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 ?

OK - dumb question - I understand that you can't refuse to treat someone in the emergency room. Can you refuse to see an obvious non-emergency like the hangnail?

Cannot refuse a patient. They must be examined by a physician and deemed "stable". If stable, they can defer tx. For our frequent flyers that use us as their PCP, some of our docs check them to make sure they are stable and then continue to refer them to follow up. Sounds cruel, but patients who come in for refills when they've already been told to f/u with their PCP can truly drain the system

Hangel:)

I hope the ER staff didn't think me coming down with a KS was silly. I live alone and just have myself to depend on. They sure did help me out - the pain was unbearable.

Just a little anecdotal story.

NO WAY! I've never seen a nurse or doc be frustrated for a patient about a kidney stone- they hurt!!!

Hangel:)

the worst waste of an ER visit (they treated me great, i just should not have had to go to ER) was committed by me. yes, me. i was on state insurance-- what i tend to call welfare insurance. i was poor, i was trying my darnedest, but it was either that or no healthcare. my PCP through welfare insurance was located sixty miles away-- the only PCP i could get. the insurance company offerred transportation (no way my car could make it) but, in reality, frquently tells people to just go to the local ER. now what i had was valid and did need very fast treatment-- i won't say what it was as it obfuscates the matter. but i was not bleeding or likely to die, not with my healthy immune system. but it still pisses me off-- my insurance company actually SENT ME TO ER!!!!! with a condition that was not immanently life threatening! it was that or no treatment. and that is why i believe in urgent care clinics. and, since nobody really wants to go to ER without a good reason, i also believe in doctors offices that have extended hours, if possible, because that is how life is-- hard to get sick and just sick enough you do not need ER but are sick-- for 24-48 hours with no treatment. and also hard for poor people to miss work to go to doctor anyway, even if they can get you in. so extended office hours are great if you can get them. that is my rant for the day.

Maybe I missed it but what did you go in for?

Specializes in Emergency room, med/surg, UR/CSR.

Man came in with his child's pet turtle clamped on his tongue! :rotfl: Claims he was sticking his tongue out at it and it clamped on and wouldn't let go! i forget how they finally made it let go, but that one was truly one for the books! :rotfl:

Pam

Man came in with his child's pet turtle clamped on his tongue! :rotfl: Claims he was sticking his tongue out at it and it clamped on and wouldn't let go! i forget how they finally made it let go, but that one was truly one for the books! :rotfl:

Pam

So, do ya think this one falls under ridiculous...

Or just plain stupid???!!!!??

LOL

:rotfl:

Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
so, do ya think this one falls under ridiculous...

or just plain stupid???!!!!??

lol

:rotfl:

whether you call it stupid or ridiculous, it's still pretty danged funny!

Specializes in Happily semi-retired; excited for the whole whammy.

I met a friend that works in the ER for lunch yesterday. She told me a story about a woman who dragged her 3 kids into the ER on Halloween night, in a tizzy because she discovered the 6 year old had eaten a tootsie roll while trick-or-treating, before Mom had time to "inspect" the candy. Said child was displaying no symptoms, and Mom reported nothing suspicious about the other candy or any grounds for suspecting her neighbors of tampering with the treats.

Specializes in LTC.

