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 ?

Specializes in Emergency Dept.
Sometimes I really feel like one of those stupid people. :o We now have a $700 ER bill because I didn't know how serious my son's injury was. Just last month we were at a picnic. My son and another boy got into an argument and the other boy decided to settle it by cracking my son on the head with a metal broomstick. Ben (my son) came running to me, blood dripping down him. It was a head wound and there was just so much blood! We went to the ER where he ended up with 5 stitches! I didn't know it wasn't severe. If I had, I would have taken him to the pediatrician's office. They would most certainly have seen Ben and taken care of him with the same care that he was given in the ER (they were awesome, btw), and I would have been given a $70 bill instead of a $700 .:crying2: We have no insurance, so we are working out a payment arrangement with the hospital. I just feel so stupid, though. I can't wait to get to the part in my nursing training where I can rationally decide what is and isn't an emergency. I saw the blood and freaked. I know you all are talking about some pretty silly reasons to end up in the ER, but I feel just awful about my own decision that landed us in this situation. Do a lot of people who just need a few stitches end up in the ER, or is just me? Ugh!

Yes, a physician's office probably could've dealt with it and would've saved you some money, but since it was something that required stitches (which has to be done within a certain amount of time of injury) an ER visit is not out of the question. It's the people that come in for a scratch that most of us wouldn't put a bandaid on that frustrates us.

Specializes in med/surg.

When I was a student nurse on triage in the UK, many moons ago, a guy pushed another patient - who was incidently a rather nasty shade of grey & clutching his chest - out of the way because his daughter had broken the wire on her brace!!!!

Needless to say he got rathyer short shrift from me & my mentor who I called PDQ!

Ok, this is a 'near miss' story; but it could have been REALLY embarassing. My son was playing baseball at about age 10. When he came off the field, and took off his glove, his hand was purple. One of the mothers saw it and said 'OMG, better get him to the ER; it looks like there is no circulation in his hand! So we made a big ice pack and took him home first. He had been playing catcher, so he said it was 'a little sore'. My hubbie decides to call the doctor first. The doc listens over the phone, then says 'Get some alcohol and some cotton balls, and wipe the hand. We did, and the purple came right off! Turns out it was dye from the inside of the glove. Doc must have seen that one before! The dreaded 'purple hand syndrome'!!:lol2:

Specializes in oncology,med/surg,corrections.

Funniest thing i ever saw in the ER was a man had put a plastic pear up his orifice and could not get it out again.....

Funniest thing i ever saw in the ER was a man had put a plastic pear up his orifice and could not get it out again.....

which begs the question, which part of the pear went in first?

Specializes in ER, Hospice, CCU, PCU.

On the same line we have a patient that comes in every once in a while to have something removed from his rectum, You would think by now he would be embarrised :imbar enough to go to different hospitals. His last three abdominal surgeries were to remove a coke bottle, a very large zucuni, and the one that really had us puzzled was the hammer (head first).

Everytime we see him come is with that very distinctive walk we all try to guess what he lost now.:spam: :smackingf :confused:

Ok, so the eastern United States is suffering through 90+ degree weather that feels like 100 degrees.

This is the God's honest truth - had a 34 year old male come in to the Emergency Room today. Complaint? Hot and sweaty.

Specializes in pure and simple psych.
Ok, so the eastern United States is suffering through 90+ degree weather that feels like 100 degrees.

This is the God's honest truth - had a 34 year old male come in to the Emergency Room today. Complaint? Hot and sweaty.

:chuckle :roll What did he think you would do about that?

Specializes in Oncology/Haemetology/HIV.

Emergency application of cold packs and AC???????

we had a man come in (pt was in his 70's) States he was having diarrhea and needed to stay at work so he "plugged it up" with a lightbulb. Bulb end first. The xray was CLASSIC. The pt ended up leaving AMA. He didn't come back so we're hoping it was okay.

I am a med surg nurse....at work c/o abd pain, not normal for me, never even been to an ER before for medical tx, tell them I have polycystic ovaries as part of my history, though I have never had an utra sound for confirmation of a cyst....er doc does u/a only...oh, i think its just your cysts, go home and take this vicodin...that's it ... no blood work , ct scan or anything!! So, go home and take meds....still hurts 2 days later....go back to ed again ( mistake! should have went to urgent care or my md 1st )

did blood work and ct scan, no appendicitis but do have a cyst...but Doc says I think it may be kidney stones but we did the wrong CT scan for that so I will discharge you and call your md if this persists....no offer either time for medication even motrin!~ went to md -- I have 5 kidney stones!! I felt like the ER thought I was faking!! I am not overly dramatic, don't cry or fuss, just sit calmly and wait....that's the problem , people who act like they are dying for a hang nail get more attention that someone with real medical issues...........

I am a med surg nurse....at work c/o abd pain, not normal for me, never even been to an ER before for medical tx, tell them I have polycystic ovaries as part of my history, though I have never had an utra sound for confirmation of a cyst....er doc does u/a only...oh, i think its just your cysts, go home and take this vicodin...that's it ... no blood work , ct scan or anything!! So, go home and take meds....still hurts 2 days later....go back to ed again ( mistake! should have went to urgent care or my md 1st )

did blood work and ct scan, no appendicitis but do have a cyst...but Doc says I think it may be kidney stones but we did the wrong CT scan for that so I will discharge you and call your md if this persists....no offer either time for medication even motrin!~ went to md -- I have 5 kidney stones!! I felt like the ER thought I was faking!! I am not overly dramatic, don't cry or fuss, just sit calmly and wait....that's the problem , people who act like they are dying for a hang nail get more attention that someone with real medical issues...........

I know how that goes. I on the other hand do have serious problems with ovarian cysts. I've had some large ones and almost had to have them removed surgically. I have a very high tolernce for pain, I was a cheerleader in high school.. I've dislocated my knee cap and had fractures in my back, along with many sprains, strains, and bruises. I go to the ER tell the nurse I have a lot of pain and they are like well hunny you don't look like your in pain, you look fine.. they do an ultrasound and they just kind of look at me like wow I guess you really are in pain...:yelclap:

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