coaster--- This is a great thread for bad days !!
I once took care of child with severe hydrocephalus, and severe mental retardation, and I believe he was missing part of his brain as well. His mother asked the Dr if he could have a brain transplant. I felt so bad for this poor woman, all she wanted was for her son to get better. Sad situtation.....
NiceNurse LPN
That is so sad. I have heard that we have had that question in our ICU too.
Had a PCT (one trained and certified even) tell me that "it's going to be nice to have all the blood from her period go into the catheter bag so we don't have to clean it up" upon hearing that a patient was getting a Foley. I had to explain about the two different holes....she had no idea! And this was a person that was technically technically allowed to insert catheters! So scary!
That is so sad. I have heard that we have had that question in our ICU too.
As hard to believe as it is, that must be a relatively common belief or I should say question asked. I have heard that question asked more than once in our PICU when we had a child who was brain dead from a drowning. Maybe it's just part of denial on the parents part in a time of exteme grief. It was asked by parents whom you would not normally have expected to hear that from. Grasping at straws or hoping against hope maybe, in moments of extreme stress.
A social worker careplanned on a quad. patient & his needs for sexual gratification...she expected nursing to perform oral sex on him! That is one dumb thing I'll never forget!
I live right on the Mexican border, so most (99%) of my residents were born and raised in Mexico. It must be a cultural thing, but I have heard more people say they "caught diabetes" from a "susto" (fright). I had a lady explain it to me once-apparently if you get really scared you get diabetes! I guess it has nothing to do with the crazy high obesity rate?
Yep! A lot of Mexican-Americans use folk medicine to explain and sometimes cure ailments. It's really interesting. My husband had to do a project in nursing school about a cultural group, and his group was Mexican-Americans. I read all the articles. (:
Had a PCT (one trained and certified even) tell me that "it's going to be nice to have all the blood from her period go into the catheter bag so we don't have to clean it up" upon hearing that a patient was getting a Foley. I had to explain about the two different holes....she had no idea! And this was a person that was technically technically allowed to insert catheters! So scary!
OK, Now I am offically SPEECHLESS!!!!:eek::eek:
did she not listen in class?...really, I am at a loss for words....
Not only do I not think this was a dumb question, I think it's cruel for you to be making fun of it. For crying out loud, the man was probably in shock over what was going on. Attitudes like this only contribute to people being reluctant to donate.
I am not making fun of anything. I am purely shocked after this man was talked to at great length for days and days before this that he asked me that. I had never had a donor family ask me that before so I was truly flabberghasted. I answered him honestly and had the donation corrdinator and the doctor talk to him.
I guess I posted it because after he was talked at the great lengths for days and signed consent to donate that a truly not totally "informed consent" was obtained.
I guess the title of this thread isn't the best place to have posted this, but no making fun of him at all.
I am not making fun of anything. I am purely shocked after this man was talked to at great length for days and days before this that he asked me that. I had never had a donor family ask me that before so I was truly flabberghasted. I answered him honestly and had the donation corrdinator and the doctor talk to him.
I guess I posted it because after he was talked at the great lengths for days and signed consent to donate that a truly not totally "informed consent" was obtained.
I guess the title of this thread isn't the best place to have posted this, but no making fun of him at all.
i see what you are saying. but you have to think in the average person's eyes they are not aware that brain damage is not reversible. I didn't know that until i was in nursing school.
However; i agree with you that he should have not signed consent form if he at all thought his mom(?) could get better. It is a totally legit question for the average person, but if he at all thought it could be reversed he needed to ask that before signing consent form.
Knew a woman once that couldn't understand why a female coworker was complaining about a kidney stone. I said, "Well they really hurt!" Her response, "Well they hurt for men, but in women they come out a bigger hole. If a baby can come out, surely a stone can come out!"
Knew a woman once that couldn't understand why a female coworker was complaining about a kidney stone. I said, "Well they really hurt!" Her response, "Well they hurt for men, but in women they come out a bigger hole. If a baby can come out, surely a stone can come out!"
xtxrn, ASN, RN
4,267 Posts
ROFL..... this day has been a major roller coaster--- This is a great thread for bad days !!