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 ?

Specializes in Hospice.
Or in my case the little old lady is sent to the ED from the nursing home for hypotension x 8 hrs, BP 80's/40's on arrival. While she was actually sick, no one at the nursing home had thought to take off her Clonopine patch...

Do you mean "clonodine"? (LTC nurse here)

Specializes in Pediatric/Adolescent, Med-Surg.

Do you mean "clonodine"? (LTC nurse here)

Yep..

.sometimes used to treat anxiety

Yep..
Specializes in Medsurg/ICU, Mental Health, Home Health.
.sometimes used to treat anxiety

Are you thinking of Klonopin (Clonazepam)?

Clonodine is for blood pressure although it's also used for drug withdrawal.

nope.

http://www.drugs.com/comments/clonidine/

Are you thinking of Klonopin (Clonazepam)?

Clonodine is for blood pressure although it's also used for drug withdrawal.

I love these stories. I'm about to go into my last semester of nursing school, and bless your hearts.........I just couldn't take the ED. LOL

I'm on medicaid for the moment and I've made two ER runs in the last year. One for me, and one for my 3 year old. Mine was a toothache. Now, before you jump me about it, let me tell you that an ordinary toothache well......I can deal with that. But not this monstrosity. I had broken a tooth and stupidly hadn't had it taken care of. Well, of course it abscessed on me about midnight on a friday night. My dentist didn't open til Monday. I tried every OTC pain med and home remedy I could think of, but when I developed a big lump along my jaw that saturday night, off to the ER I went. I was so thankful for the Vicodin and Amoxicillin, and I had that thing yanked monday morning but wow........so completely miserable. The second trip.....well my darling daughter stuck a bead up her nose, from a necklace she had broken. Why? "Cause." I tried everything....tweezers, superglue on toothpick...it was up too far to squeeze out. And she hasn't gotten the hang of blowing out of her nose yet, so she just kept sniffling it higher. ER run at 9pm on a Saturday night, of course. Because she can't do that when her ped is open, or even the convenient care. I felt awful, but I was worried she was going to snorkel that thing into her lungs, and she was so scared. They had this awesome little suction cup thing that attaches to the wall suction and got that bead right out in a second. I was just thankful it wasn't a busy night and we weren't taking up time for anyone else. Unfortunately, the ER staff was so sweet to my daughter that she now asks to go to the hospital every time she gets a bump or scratch. *sigh* SO........from those of us who have stupid, silly reasons to go to the ER....thank you all so much for everything you do!

Specializes in Med-Surg.
I love these stories. I'm about to go into my last semester of nursing school, and bless your hearts.........I just couldn't take the ED. LOL

I'm on medicaid for the moment and I've made two ER runs in the last year. One for me, and one for my 3 year old. Mine was a toothache. Now, before you jump me about it, let me tell you that an ordinary toothache well......I can deal with that. But not this monstrosity. I had broken a tooth and stupidly hadn't had it taken care of. Well, of course it abscessed on me about midnight on a friday night. My dentist didn't open til Monday. I tried every OTC pain med and home remedy I could think of, but when I developed a big lump along my jaw that saturday night, off to the ER I went. I was so thankful for the Vicodin and Amoxicillin, and I had that thing yanked monday morning but wow........so completely miserable. The second trip.....well my darling daughter stuck a bead up her nose, from a necklace she had broken. Why? "Cause." I tried everything....tweezers, superglue on toothpick...it was up too far to squeeze out. And she hasn't gotten the hang of blowing out of her nose yet, so she just kept sniffling it higher. ER run at 9pm on a Saturday night, of course. Because she can't do that when her ped is open, or even the convenient care. I felt awful, but I was worried she was going to snorkel that thing into her lungs, and she was so scared. They had this awesome little suction cup thing that attaches to the wall suction and got that bead right out in a second. I was just thankful it wasn't a busy night and we weren't taking up time for anyone else. Unfortunately, the ER staff was so sweet to my daughter that she now asks to go to the hospital every time she gets a bump or scratch. *sigh* SO........from those of us who have stupid, silly reasons to go to the ER....thank you all so much for everything you do!

I don't think your reasons are silly. Now, if you had taken EMS to get to the ER, that might be a different story lol.

Specializes in ER, TRAUMA, MED-SURG.
I had a guy when I worked obs who had stuck a tube into his urethra and sprayed WD-40 down Into it. He also self pierced his nipples during the same session. There were other oddities but those are the parts I remember.

Oh NO!!! I hate to even wonder why the WD40??

Specializes in ER, TRAUMA, MED-SURG.

I don't think your reasons are silly. Now, if you had taken EMS to get to the ER, that might be a different story lol.

I agree - toothaches are brutal when u get one like that!

Anne, RNC

Specializes in Cardio-Pulmonary; Med-Surg; Private Duty.
Because she can't do that when her ped is open, or even the convenient care.

Don't feel bad -- it's a kid thing to only get sick/injured when the doc's office isn't open! My kid mentioned one Saturday morning that his throat hurt. He has a history of post-nasal drip, and he'd just gotten up, so I told him to drink something and see if it felt better a bit later. He never mentioned it again, and spent the whole day eating and drinking and playing like normal.

About 9pm, he asks if he can spend the night with a neighbor friend. I asked if his throat was all better. "Not really." I had him come over so I could look, and OMG, the THINGS that were living in there! :eek: It was green and purple and yellow and red and just disgusting back there! :wideyed: Yep, off to the ER.

And if it makes you feel better, when he was 3yo he put a ROCK in his ear at preschool. When asked why, his response was that he found it on the playground and then it was naptime and he didn't have any pockets in his pants... so he put it in his ear! Kids are CRAZY! LOL

A little girl came to our ER with a potty chair seat around her neck like a necklace. She had pulled it over her head, and parents couldn't seem to remove it.

A little girl came to our ER with a potty chair seat around her neck like a necklace. She had pulled it over her head and parents couldn't seem to remove it.[/quote']

That totally happened to my friends kid. They tried everything to get it off, culturing it, lotions, soaps, Vaseline...poor child's head was greasy as hell by the time they drive her to the fire department to have it cut off by them.

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