What was the MOST ridiculous thing a patient came to the ER for?

And did you have to treat them?

I am just curious. Your stories always seem to either crack me up or shake my head in amazement.

Thanks for sharing ?

:chuckle

lmao:rotfl: :chuckle

How about my rich crazy lady who came to the ER in a LIMOSINE!!!! Then up on the floor, she stole oil paintings off the wall by the gift shop..........everyone in the hospital says "Oh, yeah, I heard about that pt." Good news travels fast!!!! LOL

Specializes in Emergency!.

How about this one..

A lady who knew she was allergic to cats, had been for quite some time. Came into the ED because she had bought a new kitten and had also bought hypoallergenic shampoo for her kitten to bathe it in, because she thought that it would make her not allergic to the cat anymore. Needless to say it was for the cat not her. So she came in with an allergic reaction to her cat.

Another one recently, a gentleman walked in with at the same time as two other people with "severe pain" (he was sitting there joking, and talking etc) One pt who came after him was taken back right away because she was sating at 70%!!! Not cyanotic, not visibly SOB. Anyway, he had waited for about a half hour or so after being triaged, which had been like 15 minutes after he walked in the door. It was 0500. He left and told me that he was going to get some fresh air. He actually left, called his doctor and had him call the ED so that we would see him "right away" for his severe pain, for a condition he was already in the process of getting seen for. He was gone about 45 minutes, during which the nurse came looking for him. Then came back less than 5 minutes after the nurse came out and told me we were expecting him and he was supposed to be brought back right away. Now that is abuse of the system!

I actually did the "well Ive got an appointment at 330(pm)" this was 3 am for an asthma attack, that the on call doc said if I was needing me neb as often as I was I shouldnt wait but be seen now. Showed up by cab who had gotten lost, charge nurse who was bringing be back thought I was gonna drop on the floor cuz she could hear me breathing even though she was a few steps ahead of me.

I felt stupid when I said it to my er nurse........but there you have it......by the way I did not do the "will you make me late?" wasnt to worried about that, only breathing

Specializes in Emergency.

Mom & dad bring in 6 y/o M with "tick on member". Assess the kid, has what "looks" like a engorged deer tick on his glans, 'cept the "tick" is perfectly round, not oblong. I ask him when he noticed it and he says today. Today? Takes a while for a tick to swell up like that. Grab a tongue blade, gently scrape the "tick" and remove a piece of lint. Pt fixed. Still had to get seen by a doc tho' before d/c. Wonder if they'll fill out a survey....

i was gonna mention the story about the pregnancy test. hehe. read it from here i think. should have told her she was pregnant to get back.

anyway, i was reading this guy's history. apparently, he once came to the ER for a ferry pass. lol

we have a guy that keeps coming in for swallowing a hand full of nails...and he has come in more than three time for the same thing! another time he came in because he swallowed a bent metal spoon. we all just wanna punch him when he walks in the door.

Specializes in ED only.

Here's more: guy was lifting wood, arm started hurting. By the time he arrived in ER, pain was gone. Couldn't remember which arm it was - wanted both arms x-rayed.

Elderly female, called ambulance for foot pain of 6 weeks duration. Taken nothing for the pain. Physician orders x-ray. Screaming at nurse (me) as I walk out of room that the least I could do is massage her foot while she waits! Sent home with instructions to take tylenol.

Mom brings second child for head lice (was in earlier with first child and given Rx). Asks if I want to see them - tell her no. I leave the room and she begins picking them out of child's hair, putting them in empty coffee cup on counter. I come back into room and she shoves cup towards my face, stating "see". Have to quickly find a cover for the jumpers so they aren't all over treatment room!

18 year old female having menstrual cramps, comes by ambulance. Ten friends, all of whom have cars, arrive minutes later to keep her company.

"The seriousness of the illness/injury is inversely proportional to the number of people accompanying the patient":wink2:

Specializes in EMS, ED, Trauma, CEN, CPEN, TCRN.
"The seriousness of the illness/injury is inversely proportional to the number of people accompanying the patient":wink2:

Ha ha!! Sometimes we can see on the camera monitor that the waiting room is full of people, and the doc will ask, "Are they all waiting to be seen?" We explain that those are the "with-em's" ... you know, the people who come in to be seen, and the people that come with'em. LOL.

Specializes in ED only.

I like that term "with-ems"!!!!

Specializes in ortho, hospice volunteer, psych,.

"the seriousness of the illness/injury is inversely proportional to the number of people accompanying the patient":wink2:

sounds like psych too!!:banghead::D

sharpeimom:paw::paw:

Specializes in ER/Endoscopy/Blood Bank/Radiology.
iv heard of hairspray bottels up there to...*shivers*

Had a guy aged in his 50's come in to ED who had an aftershave/cologne bottle up his butt base first! It had been there for five days. We tried to remove it with long forceps, but it was stuck.

We gave him IV diazepam in the hope of him relaxing enough for it to come loose. Nup. It was decided to take him the OR for laparotomy....problem was he could not consent having had sedation.

We called his wife to come in to consent.....poor lady had no idea what her husband had been up to.:cry:

He had a bowel resection and colostomy, his bowel had become gangrenous.

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