I guess these folks don't mind paying the larger co pay for stupidity

Maybe I missed it but what did you go in for?
UTI. now, i once knew someone who drove through 3 states (she was moving; no money to go to doc) with a UTI. i have heard of people who swear cranberry juice or water in copious amounts flughes out their UTIs. (and, they swear, does not just reduce the bacteria to a small level that will haunt them later). i know all kinds of stories about it, but with me, what usually happens is either very low level irritation or asymptomatic and then, BOOM! all of the sudden horrible pain, then within an hour excruciating pain. so i cannot really defer treatment. even pyridium taken in copious amounts (like, at least 4 or five tabs) won't help it (i know, because i have been in the situation when i had to work and so i took pyridium by the ton and waited-- i think the worst amount of time before work would let me go was like four hours)... but the pyridium will no longer touch it. oh... it feels bad to even remember it. the last time i talked to PCP about it i had pain moving upwards as well and with hx UTI blah blah blah i thought maybe bladder infection or kidney, the receptionist told me she could get me in in 3 days time. yeah-right! probably i could talk about it more (the more one knows about this insurance, the worse it gets) but i won't now. if anyone gets UTIs, i just read about a study that showed acidophilus may have some effect against them. so i take that as preventative now. (sigh). i will say my irritaiton has reduced.
UTI. now, i once knew someone who drove through 3 states (she was moving; no money to go to doc) with a UTI. i have heard of people who swear cranberry juice or water in copious amounts flughes out their UTIs. (and, they swear, does not just reduce the bacteria to a small level that will haunt them later). i know all kinds of stories about it, but with me, what usually happens is either very low level irritation or asymptomatic and then, BOOM! all of the sudden horrible pain, then within an hour excruciating pain. so i cannot really defer treatment. even pyridium taken in copious amounts (like, at least 4 or five tabs) won't help it (i know, because i have been in the situation when i had to work and so i took pyridium by the ton and waited-- i think the worst amount of time before work would let me go was like four hours)... but the pyridium will no longer touch it. oh... it feels bad to even remember it. the last time i talked to PCP about it i had pain moving upwards as well and with hx UTI blah blah blah i thought maybe bladder infection or kidney, the receptionist told me she could get me in in 3 days time. yeah-right! probably i could talk about it more (the more one knows about this insurance, the worse it gets) but i won't now. if anyone gets UTIs, i just read about a study that showed acidophilus may have some effect against them. so i take that as preventative now. (sigh). i will say my irritaiton has reduced.
Here is my UTI experience and what's so messed up about our healthcare system. AT work, started to feel it coming on. I had one in the past and knew what it was right away. Got off work and called my PCP and asked him to call something in for me. Oh, hell no, can't do that...gotta see you....(jesus C.....I AM an ICU nurse...it's not like i'm diagnosing a heart condition and asking you to call in some Cardizem or something..) No available appt. until Tues. (4 days away)...Now that's some good preventative medicine...How far will this infection travel by tuesday? It's 4:30. Can barely pee by then. So I head over to a doc in the box. (never been to one before, hell, have paid for insurance for 17 years and barely used it) Doc in the box says I need a referral or my insurance won't cover it. WHAT?? They call my PCP, he say NO...haven't seen her for it, she needs to make appt here or go to ER. GO TO ER?? Good use of insurance. Doc in the box says insurance won't pay for this ER visit either. I call my PCP personally from doc in the box. I told the office nurse my dilemma, can't pee, lots of pain, gotta work in AM. I told her I was 6 blocks away and would be in shortly and will sit in the waiting room and be last appointment of the day, if necessary, to be seen. I was sooooo pissed. Nurse comes back on the phone and snottily says, fine, just come in. Can you believe this crap? If I would have been on welfare...NO PROBLEM...ala carte service...free of charge. Changed PCP's.
Here is my UTI experience and what's so messed up about our healthcare system. AT work, started to feel it coming on. I had one in the past and knew what it was right away. Got off work and called my PCP and asked him to call something in for me. Oh, hell no, can't do that...gotta see you....(jesus C.....I AM an ICU nurse...it's not like i'm diagnosing a heart condition and asking you to call in some Cardizem or something..) No available appt. until Tues. (4 days away)...Now that's some good preventative medicine...How far will this infection travel by tuesday? It's 4:30. Can barely pee by then. So I head over to a doc in the box. (never been to one before, hell, have paid for insurance for 17 years and barely used it) Doc in the box says I need a referral or my insurance won't cover it. WHAT?? They call my PCP, he say NO...haven't seen her for it, she needs to make appt here or go to ER. GO TO ER?? Good use of insurance. Doc in the box says insurance won't pay for this ER visit either. I call my PCP personally from doc in the box. I told the office nurse my dilemma, can't pee, lots of pain, gotta work in AM. I told her I was 6 blocks away and would be in shortly and will sit in the waiting room and be last appointment of the day, if necessary, to be seen. I was sooooo pissed. Nurse comes back on the phone and snottily says, fine, just come in. Can you believe this crap? If I would have been on welfare...NO PROBLEM...ala carte service...free of charge. Changed PCP's.
WOW! thank you for telling me. i am glad not just my crappy luck, medically-- must be legitimate crisis . sorry for your pain though.
:uhoh3: undefinedundefinedundefined elderly women comes in and has something wrapped in towel and says her son, he was about 36, has cut his member off and he needed to see doctor when one was available. nice wasn't she?
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