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 ?

A patient came in via ambulance for a sunburn. Needless to say she waited in the waiting all night, I don't know if she was ever seen or left, but even hang nail patient would have been seen before her.

Definately the guy who came in at 11:30 on a Friday night for weight loss..

Exactly, what did he want? Did he have a CC or did he want liposuction on the spot?

Now why in the world would you even think that it would be silly to go to the ER for that? I had a kidney stone years ago. It was probably the worst pain I ever felt in my life!

I have had a lady come in because she "hid" a hundred dollar bill in her rectum. Needless to say, she couldn't get it out. She said that she had unsuccesfully tried to "dig" it out. The MD did a rectal exam but refused to get an anoscope to go searching for something that would come out on it's own. The patient got panicked and cried until he gave her a bottle of mag citrate and sent her back out onto the streets. Apparently, she was mad because she wanted a fix and wanted it out that second. Just think about that the next time you use money!

Ash

A young couple brought their 4 month old in because he was crying for 3 hours earlier in the day, no fever, no vomiting, no rash, no nothing. Very cute baby though!

Another memorable favorite. I've had several C/O diaper rash x 1 hour. Of course, no OTC meds tried. Grrr.

The classics we get are the males (I can't call them men) between 20 and 40 who come in with: vomitted x 1 - 8 hrs ago, nausea (as they sit there with their coke and chips), rash, and various aches and pains. The one thing they all have in common is that they are single, have recently moved here to work or go to school and Mommy is back home in what ever town they came from. It's also very hard to "encourage" these guys to go to a clinic instead, they would rather sit in the ER waiting room for 8 hrs with lots of complaints of course. Rain at night brings the regulars that normally sleep in doorways, it's amazing how knowledgable they are about how triage works, they know which complaints will get them a stretcher right away.

On the opposite end of the list are the people who are dragged into the ER by wives or husbands in the midst of an MI or stroke, "Oh come on dear it's just a little indigestion!"

Specializes in Emergency, management.

:rotfl: :rotfl: A frequent flyer came by ambulance for a mosquito bite! It was difficult not to laugh at her, we treated her with benadryl.

and do 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 home & public health, med-surg, hospice.
I have had a lady come in because she "hid" a hundred dollar bill in her rectum. Needless to say, she couldn't get it out. She said that she had unsuccesfully tried to "dig" it out. The MD did a rectal exam but refused to get an anoscope to go searching for something that would come out on it's own. The patient got panicked and cried until he gave her a bottle of mag citrate and sent her back out onto the streets. Apparently, she was mad because she wanted a fix and wanted it out that second. Just think about that the next time you use money!

Ash

Oh my grossness....LOL!

Ya'll should've told her, if you got it out, it'd have to go towards her bill.

But then again, that'd probably make the business office clerk none to happy... :rotfl:

I went to the Emergency room 3 times in one day. I have a history of Ovaria Cysts, and the last one I had was pretty big. I was warned by my PCP that if I felt pain in my lower left side, to go to ER immediatley. The were worried about it twisting my fallopian tube. Anyhow, I woke up on a Sunday morning with severe pain and couldn't sit up, so my DH took me to the ER, they did a pelvic, and gave me some pain meds and sent me on my way. Then four hours later, I started having lady partsl bleeding, it was pretty heavy and I was on a birth control pill, and it wasn't anywhere near time for my period. When I started to have pain so bad that I couldn't stand up, I went back to the ER and of course saw a completley different doctor. He did ANOTHER pelvic, took some blood, gave me some pain meds and sent me home again!

2 hours later I was in the kitchen getting a glass of water when I guess I just fell over and passed out. I don't remeber it, DH apparently put me in the car and took me back to the hospital. The 3rd doc I saw finally did a CT of my belly and found out that the cyst has infact burst and that is why I was in so much pain. I also had Diverticulosis. I ended up staying for a few days.

It just goes to show, that sometimes the patient is made to feel like they are stupid for going to the ER, but really sometimes, you just have that feeling that something is wrong with you and no one takes you seriously.

Granted, a hangnail or stubbed toe is a stupif this to go to ER for, but as a patient, I hate to think that the nurses who are taking care of me are outsidein the hall laughing and rolling their eyes. :stone

Specializes in Emergency.

How about anal beads in a member - ALL the way into the bladder! Can you say Hello Surgery. The killer is that the guy came back 2 weeks later with a newspaper in his rear. Some people never learn.

Had an "exotic dancer" come in one night at 0300 - I presume after her last dance - CC - her privy parts ring had been ripped out by a patron on the club when she was dancing too close to his face. Got some stitches and wanted to know if workmans comp would cover it. Can you say ahhh NOPE!

I hate to say it but I was the most ridiculous ER patient once. I was taking a med that had Stevens-Johnson syndrome as a side effect and my doctor told me repeatedly to go to the ER if I developed a rash. So, I developed a rash and went to the ER. They told me I had a rash. Rub some cream on it. I was SO pissed off at my doc.

I hate to say it but I was the most ridiculous ER patient once. I was taking a med that had Stevens-Johnson syndrome as a side effect and my doctor told me repeatedly to go to the ER if I developed a rash. So, I developed a rash and went to the ER. They told me I had a rash. Rub some cream on it. I was SO pissed off at my doc.

:chuckle

Doc "You have a rash"

Leopold " No... really?" :rolleyes:

Z

Specializes in ER, ICU, L&D, OR.
I hate to say it but I was the most ridiculous ER patient once. I was taking a med that had Stevens-Johnson syndrome as a side effect and my doctor told me repeatedly to go to the ER if I developed a rash. So, I developed a rash and went to the ER. They told me I had a rash. Rub some cream on it. I was SO pissed off at my doc.

Never make any "Rash Judgements: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

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