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 ?

[allstudentnurses, ASN, RN]

@ DeadHeadRN, you're lucky. I rarely get any paperwork from the Nursing Homes at all.

[miss81, BSN, RN]

Me: What brings you to the ER today?

Patient: My belly button smells!

Me: Ok... do you have your belly button pierced?

Pt: No

Me: Ok... is it draining anything?

Pt: No

Me: Do you have any pain?

Pt: No, but every time I stick me finger in it and smell my finger it stinks!

Me: Ok, like when your washing it?

Pt: No, like when I stick my fingers in it!

Me: Why would you stick your fingers in there?

Pt: To smell it!

Me: Couldn't you wait and see your family doctor about this?

Pt: No... it's too embarrassing to tell him that my belly button smells.

Our ER doc loved this one. His advice was to clean it more often!

[allstudentnurses, ASN, RN]

Me: What brings you to the ER today?

Patient: My belly button smells!

Me: Ok... do you have your belly button pierced?

Pt: No

Me: Ok... is it draining anything?

Pt: No

Me: Do you have any pain?

Pt: No, but every time I stick me finger in it and smell my finger it stinks!

Me: Ok, like when your washing it?

Pt: No, like when I stick my fingers in it!

Me: Why would you stick your fingers in there?

Pt: To smell it!

Me: Couldn't you wait and see your family doctor about this?

Pt: No... it's too embarrassing to tell him that my belly button smells.

Our ER doc loved this one. His advice was to clean it more often!

[Hokis1130]

I LOVE retained objects too!!!! We've had a couple of good ones. One of my favorites was an 18 year old girl with a vibrator stuck in her rectum. The best part was that it was still turned on so when I tried to listen for bowel sounds all I could hear was BBZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ.

Then there was the man with a cucumber stuck up there. Apparently his girlfriend put it in there and couldn't get it out. He ended up with a colostomy! Sucks for him!!!

hahaha omg that is soooo crazy!! i dont know what i would do if i saw that

[LegzRN]

Why go to a Doc in a Box

they send half their stuff to us anyway

One time I got a pt from a doc in the box with cc urinary retention. He had a foley catheter in and I said "where was that put in at?" He told me one of the nurses at the doc in the box did it. I was stunned.

[Aeterna, BSN, RN]

I don't work in the ER but I've certainly heard stories from ER nurses.

Best one I've heard was girls (sadly, this doesn't seem to be an isolated case) coming in for pregnancy tests.

One former colleague (he transferred to the ER not too long ago) told us of how he was looking after a girl who came in with persistent vomiting....because she kept shoving her fingers down her throat. She refused to leave until they "cured" her vomiting problem, so they gave her some anti-emetics anyway, but of course, they did nothing. Obviously, she needed a psychiatrist more than the ER but she still refused to leave the ER *sigh*

We've also received elderly patients who came to the ER due to aggressive behaviour related to dementia. And then, of course, we pretty much become a nursing home rather than an acute medical floor. It's as if people expect us to find a cure for dementia!

[allstudentnurses, ASN, RN]

Okay, I think I have the best one yet. Two days ago, a man came in via ambulance, chief complaint was he ran out of his prescription medications. Seriously, he wasted a 911 call on THAT. Why he didn't call his physician is beyond me.

[rph3664]

Best one I've heard was girls (sadly, this doesn't seem to be an isolated case) coming in for pregnancy tests.

Not a small number of those girls come to the ER, instead of going to the dollar store, because they believe that if they come to the hospital, they can get an abortion if it's positive.

[steelydanfan]

Another nurse in my pod had a patient who was brought in by the patient's parents because.....wait for it.....

when the patient doesn't wear the patient's glasses, the patient's vision is blurry.

OMG! And people (Do I really mean nursing students?), wonder why we tend to be just a BIT tetchy!

[star77, MSN, RN]

Two nights ago I was looking through what we had in the waiting room, saw one and immediately thought of this thread.

One word:

"Hiccups."

[kc87t, BSN, RN, EMT-P]

Last week I heard, "my member has been shrinking for the past 7 years".

[sharpeimom]

last week i heard, "my member has been shrinking for the past 7 years".

:lol2: :eek: :d