What the Heck Moments!

[~Mi Vida Loca~RN]

Not sure how to title this appropriately for what I am asking for so I will try to explain, since we have threads for Pet Peeves, Worst Patient, Worst CoWorker etc. etc. I wanted to ask about one. One we have probably all been guilty of at one point or another but what are some of the most off the wall medical things you have heard of that made you give that :stone:stone look and say WTH???

I had a friend that was a heavy drinker, he was 19 and had a family that were all drinkers as well. We got to talking once and he mentioned that he knew his drinking bothered me. I told him that what worries me the worst is how young he is and how much harm that he is doing to his body. He didn't ever drink and drive, manly stayed at home and would go through an 18 pack of been in one night. I was telling him once his liver starts going down hill he isn't going to be able to reverse that. (this was before I ever even thought of being a nurse, I was just a concerned friend and had another friend that lost her mother to liver failure from drinking and her mom was like 35 when she died)

So my friend kind of smiled and says "Well don't worry, I guess it's a good thing I have 2 livers, if one fails I have a back up"

:stone :stone

He was not kidding.

[CaseManager1947]

I don't know if this fits here... but I had to laugh AFTER the procedure, out of the patient's presence. Pt. lying on OR table to get a mediastinoscopy. Dr. comes in, and reassuringly tells pt. "This procedure carries some risk, etc and so forth. He closes his little speech with " One out of a hundred have complications or die with this, but just to let you know, I've done 99 good ones!" WTH.... I'd a been so outa there. I still chuckle about that one some 30 years later.

[~Mi Vida Loca~RN, ASN, RN]

I don't know if this fits here... but I had to laugh AFTER the procedure, out of the patient's presence. Pt. lying on OR table to get a mediastinoscopy. Dr. comes in, and reassuringly tells pt. "This procedure carries some risk, etc and so forth. He closes his little speech with " One out of a hundred have complications or die with this, but just to let you know, I've done 99 good ones!" WTH.... I'd a been so outa there. I still chuckle about that one some 30 years later.

OH my goodness!!!! That poor Pt. my first surgery I had was at the Naval Hospital and I was 18 and very nervous and stuff, and they came to start my IV and they were doing the numbing sticks first which I rather not have, but anyway, so 2 sticks and IV one is a negative, they have someone else try *I am a hard stick* 2 more sticks and IV 2 is a negative, so person 3 comes in and tries, again, it's a no go. So they give up and wait for the Anesthesiologist to come and finally 2 more sticks and we have an IV running. So one of the guys I am sure trying to lighten the mood says "well you know how we roll at the Naval Hospital" I burst into tears and he felt so bad, I mean normally I can take a joke but I was already a ball of nerves and I was thinking, these people can't even do an IV and they are about to cut me open!!!

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

did you pass an ng tube or a feeding tube? you don't need an x-ray to confirm placement on an ng tube -- just auscultation with an air bolus will document placement. feeding tubes, however, usually have a radio-opaque tip and for those we get an x-ray. so maybe your manager wasn't as crazy as you thought.

[johnst10]

I worked for a pain mgmt doc who Loved to give lengthy explanations to patients. Doc left and the pt said to me, "let me get this straight, he's going to put a tube up my rectum" --- intrafecal vs intrathecal. I just smiled and went to teaching mode. Later I told the doc and we had a good laugh.

[ERRN92]

Had a pt come to the er triage desk...had on overalls and covered in paint. He was a sweet old man grinning from ear to ear and said he had a problem. His hand was wrapped in a towel. He pulls his index finger (that he had accidentally cut off with a HANDSAW) out of his pocket and politely and calmly asks if I thought we could sew it back on for him. How do you cut off an appendage with a handsaw?It couldnt have just taken one swipe with the blade!! He was toooo cute.