What Baffles You?

Published

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 ED; Med Surg.
oh I never got them filled, cant afford them

Word.

I had a patient the other day who "couldn't afford" his psych or GERD meds. Finally got admitted, and during my assessment I noticed that he had 2 sleeves of beautiful tattoos on his arms and his legs. He also had an interesting tongue "modification". He sure could afford those items. Makes me crazy.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Word. I had a patient the other day who "couldn't afford" his psych or GERD meds. Finally got admitted and during my assessment I noticed that he had 2 sleeves of beautiful tattoos on his arms and his legs. He also had an interesting tongue "modification". He sure could afford those items. Makes me crazy.[/quote']

I have a beautiful full sleeve. But I don't pay for tattoos. I am friends with an amazing artist. You never know what the case may be.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Pediatrics/Developmental Pediatrics/Research/psych.
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?

My concern with this is that they may think that this is true because unfortunately people may only take temp and make up the other values or only take manual bp...

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Nephrology, Dialysis, Plasmapheresis.

I once was shadowing in the ER, my one and only day there... AND...20 something year old girl came in BY AMBULANCE, describing some abdominal pain. When we tried to get her into a gown, she refused because she was "on the rag". We then asked if she ever got menstrual cramps. She said yes she did and wanted pain meds and a doctor's note to get out of work for today and next couple days. Refused all other care.

WHAT!!!!!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Acute Care - Adult, Med Surg, Neuro.
Why the ED tells the pt they can eat as soon as they get up to the floor..

No you can't. You can eat when the doc comes to see you and says you aren't going to be NPO

Sorry the ED lied to you..

This is so true. To my fellow PACU and ED nurses, you guys rock. I would never want your job. But someone in your department is telling my patients that we'll have a hot meal and a fountain of Dilaudid awaiting their arrival on the floor. I need to do my necessary assessments and tasks, await the doctor to come to see the patient, wait for pharmacy to review and/or deliver the medications / kitchen to deliver the tray, it may be hours. Usually I can get you pain medication within the first 30 minutes, but the rest can be a long time.

I just wanted to add that more often than not that someone is the DOCTOR! "Oh my doctor said I could have pain medication as soon as I got to my room." Err, not quite.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
My concern with this is that they may think that this is true because unfortunately people may only take temp and make up the other values or only take manual bp...

Out of curiosity, what's wrong with someone only doing manual blood pressures? They're way more accurate than the automatic cuff.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Out of curiosity, what's wrong with someone only doing manual blood pressures? They're way more accurate than the automatic cuff.

I think they are saying that if the pt or the pt's family sees the nurse or tech only stick a thermometer in a pt's ear, but yet they miraculously can pronounce a full set of vitals, then that is suspect and that may be why pts or families can think there is "this thingy" that does everything.

Or they took a manual BP only and amazingly can tell you a temp or or O2 sat... am I making sense?

That's how I interpreted that because I was thinking this myself.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Pediatrics/Developmental Pediatrics/Research/psych.

I think they are saying that if the pt or the pt's family sees the nurse or tech only stick a thermometer in a pt's ear, but yet they miraculously can pronounce a full set of vitals, then that is suspect and that may be why pts or families can think there is "this thingy" that does everything.

Or they took a manual BP only and amazingly can tell you a temp or or O2 sat... am I making sense?

That's how I interpreted that because I was thinking this myself.

This is exactly what I meant. I have seen this on a few occasions.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Out of curiosity what's wrong with someone only doing manual blood pressures? They're way more accurate than the automatic cuff.[/quote']

Actually I was given a study at a skills day for work that said the opposite. The study proved the automatic cuffs are much more accurate and our employer advised we use them whenever possible.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Actually I was given a study at a skills day for work that said the opposite. The study proved the automatic cuffs are much more accurate and our employer advised we use them whenever possible.

Really? I'm surprised they would tell you that.

Provided you're using proper technique, it would seem to me that manual BPs are more reliable. Whenever I get an out of range BP on the vitals machine, the first thing I do is recheck manually, and the manual BP is the one I report to the RN/doctor/whoever.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in ICU.

Really? I'm surprised they would tell you that.

Provided you're using proper technique, it would seem to me that manual BPs are more reliable. Whenever I get an out of range BP on the vitals machine, the first thing I do is recheck manually, and the manual BP is the one I report to the RN/doctor/whoever.

Same- I don't see HOW an automatic cuff could be more accurate, as long as you're doing it right.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Cardiac step-down, PICC/Midline insertion.

Patients who bring their own medications to the hospital and then take them. Then sit there and stare at you like you're crazy when you come in with a cup full of meds. They have no idea what they took because it came out of a weekly pill box....so you get to figure out if they took meds that the doctor has stopped, changed dosages on, etc. And they still want to argue with you about why they can't take their own meds. SMH....

The pt that peed in their water jug instead of using the call light to be taken to the bathroom. Still scratching my head on that one. Alert and oriented by the way...

Family of 90 yr old, completely demented, bed bound pt with terminal illness, bed sores, bowel/bladder incontinence, peg tube, etc, insists that pt remain full code and everything possible continue to be done.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion