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 ?

Re: FB in dark places, pt came into triage, I heard this weird hum, like someone's hearing aid turned up too high or a cell phone on vibrate. The FB had been in a dark place AND vibrating for more than 12 hours. He went to surgery in less than an hour....Ouch!

Specializes in Pediatric Pulmonology and Allergy.

I cannot believe how common it is for people to stick things up their orifices that don't belong there!

We had an adult come in by ambulance with ear pain. Not a ridiculous condition to come to the ED but by Ambulance??? Treated by our doctor with 2 IV abx and IV dilaudid, I don't think so ...yikes

Specializes in ER.

Ok not rediculous but had one on Friday that had fallen while carrying a box, and it ruptured her breast implant. There was nothing we could do for her and the plastics doc said for her to call monday for an appointment. That being said if I had deflated one of my boobs ( don't have them just thinking if i did )I would think it was a emergency!!!!! to her she might as well cut off a leg!!!!

When I had to take dh to the ER for chest pain a couple months ago, I overheard a girl trying to get in the "express lane"... (I was signing dh in, they had taken him right back but I had to give his info to the registrar) anywho, this chick had accidentally stuck her hand inside a can of peaches she had just opened, HAD NOT visibly cut her hand at all, but was convinced that she MUST have cut it somewhere on her hand since the edge of the can was jagged. The clerk was patiently trying to ask "So... you didn't see any blood? Why do you need it checked out?" and the lady said "Because if I did cut it comewhere it might be bad! I need the doctor to look at it!"

All I could think of was the fact that I DEFINITELY do not have the patience to work in the ER.

When I had to take dh to the ER for chest pain a couple months ago, I overheard a girl trying to get in the "express lane"... (I was signing dh in, they had taken him right back but I had to give his info to the registrar) anywho, this chick had accidentally stuck her hand inside a can of peaches she had just opened, HAD NOT visibly cut her hand at all, but was convinced that she MUST have cut it somewhere on her hand since the edge of the can was jagged. The clerk was patiently trying to ask "So... you didn't see any blood? Why do you need it checked out?" and the lady said "Because if I did cut it comewhere it might be bad! I need the doctor to look at it!"

All I could think of was the fact that I DEFINITELY do not have the patience to work in the ER.

I, for the life of me, cannot figure out why people do this sort of thing.

Do they not have anything else to do that day?

These people must be attention seekers, is all I can think of.

When I had to take dh to the ER for chest pain a couple months ago, I overheard a girl trying to get in the "express lane"... (I was signing dh in, they had taken him right back but I had to give his info to the registrar) anywho, this chick had accidentally stuck her hand inside a can of peaches she had just opened, HAD NOT visibly cut her hand at all, but was convinced that she MUST have cut it somewhere on her hand since the edge of the can was jagged. The clerk was patiently trying to ask "So... you didn't see any blood? Why do you need it checked out?" and the lady said "Because if I did cut it comewhere it might be bad! I need the doctor to look at it!"

That pt if it happened in my ED would get a visit from psychiatry.Which means labwork and urine sent then when the results were back and the Pt was medically cleared she would go to the Psych emergency dept. How do you like our ED we take strange people and make them sick.:angryfire

Specializes in emergency.

menstrual cramps... not because of endometriosis or anything like that, just plain old menstrual cramps...

i also had a lady that came in and said she took 42 mg of Klonopin. i lavaged and all of the other crap you do for an od and guess what... after 2 hours of being up to my elbows in vomit and everything else you can think of... she hadn't taken ANYTHING... not even her prescribed dose. she said her husband wasn't paying enough attention to her so she did it to scare him!!

Constipation x 1 day. No abdominal pain. No discomfort of any sort. She just hadn't had a BM since the previous day. :rolleyes:

All the stupid BS we see is just job security!!!:lol2:

Specializes in Med/Surg.
menstrual cramps... not because of endometriosis or anything like that, just plain old menstrual cramps...

i also had a lady that came in and said she took 42 mg of Klonopin. i lavaged and all of the other crap you do for an od and guess what... after 2 hours of being up to my elbows in vomit and everything else you can think of... she hadn't taken ANYTHING... not even her prescribed dose. she said her husband wasn't paying enough attention to her so she did it to scare him!!

:angryfire :angryfire :angryfire :angryfire :angryfire :angryfire she wasn't getting enough attention from her husband so you had to wade in her vomit? that's Bull$#^!

Constipation x 1 day. No abdominal pain. No discomfort of any sort. She just hadn't had a BM since the previous day. :rolleyes:

So......did you give her a 3H enema and about 2 or 3 Dulcolax tablets?

That would have cleaned her out.

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