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 ?

[Penelope_Pitstop, BSN, RN]

careful grooming? yes.

but hot wax there?????:eek::eek:

i fear my age is showing here...

kathy

shar pei mom:paw::paw:

kathy, that is an entirely different thread

anyway, i've never worked er but i've heard some good ones from friends (i've even admitted some doozies )

i think my favorite chief complaint is "wants to be admitted." really? really?

i also like "i want to die." well, my friend, this is a no-kill shelter, and the bridge is that-a-way. jump with the wind, not against it.

and you've gotta love "i'm drunk." i'm not talking about drunk to the point of potential death, i'm talking about...drunk. the last place i want to experience a hangover is a hospital. so go home, to your own bed and wake up hungover on your own time, not with people poking and prodding at you.

not really ridiculous, but posted as "face vs. tree." yep, alcohol was involved.

[rph3664]

I think my favorite chief complaint is "wants to be admitted." Really? REALLY?

I have a relative who, when she was married to her first husband, found a way to have surgery at least once a year. I asked someone else if he was a pervert and she did this to have an excuse to fend him off, and was told that she just did this to get attention.

After they got divorced, she took the kids to doctors on a daily basis and the ER regularly because he had to pay the kids' medical bills and she did this just to soak him. There was a stretch of time where I honestly believe those kids would have been better off in foster care.

[JWaldron]

I have a relative who, when she was married to her first husband, found a way to have surgery at least once a year. I asked someone else if he was a pervert and she did this to have an excuse to fend him off, and was told that she just did this to get attention.

After they got divorced, she took the kids to doctors on a daily basis and the ER regularly because he had to pay the kids' medical bills and she did this just to soak him. There was a stretch of time where I honestly believe those kids would have been better off in foster care.

Pretty sad. I hated it when those frequent fliers wold come in, the ones who really knew how to make you look bad. Would complain dramatically of chest pain at the doorway on their third visit of the day, exhibit severe symptoms of Dying Swan Syndrome, always when the place was jammed, and would make a loud fuss when you more or less ignored them to take care of the REAL emergencies. The other patients always look at you like you have no compassion and no judgment but they have no idea what the real problems are w/ these patients. "I'm dying! I'm dying! Won't nobody take care of me? I'm having a heart attack, I can't breathe, I'll be dead before I even see the doctor...' Why is it that they always have such carrying voices? I want to be one of them when I grow up! That or a circus clown. come to think of it, maybe they're one and the same?

Right now I work on a unit which has the highest patient satisfaction scores for similar units (P M & R) in the entire state; we have plenty of difficult patients too, and plenty w/ DSS symptoms, but the other patients get to see that that's the problem and how difficult it is to deal effectively w/ some of these people. We do have our own psychologist, and that helps. We sure could have used one in the ER!

Savvy

[canoehead, BSN, RN]

I triaged a guy that wanted a vasectomy once. He stayed even after being told it wouldn't happen, he said it was a real emergency because his wife just had her tenth child. Left after an hour because the wait was too long.

[flashpoint]

Also, I had a woman come in on Christmas night for a "gassy" like pain. When asked how long she's been experiencing this, she says "for a while". I say "how long is a while", she then tells me "like a year or longer". When asked if she'd been treated for this year long condition prior to coming to the ER on Christmas night, the answer of course is no. I mean COME ON.... Why come to the ER by EMS on Christmas day for pain that is the same pain you've been having for over a year? Why is it all of the sudden an emergency? Like I said, a total waste of resources. I try hard not to develop prejudices, but it's hard when you repeatedly see situations such as this.

I know this post is ancient, but I can't sleep...and I just started working at a hospital again, so I'm reading this! :)

I think some of it is that when families get together, they discuss their health. Someone always knows someone who "DEID" because of untreated gas or heartburn or hangnails or a rash under the breasts. So...they start discussing their horror stories and eventually someone is convinced that they have to call 911. Or the oldest son who lives clear across the country and never calls or vists suddenly hears about mom's abdominal pain (which the daughter who lives with mom is correct in thinking is only gas and the fact that mom eats chocolate and sunflower seeds all day), so the son does his duty and calls 911...he HAS to show mom that he loves her!

[SGT>Moody68w]

no you cant refuse to see them, but you CAN so a medical screen on them and refer them to a clinic or their primary care physician

[LucidResq]

An EMT friend recently ran on a lady clearly faking a seizure. He called her on it, and she became belligerent. "I'm in ****ing status dammit! Give me valium!" She argued with him for over 30 min, maintaining she was currently in status epilepticus and my friend was an idiot for thinking otherwise. LE had to be called and fortunately she did NOT get transported as she had been several times prior in the same week for the same BS.

[sharpeimom]

an emt friend recently ran on a lady clearly faking a seizure. he called her on it, and she became belligerent. "i'm in ****ing status dammit! give me valium!" she argued with him for over 30 min, maintaining she was currently in status epilepticus and my friend was an idiot for thinking otherwise. le had to be called and fortunately she did not get transported as she had been several times prior in the same week for the same bs.

not arguing that your patient was not faking her seizure, but with some types of seizure, the person can remain fully conscious, alert, able to converse without missing a beat etc.

those of us who have partial complex or simple complex seizures may have no more than a muscle contraction that lasts varying amounts of time, or other vague symptoms, so please don't automatically

assume complicit behavoir.

[LucidResq]

My dad is epileptic and I understand quite a bit about seizure disorders. However, someone faking full-body convulsions for the fourth time in a week to seek drugs is not in status and nonconvulsive variants of status are extremely, extremely rare (and I'm willing to bet do not tend to present as someone fully conscious and with it screaming "I'm in status!")

[sharpeimom]

my dad is epileptic and i understand quite a bit about seizure disorders. however, someone faking full-body convulsions for the fourth time in a week to seek drugs is not in status and nonconvulsive variants of status are extremely, extremely rare (and i'm willing to bet do not tend to present as someone fully conscious and with it screaming "i'm in status!")

i wasn't arguing that point and those types of patients are swift pains in the azz to everyone. i posted what i did because i get fed up arguing with a certain neighbor who is a surgeon and should know better, that some types seizures do not induce unconsiousness, or take away one's ability to realize one is having a seizure, or converse.

i'm really not trying to be difficult. never worked er, but i have worked psych and in drug and etoh detox, which did give me insight. i just get so &*^% sick of the public's and certain health professional's knee jerk reaction to some types of seizures.

[Hacker]

I had one lady who waited to finally told us that she needed to know what time it was, since she needed to adjust her clock. I'm not kidding. It was in a small ER, and I had to do the triage and care for my pts, but still....

I also had people coming to update their prescriptions, or a small cut on a finger with a band-aid, claiming it was bleeding profusely..had a diabetic type 1 pt with high BS who thought insulin was just a fancy thing..

[katieusa]

chapped lips...no joke!