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

Specialties Emergency Nursing Q/A

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 ER.

Waah, Broncos lost!

Waah Broncos lost![/quote']shush, celebrate gracefully.

I now have chest pain and depression, however, I only feel the need to go to the ER for the entertainment value.

Specializes in EMS, ED, Trauma, CEN, CPEN, TCRN.
Drum roll please....

911 call for "My dog is staring at me." And they brought him in.

The patient or the dog? Hahahahaha! :D

Drunk patient came in to have his foley removed that was placed by Urology clinic. He wanted it removed because he is going to Alabama but will have his uncle place another one when he got there.

I can spot a kidney stone a mile away, an no, I don't think any of us think someone coming in with a kidney stone is silly. They are incredibly painful and do require intervention sometimes. Don't ever feel bad for going to the ER for that.

Heather

So I've read through a lot of this thread since starting in an inner city ER this past September. I've seen a LOT of stupid crap roll through the door, but yesterday has to take the cake.

A woman brought her 9 year-old son in because he was upset he didn't win an award at school. "He's upset", she says. "Someone's got to talk to him!"

:sarcastic: ER staff - now raising your children!

Long time lurker, 1st time to post. I'm not in nursing school just yet but am working on my pre-reqs.

After reading over 100 pages of this thread I must admit... I feel like a super-hero. I've read about people coming into the ER for some super-ridiculous reasons. There have been times I probably would've been justified to go to the ER but opted not to.

For example, off the top of my head:

I once was grinding some metal, had a flake bounce off my work piece, bounce off my cheek, bounce off my safety glasses then bounce into my eye. I thought I got the piece of metal out but upon waking up around 4:00 the next morning to a tear-soaked pillow and an eye that was swollen shut and burning like I stuck a match in it I realized that I, in fact, had not removed the metal. I called in to work to let them know I would be going to see a doctor to get this removed. However, I don't have insurance so finding a doctor's office that would see new patients as a walk-in was impossible. I drove around town (with one eye still swollen shut) for about 5 hours until I found an awesome doctor who sent me to a room and saw to my issue as soon as he finished with the patient he was currently working with. Doc looked in my eye, informed me that the metal had begun to rust and that he would attempt to pick all the flakes out with tweezers. Thankfully he got all the rusted pieces out without any serious damage to my eye.

Later that year I was going downstairs... however, my stairs were steep, and I'm not the most graceful of walkers at times, and ended up stepping wrong and slipping down about 4 or 5 steps, dropping all 175 lbs of me on my heel. Problem was, my toe had dug into the carpet, so by landing on my heel I bent my foot in a direction that it is not intended to bend. The pain was so bad that I couldn't breath for a second. My vision turned everything red and black, and the last thing I remember before passing out was resting my face/head on the wall. No idea how long I was out. When I came to, I managed to drag myself back up the stairs and into my bedroom where I managed to pass out from the pain once again. After regaining consciousness again, I called my dad to let him know that I think I broke my foot and that I was going to try to get to the campus medical clinic but that I may end up needing him to drive into town (about 45 min away) to take me to see a doctor. I managed to slowly go down the stairs with most of my weight on the handrail, then I hopped on one foot (with the injured foot throbbing with each hop) a few blocks away to the closest bus stop. Sat on the blistering-hot sidewalk until the bus arrived, hopped off the bus and to what I thought was the campus' med center (1st time needing to go as I usually avoid seeing a doctor for anything) only to find out that I was in the completely wrong building and hopped down a decent sized hill to the actual med clinic. Doctor said I chipped a bone in my big toe, gave me crutches and told me to stay off my foot for a while.

So... when I read about someone taking an ambulance to the ER for a skinned knee or a broken fake-nail I have to wonder how big of a wuss do you have to be to do that?

I've greatly enjoyed this thread.

well the obvious are the psych patients... I had one the other day who swore there was a squirrel stuck in her lady parts.

but one time I was working trauma and this lady comes in saying she fell on black ice - I asked her what hurt, what was her trauma, and she said it burned when she peed! of course me and my colleagues later said "she fell on black SOMETHING" - I mean, of course I ruled out any kidney or perineal injury - she just knew how to work the system and bypass EZ Care (fast track).

that's all I got as I'm very very new, but I'm sure I'll have more to come.

Specializes in ER.

Yesterday, a guy called an ambulance, arrived to the ER, and told staff that they won't sell liquor to him at the place near where he lives. He needed a drink, so he called the ambulance, his brother lives near the hospital, and then his brother will help him get booze and then back home.

:wacky:

Specializes in LTC, CPR instructor, First aid instructor..

This looks like a man who is an alcoholic in desperation.

Specializes in Emergency.

Today - young(ish) female by squad for the std from a toilet seat. Did we laugh? Oh yeah.

Pt came in by EMS b/c she ran out of colostomy supplies. She had it her ostomy for years but her supplier went out of business and she didn't have the foresight & planning to look for a new supplier. Plus she wanted us to clean her up when she was fully capable and supply her with a months worth of ostomy bags

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