What Baffles You?

Nurses General Nursing

Published

Nurses Month 2024 | Discounts & Freebies AORN Celebrates Nurses Month

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.

The bp thing has reminded me of several times that I've had family members question why we don't have certain equipment that doesn't even exist. Like "oh you don't have the oral thermometer that takes their bp at the same time??? I thought everyone has those now."

Sometimes I just stare at them like, "what????"

Where do they get this stuff?

Up Vote Up Vote ×
The bp thing has reminded me of several times that I've had family members question why we don't have certain equipment that doesn't even exist. Like "oh you don't have the oral thermometer that takes their bp at the same time??? I thought everyone has those now."

Sometimes I just stare at them like, "what????"

Where do they get this stuff?

I had a family member who really thought that one wave of those temporal thermometers got a complete set of vitals, temp, BP, pulse, respers and SPO2. She was annoyed we had to wake her husband up when that "little wand dohicky" does everything.

Did she think this was Star Trek or something?

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Neonatal Nurse Practitioner.
I had a family member who really thought that one wave of those temporal thermometers got a complete set of vitals temp, BP, pulse, respers and SPO2. She was annoyed we had to wake her husband up when that "little wand dohicky" does everything. Did she think this was Star Trek or something?[/quote']

I want a little wand dohicky!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Neuro ICU and Med Surg.

I want one too. A lot easier than taking a portable monitor to rapids.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Pediatrics/Developmental Pediatrics/Research/psych.
What baffles me is when obese patients who have been educated on healthy eating habits tell me "I eat like a bird"

Hypothyroidism can cause obesity even if patient isn't eating much. Also, hyper absorption disorders

Of course they also may not know normal portions.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

What Baffles me is.....

You have a patient that is meeting sepsis criteria.... call the doc " So i saw you were thinking meningitis? Bacterial viral? Answer: We have no idea what is wrong with him..... So were thinking meningitis, you order AFB's to rule out TB, start them on Acyclovir for possible Herpes..... here it comes AND THE PATIENT IS ON NO PRECAUTIONS?!?!?!?!?!? HELLLLOOOOOO Thet have just been wheeled around the entire hospital today and exposed how many departments? Not to mention ME???

Turns out said pt was there a month and ID recommended precautions the entire stay..... THAT IS WHAT BAFFLES ME GRRRRRR

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Public Health, L&D, NICU.

I was always baffled by the patients that would come in for scheduled inductions and, despite the frank instruction to, "Take off everything except your socks and put this gown on with the opening in the back" would then leave their underwear on. And act surprised that we wanted them to remove it. I don't know what sort of shenanigans you and your partner get up to, and don't want to know, but I assure you that the OB doesn't want to pull those pretty panties to the side so they can wedge an amnihook in there, nor do they want to stand their awkwardly while you wriggle out of your thong. After a few years of this, my standard line became, "I doubt you got pregnant with them on, you aren't going to get unpregnant that way, either." I get modesty, I really do, but if the baby has a huge deceleration, we don't need to wait for that additional step of removal. I can't always predict the arrival of the OB, either, but they are usually in a hurry. And if a patient ever explained to me that they were terribly uncomfortable, I would do my best to make it better. How about we leave the bra on? And socks? And I would then explain all the reasons that they really did need to come off and stay off. I was truly baffled by the ones that didn't argue modesty, but were honestly confused about why we would even want them to take them off in the first place. Did they honestly think I was going to yank the crotch of their Vicky's Secret specials to the side in order to make room for the baby's exit?

Up Vote Up Vote ×
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.

If you are holding the straw for them they probably have some impairments. This is basic swallowing 101. Some people need to have the straw removed to safely clear their throat. Have you tried pinching the straw to slow the flow to them so they can swallow more effectively?

Some of the griping here reflects more poorly on the nurse's lack of training or education than it does on the patient. But this is universal on open forums like this and for other professions.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in PDN; Burn; Phone triage.

Usually women who come in for pre-planned, voluntary cosmetic procedures who drop bombs like "I have no one to drive me home" or "I have no one to take care of the kids when I get home" as we're getting ready to discharge them.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
If you are holding the straw for them they probably have some impairments. This is basic swallowing 101. Some people need to have the straw removed to safely clear their throat. Have you tried pinching the straw to slow the flow to them so they can swallow more effectively? Some of the griping here reflects more poorly on the nurse's lack of training or education than it does on the patient. But this is universal on open forums like this and for other professions.

Would you mind going through and explaining them all? I think we would all like to learn from our mistakes.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Critical Care; Cardiac; Professional Development.

Nah. It reflects on a challenging profession manned by real human beings who benefit from the stress relief in noting and laughing about the incongruities we sometimes have to deal with. But if you are more comfortable up there on your high horse, by all means, look down.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in PDN; Burn; Phone triage.
If you are holding the straw for them they probably have some impairments. This is basic swallowing 101.

I usually hold the straw for a patient because it's a faster, more stream-lined method of getting my 4-5 floor patients to take their pills. You'd be surprised at how many totally alert and oriented, cognitively intact, otherwise normal adults have trouble juggling a pill cup and a cup of water with a straw in it at the same time? I thought as much was implied with the OP.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Add a Comment