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 ?

Talk about parent in denial or just plain dumb......

While working a rural ER gig.....

Dad (Daryls brother Daryl...) comes in with 7 year old son (nose-pickin' and bouncing off the walls) stating son banned from riding school bus because he peed on some other children riders. (not wet his pants....I clarified....actually peed on)

"Do you think he has Diabetes?", says dad, "I heard that it can cause stuff like that" ....(as son is pulling cotton balls out of a jar on the counter...)

um yeah...:uhoh3:

Talk about parent in denial or just plain dumb......

While working a rural ER gig.....

Dad (Daryls brother Daryl...) comes in with 7 year old son (nose-pickin' and bouncing off the walls) stating son banned from riding school bus because he peed on some other children riders. (not wet his pants....I clarified....actually peed on)

"Do you think he has Diabetes?", says dad, "I heard that it can cause stuff like that" ....(as son is pulling cotton balls out of a jar on the counter...)

um yeah...:uhoh3:

Well...you gotta give the kid a break...

Look at his pedigree...

Poor kid!

:rotfl:

Well...you gotta give the kid a break...

Look at his pedigree...

Poor kid!

:rotfl:

Twew, so Twew.....he was a cute and dirty lil' bugger......so sad.....

but i must admit....the whole scenario had me feeling a little surreal...somewhere along the lines of a Saturday Night Live skit in real-time......I could imagine a whole slew of em livin' in a rusty trailer in the woods surviving on Wonder Bread or less....wishin' I could take him home with me and give him a good soapin' and a hot balanced healthy meal....and a good shot at book learnin'

Specializes in Critical Care, Cardiac Cath Lab.

Here's a story along these lines...

My mom was a 911 operator/dispatcher for 23 years. One of her most "memorable" 911 calls was a young girl who said that she needed an ambulance "because I have a rubbah stuck in my pu**y." The "incident" had just occurred, so she was informed that an ambulance would not be sent and she could find her own transportation to the ED if she was unable to retrieve the "rubbah" herself. :rotfl:

Here's a story along these lines...

My mom was a 911 operator/dispatcher for 23 years. One of her most "memorable" 911 calls was a young girl who said that she needed an ambulance "because I have a rubbah stuck in my pu**y." The "incident" had just occurred, so she was informed that an ambulance would not be sent and she could find her own transportation to the ED if she was unable to retrieve the "rubbah" herself. :rotfl:

You know what I LOVE about this one is...

SOMEONE had the sense, and the nerve, NOT to send the ambulance!!

:rotfl:

Specializes in ER, PACU, OR.

Don't know if I posted it here?

18yo Female by squad for a right calf cramp................

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.

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:

+ Join the Discussion