Things that make you go hmmm....

Nurses General Nursing

Published

I saw a weird combination of objects at work last night, and it made me wonder. What are some of the oddest combinations of objects you've seen that could really only happen in a healthcare setting?

Mine was a book of Rodin sculptures propped up on a bedside commode. :wacky:

Cockroaches in the folds of a panniculus.

Meth pipe snuggled in the crack of a dude's butt, just behind his junk.

Loaded 9mm underneath a patient on a hold for being a danger to themselves or others.

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Specializes in LTC, assisted living, med-surg, psych.

AA&O gentleman, sitting up in bed at 0330 rolling his BM into little balls and lining them up on his bedside table. When asked why, he said, "Why not?"

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Specializes in hospice.

Alert and oriented clearly doesn't equal sane. :eek:

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Specializes in Emergency/Cath Lab.

Searching the possessions of an homicidal/suicidal when first coming to the ER. Cigarettes, ok. Bottle of vodka, normal. Meth pipe freshly used..ugh. 12" bowie knife...um. 12 other knives....a fork welded to a knife.....and a barbie doll. It was like a magicians bag. New surprise each time.

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Specializes in Medical Oncology, Alzheimer/dementia.

MD order for an "adult toy" for a 78 yo. female non-ambulatory, total care nursing home resident. I understand, we got MD orders for a nightly glass of wine or can of beer, whatever it takes to relax. I wasn't judging...but I also wasn't going to have anything to do with the upkeep of it.

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Specializes in Pediatrics, Emergency, Trauma.
Resident drinking from his urinal

another resident washing out her dirty diaper in the sink..... just gross

This reminds me of the bariatric pt who had Apple juice in his urinal but would pee in the apple juice bottle. :eek:

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Specializes in Geriatrics, Dialysis.
Searching the possessions of an homicidal/suicidal when first coming to the ER. Cigarettes, ok. Bottle of vodka, normal. Meth pipe freshly used..ugh. 12" bowie knife...um. 12 other knives....a fork welded to a knife.....and a barbie doll. It was like a magicians bag. New surprise each time.

This should have come with snort warning! I lost it at Barbie doll...WTH???

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Specializes in Emergency/Cath Lab.
This should have come with snort warning! I lost it at Barbie doll...WTH???

Just when you think you have it figured out, someone comes along and changes the game all over again. Love the ER for this reason.

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A kid who was neurologically appropriate for age who used a paci and was *way* too old for it, by at least a decade.

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Specializes in Emergency/Trauma/Critical Care Nursing.

Buffalo chicken wings in the lady parts of a pregnant psych patient who just wanted "to feed her baby" lol.

Viva, I don't know where you work but I need to be there, you've got the best stories so far haha!

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Specializes in hospice.

Ow ow ow....capsaicin in the lady parts

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Specializes in LTC, assisted living, med-surg, psych.

Oh yeah, and there's the tale of three kittens and a mama cat stashed in the closet of my asthma patient's hospital room. The family had snuck them in to visit and apparently hidden them in the closet as I was making my rounds. Of course, cats do not like being shut up in a cramped space unless it's their idea, and no sooner had I walked into the room to give my patient her nebulizer treatment than they came tumbling out. One kitten escaped and another one scrambled up my leg as I was trying to catch its sibling; luckily one of my co-workers intercepted it and we got them all contained quickly.

I swear, this was one of those things that could only happen to me. I was very direct with that patient's family and made them pack up the kitties to take them home. But it also struck me funny, and we all wound up having a good laugh over it. :)

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