What Baffles You?

R!XTER · Oct 18, 2013

A colleague of mine and I haven been trying to find the Booth out in front of the hospital that "sucks all self motivation" out of people before they enter the hospital. Like; who is in charge at the booth that tells patients " when someone needs to check your blood pressure you no longer have to lift your own arm, we can do all that for you, please don't assist in your own care...""" Ahhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!![/quote']
OMG YES!!!!! I just got off an ER shift doing triage all day and so many people do not lift their arms up!!! They're idly observing me struggle to get the cuff on their flaccid arm until I'm just like "ma'am! Please lift your arm!" Like, who doesn't automatically lift their arm when they know the BP cuff has to get on there?? So frustrating!!

exit96 · Oct 18, 2013

Do you mean obese or overweight when you say "of size"?
If so that's a rather rude statement to imply that because they are they should be able to live off the fat they have for a certain amount of time.

Seriously...yes. Even those who aren't fat, and they is the operative word, fat. We have taken science classes, you can't just die because you missed your bacon...

martymoose, BSN, RN · Oct 18, 2013

Um yes- that is what we are told to say when of bigger size( I guess we can't even say that anymore)

And by the way- I am "of size " also. But I can wait until am and not say "I am starving. "

Sure, when I had my previous surgeries - hmm, 4 in the last few years, I was hungry, but I wasn't "starving" and angry and taking it out on my fellow HCW.

eta- ok, so no official studies have been made for that statement- it does seem anecdotal.

martymoose, BSN, RN · Oct 18, 2013

Do you mean obese or overweight when you say "of size"?
If so that's a rather rude statement to imply that because they are they should be able to live off the fat they have for a certain amount of time.

No, I meant to say that the "of size " people anecdotally seem to have bigger appetites.

Ha, if that was the case, I should be able to forgo eating for about a month :roflmao:

workingharder · Oct 18, 2013

how bout when people are going to have a procedure next day and are NPO after MN, and come am, they are " i HAVE to eat , im dying!!!". Esp. some of those who are of size.

This reminds me of the time I was in preop. After getting a patient changed, documented (including NPO), H&P, IV started, shaved, and ECG in place I'm just getting ready to call in the anesthesiologist to interview the patient, when he asks me if that breakfast he had at Denny's was really a problem. :banghead:

Anna Flaxis, BSN, RN · Oct 18, 2013

When you wrap the BP cuff around their arm and they hold their arm up in the air, and you have to tell them to relax it at their side. They just sit there holding their arm up in the air until you tell them otherwise. It's baffling.

allnurses Guide · Oct 18, 2013

Trip to the ER for *insert emergent condition here* but don't bring a list of home meds with them. Baffles me. Especially when they start freaking out that Mom/Dad/Husband/Wife have not gotten their evening meds. Um.....of course not. We have no idea what they take because you didn't supply us with that information.

pyrazen · Oct 19, 2013

There are those of us, regardless of size, who might feel like we are going to die if we go very long without eating. I won't actually die, but have been known to pass out.

Kunzieo · Oct 19, 2013

Regardless of size, people who ***** and moan about having to be NPO after midnight baffle me in general.

Does one normally eat much after midnight? Most people I know are usually "NPO" from about 2000-0700 every night of their lives.

And as for being NPO during the day-

why bother to complain? You are either here voluntarily for some procedure, or you need a procedure rather urgently for some condition that is causing you distress...and the explanation for NPO is pretty simple- If you eat, you have a greater chance of having serious complications or DYING during your procedure. This is NOT a difficult concept... Yet supposedly intelligent adults whine "Can't I just have a cup of water or some iiiiiice? Pleeeeeease?

Ugh.

Editorial Team / Admin · Oct 19, 2013

Does one normally eat much after midnight? Most people I know are usually "NPO" from about 2000-0700 every night of their lives.

Back when I was working 2nd shift and adhering to my night owl tendencies, I would simply rotate my day by 8 hours: breakfast at 1pm, lunch at 5-6pm, snack when I got home at midnight, and dinner somewhere between 2-3am. Bedtime at 5am, got up at 12:30pm. So yes, for some people it is normal to eat after midnight.

As for what baffles me is people who don't bathe before coming in for elective surgery. Someone coming in after an accident (living in an area with a lot of Amish means a lot of farming accidents) obviously doesn't have a choice, but those coming in with at least a couple days notice really could make the effort.

Ruby Vee, BSN · Oct 20, 2013

Back when I was working 2nd shift and adhering to my night owl tendencies, I would simply rotate my day by 8 hours: breakfast at 1pm, lunch at 5-6pm, snack when I got home at midnight, and dinner somewhere between 2-3am. Bedtime at 5am, got up at 12:30pm. So yes, for some people it is normal to eat after midnight.
As for what baffles me is people who don't bathe before coming in for elective surgery. Someone coming in after an accident (living in an area with a lot of Amish means a lot of farming accidents) obviously doesn't have a choice, but those coming in with at least a couple days notice really could make the effort.

The majority of people aren't night owls. Although I am and often eat after MN as well. You can bet I'm clean when I come in electively, and I don't whine about NPO status either, even after a week!

schnookimz · Oct 21, 2013

When a patient or family member hits the call light to tell me the patient has hiccups. And the hiccups don't matter. At all. And then they ask me if I have anything to make them go away. Yes, just one second, let me get my magic wand.