What Baffles You?

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So I have come across this a few times. I am holding a straw to a persons lips and they drink and drink and drink and pretty soon they are waving their hands for me to stop. Stop what?! You don't have to keep sucking on the straw just because it is in your mouth. I think the universal sign of I'm done please remove the straw should be to stop sucking on it and open your mouth! I have had a few people have to catch their breath and make comments about me giving them too much! What? I don't get it.

Specializes in Critical Care.

family members who stay with their sick elderly mom in the hospital for two days and half jokingly say " yeah I'm basically a nurse now! yuk yuk yukkkk"

maybe its a chip on my shoulder but that is called being a good daughter, not a registered nurse.

and this is a new one for me but I'm noticing a trend: something silly happens like en route to the commode a periph iv comes out. the family member freaks out, trying to do detective work on how the could of happened, clinical repercussions, deny it, try to remember the last time it was in and overall make a scene. I played along to her anxiety for a minute or so but then I had to say "REALLY ma'am, its fine. all I have to do is literally put another in."

she then stood over me while I was palpating his veins and was giving her husband a step by step update of what I was doing before I even stuck him. I told her honestly she was making me nervous and I'd like to do it in one fall swoop so ummmm if shed like, our charge just made fresh coffee down the hall!!! hint lol

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This is a great thread.

Regarding women who don't shower before coming in to have a baby - I get it if everything starts happening quickly and you've got to get to the hospital. But I've had women come in for scheduled inductions or cesareans who haven't showered/bathed for days. Their feet are filthy and cracked. Then you do a vag exam and . . . . well, you get it. :wacky:

I don't get so hungry that I feel faint so I don't get the anxiety about being NPO for 12 hours either. Regardless of the shift you work, you sleep for awhile and then you "break your fast" or eat "breakfast". While you sleep, you are fasting.

What's funny to me is my own grandmother would complain about blood tests - "They took so much blood I felt faint". Yeah, two tubes of blood grandma will really make you feel faint. Probably more to do with just getting a blood test.

I was teaching some students how to draw blood and do BG checks. One student passed out seeing that little tiny drop of blood from the finger stick.

People are squeamish about body fluids too. My daughter-in-law is worried about when her baby is born will the nurses clean off all the vernix and blood and stuff before they put the baby on her chest? I told her she could certainly ask that - many of us would like to get a good look at baby, clean baby up, wrap baby in a warm blanket first anyway. ;) I also said, after all the effort to get that baby out, you may not care about any of the body fluid stuff; you'll just want to see that baby! :inlove:

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Specializes in Gerontology.

Equipment with the best working brakes: Med cart, dynamap,

Equipment with brakes that may or may not work: beds, wheelchairs.

Equipment with brakes that almost go never work correctly: commodes.

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Specializes in Medsurg/ICU, Mental Health, Home Health.
Equipment with the best working brakes: Med cart, dynamap

CODE CART!

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Specializes in ICU.

CODE CART!

Hahaha TRUTH! And the rapid response cart...not so rapid with those damn brakes!!!

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Academics.

Why, after I've carefully reviewed each of the 20 meds with the patient, and I've finally opened them all and put them in the cup, the patient asks me, "What's that little white one?" AAARRRRGGGHHH!

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Specializes in Cardiac step-down, PICC/Midline insertion.
Why, after I've carefully reviewed each of the 20 meds with the patient, and I've finally opened them all and put them in the cup, the patient asks me, "What's that little white one?" AAARRRRGGGHHH!

This!!! And then they decide they don't want one of them so you have to figure out which one is what, which usually means a trip back to the Pyxis...

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Why after I've carefully reviewed each of the 20 meds with the patient, and I've finally opened them all and put them in the cup, the patient asks me, "What's that little white one?" AAARRRRGGGHHH![/quote']

Yes! Lol

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Specializes in Respiratory Education.
The overweight patient saying they "eat like a bird" may very well be true (though they don't realize it) as many birds, hummingbirds for example, consume 2/3 of their body weight in food daily.

However there is a percentage of the overweight population that may have an altered metabolism from poor food choices or certain medications (prednisone and antipsychotics for example) that may eat 1200-1500 calories/daily yet still don't lose weight.

You would be shocked at the number of malnourished overweight people (and even average weight) who aren't getting the recommended nutrients to sustain life.

Unfortunately, "eating like a bird" is just the start. It's the interest I am hoping to see. I educate them about avoiding the 5 whites and that's the answer I get.

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Specializes in Complex pedi to LTC/SA & now a manager.

There is the part of the population that is naive by choice. What, sugar & salt isn't a food group? Raisinets aren't a good fruit choice?

I remember the diabetic that really liked sweets and had this elaborate plan of how to adjust insulin to accommodate high sweets intake but little healthy choices including protein & vegetables. And was baffled as to why their labs indicated malnutrition. Actually thought insulin worked like a diet drug....but wasn't reducing their rotund belly.

I know some that decide if no one sees them eat it doesn't count....yet couldn't understand why the scale went up and not down and their A1C was out of control.

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Specializes in Public Health, L&D, NICU.
There is the part of the population that is naive by choice. What, sugar & salt isn't a food group? Raisinets aren't a good fruit choice?

I remember the diabetic that really liked sweets and had this elaborate plan of how to adjust insulin to accommodate high sweets intake but little healthy choices including protein & vegetables. And was baffled as to why their labs indicated malnutrition. Actually thought insulin worked like a diet drug....but wasn't reducing their rotund belly.

I know some that decide if no one sees them eat it doesn't count....yet couldn't understand why the scale went up and not down and their A1C was out of control.

I had an elderly relative who was on oral diabetes meds, and would double them and then drink a few beers. And was routinely surprised when his blood sugar was elevated.:sarcastic:

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Specializes in Emergency Department; Neonatal ICU.
CODE CART!

In our ED, two of our crash carts (one ped and one adult) are in front of the main nurses station. I was walking out a family who had their severely autistic teenager with them. He stopped at the crash carts and systematically pushed all the brakes down in the lock position. I smiled, thanked him for taking care of that, and walked them out. Then, I beelined back to the carts to unlock them :)

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