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 ?

Just read an article on Friday about some 45 year old man who died in a Washington ER from a perforated colon after having sex with his horse. Unbelievable story. There are definitely some strange things happening in this world!!

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

A couple years ago, there was a story on the radio about a man presenting to ED with an unfortunate injury resulting from inappropriate use of a ball washer at the golf course. An ED nurse friend of mine once remarked that stupidity keeps them in business.

Specializes in ICU, Telemetry, ER.

One of the most ridiculous things I ever treated was a girl who came in and said her tongue was black....I said have you eaten anything black tonite? she said noooo.... her friend says you had some licorice earlier... anyway I say to my work partner louder than I intended--this is the stupidest thing I have ever heard....(she also wanted me to call her parole officer and let them know she was in the ER) duh she's wearing a bracelet that allows her to be out only so long...hummmmm.& had probably exceeded her time somewhere else you think?? Anyway in a few min here she comes and says "since you think this is stupid I'm gonna go. I said ok I think you will be ok and by the way I didn't get your parole officer (no answer) & she left. We get people all the time that want pregnancy tests. We usually don't do them unless they have a complaint like abdominal pain or need xrays. They are usually not ones who pay the bills anyway so money is no object

Specializes in ICU, Telemetry, ER.

We have a prison here and they sent this guy in one nite..his c/o was his member hurts because he's been masterbating ....OMG can you believe that one!! That one left pretty quick

A med supplier who drove 70 miles on one cheek to have a banana removed from his rear. He paid cash.

As a matter of fact, in the wee hours of Monday morning, I woke up with severe pain on my left side front and back and radiating down my groin. I also had alot of pressure to urinate but when I tried could only void a very small amount. Also had vomiting and nausea.

Well, the pain would not subside. Any Tylenol I tried to take for it was vomited up.

Finally after 3 hours of this, I dragged my aching body to the car and drove down to the ER at 4:30 in the morning. I could not understand what could be causing the pain and was, understandably, afraid.

There was blood in my urine and they did a catscan, but the nurses had already figured out I had a kidney stone ("doing the kidney stone dance").

They put an IV in me for fluid and pain medicine and when I was awake enough let me go home with vicodin and suppositories for nausea and vomiting. Doc instructed me to see a urologist in the next couple days.

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.

I have kidney stones and there is nothing funny about it. I've been to the ER three different times. Mine always occur on the weekend. I have had two children and the kidney stones are worst than labor. NOTHING SILLY ABOUT IT!!

melissa

i remember when i was fairly new to e.r. i was orienting to triage. a woman came in and said "i'm here for my brain transplant"...not skipping a beat, i said, "ok, ma'am, just sign in here". not funny in terms of the situation, but funny looking back.

Stupid People=Job Security

Well known fact of life in the ER

:rolleyes:

:roll :roll :roll :roll :roll

While I was working as an MA, I was transfered a call from the front desk. They gave me no forewarning before sending it back, turns out it was an 86 y/o female that had somehow gotten a golfball stuck 'down below'.

I tried to ask her how it happened, but she avoided the question. Then I asked her how long it had been there - "oh, a few days now i suppose"

And she's just now getting concerned! Our UCC didn't have any birthing forceps or suction, so we sent her to the ER. Would've loved to be there when she arrived! Sweet lil' thing, maybe attempting some sort of kegals? :p

I recently did part of my externship for the summer in the ER and had a patient come in with a splinter and two others for toothaches..........DENTIST!!!!!! :uhoh3:

Specializes in Emergency Nursing.

I was in the ER A few months ago (the only time I had to come BTW) while I was waiting because I had a severe allergic reaction (I didn't have to wait long a nurse just had to go back and clear my bed) there was a woman with her son that came in a few minutes before me complaining that her son "had developed a caugh and a really bad headache that morning" the triage nurse said he would be with them in a minute. I watched the kid pull out a gameboy and a lollypop, I am not saying this kid was smiling and running around but he didn't look like he was going to die anytime soon. I was sitting in the chair with hives all over my skin, my throat closing up and I was dizzy. I even had to drive myself to the ER (because I didn't want to call and bother the ambulances for an allergic reaction). The nurse came back out with a chair because I told him I felt dizzy. As I was getting into the chair the mother stood up and demanded to know why I was allowed to go before her child who was "clearly in pain and suffering" the nurse said my problem needed to be delt with immediatley because I was in a more serious condition. The woman was angry and insisting that her son needed to be seen first. The nurse asked her repeately to please wait and he would be out to help her as soon as he could. I guess finally he was fed up and told her to "Sit down in that damm chair and wait for a few minutes until he would be back or else she can do what other people do and go to the clinic down the street and get some caugh medicine and asperin for her child and not waste his time." I was thanked him once we were out of her sight and he just smiled and said that he asked her to sit down nicely many times and she simply wouldn't listen.

My very first day of orientation in the ER a 20yo female came in with c/o "severe pain" (abdominal), she said that she was at work & felt like she was going to pass out. Further questioning revealed that she had started her period that morning. I asked her if she had similar type pain last month with her period, her eyes widened like saucers and she says "YES". Everything else - labs, CT, etc - checked out but I didn't have the nerve to tell her that she would probably experience similar pain every month.

Definately not the silliest thing a patient came in for but definately on my list of things that make you go hmmmm.....

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