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 ?

I had a patient with a known allergy to tree pollen come into my ER in NYC two weeks ago after walking through central park, where the trees are pollinating like mad, because his eyes were "red and itching."

We were extremely busy (overwhelmed) and he came up to me demanding to know when he would be seen, because he ahd been waiting for "almost an hour". I said, in an unpleasant tone, "I don't know, we're very busy." He got mad and left, after telling the charge nurse I was rude. Which I was. Unprofessional, I know, but come on . . . buy some frigging visene! What do you want from me!

Pt brought in tonite BY AMBULANCEfor head lice!

A lot of people without cars (welfare queens and kings) use ambulances whenever they don't want to or "can't" wait for a bus. It's just a way of life. And they don't ever have to pay for the ambulance. You and I do that for them.

Aww, come on.

I recently sent my daughter to the ER for a sunburn. She is from a northern state, is very pale, has never had a tan, sat out in the Florida sun for 2 hours in the hottest part of the day wearing a tanning accelerator.

I spoke to her on the phone that night and she was in tears. Her lips were swollen, she could barely walk and had blisters on her back. I was worried that she was dehydrated and all that goes with it.

They gave her a rx Daypro and she was extremely grateful.

Sunburns can be serious. I was worried that she might have had heat exhaustion or sun stroke. I've never seen either of those things but I would rather be safe than sorry.

What did they do for her?

Specializes in Labor and Delivery.
In A&E (UK) 2am, a young lad comes in with foreign body in the orifice, he had put his mobile phone on vibrate, when we eventually pulled it out there was only one missed call,:Melody:

That is the funniest thing I have heard in years:trout: :trout:

Specializes in Corrections, neurology, dialysis.
What did they do for her?

They gave her a script for Daypro and recommended soaking in cool water to relieve the pain. As soon as she started taking the Daypro she felt much better and was able to sleep. I think being able to sleep did more to help her heal than anything.

Things are a litle different the other side of the pond, in my A+E we are allowed to send patients home from triage, so the ones that come in complaining the the oral abs haven't worked after one day can be sent home, along with those that think constipation for 4 hrs is a medical emergency.

Had a good one last night, someone came in at 4 am and said they hadn't pu'd in the last 4 hrs. reminded pt that it is normal not to pu during the night,

oh and the mother that was concerned that her baby wasn't breathing whilst they were vomiting. assured mother that this was probably a good thing really, baby looked very well.

Let's see.....

1. Man comes in with insect bite on side of neck. Says he was cleaning up some brush in the yard and felt something bite him. Wants to know what it was.....:rolleyes:

2. Mom and two (adult) daughters come in within an hour of each other. Mom fell, one daughter "springed her back" trying to lift mom onto the couch, the second daughter "springed" her wrist attempting CPR on mom. Mom is complaining of sore chest. :uhoh3: We nicknamed them Larry, Moe and Curly...

3. Not really funny but kind of odd....Mom, who is a first year nursing student, brings her child into ER. Child is athsmatic, wheezing, blue lips, sat-ing 82%...we start the child on a breathing tx and are scrambling to get a vein when the mom asks if she can start the IV and, Oh, by the way, if there are any more "skills" to be done, can she do them? because it will look good in her lab skills book.......:stone

4. And finally.....We get a call over the scanner one night that EMS is bringing in a 16 yo boy with scrotal lesion....EMS comes rolling in about 20 min later with pale boy on a stretcher, mom is hovering around like a hummingbird on crack...EMS takes the boy to CP 6, our "only for big codes" room. Well, naturally, as with every major event, auxillary staff start filing into the room to see if they will be needed with the "code". About 3 min later, there is a mass exodus from the room. A few minutes later, I asked a friend of mine from EMS what the deal was with CP 6, he said, "body lice"....:uhoh21: :uhoh3:

"springed her back" :roll :yeah: :lol_hitti :lol_hitti :lol_hitti Don't you love that medical terminology?

Specializes in Oncology/Haemetology/HIV.

I have to wonder when Keith Richards went to the ER...

How did I get a subdural hematoma? Well, I was on vacation in Fiji. And I climbed up a coconut tree and then fell out of it.

Why, yes, I am in my 60s..what about it. Uhhhhh, no, I don't do any drugs or drink....anymore. Well, maybe just a joint once in a while, and well, one beer a day.

(I know it is serious and my best wishes for his recovery, but can't help myself)

Re Keith Richards, it was mentioned on a news report down here that when they took him for surgery that he was looking pale and gaunt.

When in the last 20 yrs + hasn't he looked pale and gaunt?????????:

Specializes in home & public health, med-surg, hospice.
Re Keith Richards, it was mentioned on a news report down here that when they took him for surgery that he was looking pale and gaunt.

When in the last 20 yrs + hasn't he looked pale and gaunt?????????:

LOL...right, schonna! :chuckle

Specializes in ICU.

Before I transferred up to the PICU, I worked in the ER ( also in the pediatric hospital , some of the ridiculous things were

Woman ( who uses us like her personal physician ) brought in her twins by ambulance because they were stuck in an elevator earlier that day and wanted their oxygen saturation checked...

A 15 yr old girl who in her catholic school girl uniform and all, on her way home, stopped and called an ambulance because of menstrual cramps. I told her to get off the stretcher and go to the waiting room and "welcome to womanhood "

Also hangnail that parents demanded a general surgery consult for . She waited a long ass time for that.

A 4 day old baby who's mother brought in at 4 am to know how to clean the umbilical cord .

A 16 yr old who cries alot..

:confused: What the heck is wrong with people?

Specializes in Urgent Care.

Here is one we couldnt believe last Friday night....

Pt. arriving by ambulance for......"poorly contolled restless leg syndrome"

I wanted to see what this pt was like (ie mental, lonely, etc) but I had to go hold the elevator for an incoming cardiac code to go up to the cath lab, by the time that was done my shift was over.

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