What Baffles You?

Nurses General Nursing

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 Surgical, quality,management.
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.[/quote']

Hiccups can be a sign of an imminent bowel obstruction.

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Specializes in ICU.

So should anyone with hiccups take a bunch of laxatives or something? Ill pass on that one, myself;)

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Hiccups can be a sign of an imminent bowel obstruction.

None of these patients had a bowel obstruction.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Ortho, ASC.
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.

This. And of course the patients that say "That (antibiotic, anesthesia, BP pill) almost killed me! Don't give me that again!!!"

Me: What's the name of the (antibiotic, anesthesia, BP pill) that almost killed you?

Patient: I don't know. Just don't give it to me again!

A) I didn't give it to you the first time, and

B) how can I NOT give it to you this time if I don't know what it was?

And FYI, telling me "you know, it's that little white pill" is less than helpful.

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Specializes in ER, PACU, Med-Surg, Hospice, LTC.

................................

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or they act like they are queen/king and pretend like they don't know how to hold a cup or lift there head up...then ask you to pull their "blankies" up to their chin when they are fully capable.

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Specializes in LTC, med/surg, hospice.

When patients get annoyed by patient care. Hello..you came to the hospital. Me making rounds, asking you questions, hanging IV fluids or antibiotics is part of the process.

Or worse is family who complains they can't sleep because we keep coming in the room. Stay at home then because you aren't assisting the patient in any way.

New onset of helplessness in previously independent people.

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Specializes in Family Nurse Practitioner.
When patients get annoyed by patient care. Hello..you came to the hospital. Me making rounds asking you questions, hanging IV fluids or antibiotics is part of the process. Or worse is family who complains they can't sleep because we keep coming in the room. Stay at home then because you aren't assisting the patient in any way. New onset of helplessness in previously independent people.[/quote']

^^^^All of the above! You get the gold star for best summary :)

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When patients get annoyed by patient care. Hello..you came to the hospital. Me making rounds asking you questions, hanging IV fluids or antibiotics is part of the process. Or worse is family who complains they can't sleep because we keep coming in the room. Stay at home then because you aren't assisting the patient in any way. New onset of helplessness in previously independent people.[/quote']

This!!!

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Specializes in Acute Care - Adult, Med Surg, Neuro.
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.

These are always the patients that have a 6 page med-list, including insulin, coumadin, cardiac drugs, etc. I know when I ask, "let's review your home medications. do you know the names of them?" the patient will say "I have no idea what medications I take."

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Specializes in PCCN.

" you know, the little round blue one"

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Patients daughter "why the hell do you need to know my moms medical history?"

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