What was the MOST ridiculous thing a patient came to the ER for?

Specialties Emergency Nursing Q/A

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 Pediatrics; School Nursing;Public Health.

True confession time....my (at the time) 17 y/o daughter was being treated for otitis. I woke her up for school and told her to turn on her side so I could put in her ear drops. Grabbed the bottle from her bed side table and instilled...you guessed it...nail glue!! :eek: This icon is exactly how I looked as I dragged her to the sink and held her head under the faucet....my husband thought her hair was on fire :angryfire Damn bottles were the same size and shape!! But no (sigh) I did not read the label...my VERY bad! Spent the morming in the ER while they painfully picked out pieces of glue. I almost called DYFS on myself. She has never let me forget it!:o

Specializes in Hospice.
Phone calls to the ER's are still free and any nurse would rather answer a nurse advice call rather than putting up with a head lice 'emergency'.

That makes sense! However, I know that our local hospital ER cannot give out any suggestions/ advice other than to come in to the ER (due to liability issues I believe).

Specializes in ER.

"The baby has pink cheeks." Was the baby sick? No. Was the baby sunburned? No. "He has pink cheeks. Someone pinched him." (Sniff, sniff) Did the baby have candy recently? "No, but he ate an ice pop about an hour ago." More like he painted himself with the ice pop, cause his cheeks were both pink and sticky.

These people procreate and I can't even get a dinner and a movie out of a guy. Sheesh! :eek:

Specializes in Mostly LTC, some acute and some ER,.

:nono: "I had to drive 8 hours today, and my bottom is really hurting."

I mean come on!!! I was thinking I have already been working 9 hours, by back hurts, my feet hurt, my bladder is about to rupture and you want me to do WHAT about it!!! Toradol?, Morphine?, how about a nice syringe full of Gohomewalkaroundorlaydownandstayoffyourorificeforacouplehours?!"

Sorry, but I can't stand it when these people come in when there are emergencies REALLY going on.

Luv always

:monkeydance: Mandi

Specializes in Mostly LTC, some acute and some ER,.
That makes sense! However, I know that our local hospital ER cannot give out any suggestions/ advice other than to come in to the ER (due to liability issues I believe).

Mine too. I wish I could create an answering service.

If you have a real emergency, come and be seen or hang up and dial 911

If you have a headache, take a tylenol or ibuprofen.

If your stomach hurts, take an antacid

If you have been just a puking all morning, your body is trying to do away with a bug on its own. If it persists for more that 3 days, make an appointment at the clinic.

If you are inquiring about a patient, we cannot verify who you are, so hang up and get into your car, and ask in person.

If you have a cold, press one, you'll be transfered to the clinic

If you have a question about your bill, press 2 to speak with the business office.

If you are calling to talk to a staff member, we are busy, so wait until he or she gets home, and try there!

Unfortunantly, that would all probably be a liability too.

Mandi

Specializes in Peds.
tink you are right about using the chest pain to get in the fast lane....my DON told me if i ever wanted to get through er fast to c/o chest pain and act like i had dyspnea...by the way i love pic of sleeping cats

I'm not sure I like this suggestion. Too many of us have cardiac issues out there, including me. I for one, put things off and usually don't get seen when I should. However, I'd hate to think that I'd need seen for a cardiological issue and get stuck behind someone that wanted "fast laned".

we had a patient who arrived by ambulance asking for detox for the 12th time (really a drunk who wants to sleep over real detox people know to come at 0900 in the AM and show up at the psych dept.) told he had to wait in the ED waiting room to be seen. 20 minutes later get a call from the ambulance bringing in a pt wanting detox with a cold. Lo and behold it is the same pt. Apparently he got tired of waiting dailed 911 from the lobby. The EMT's told him they could not go to any other hospital but the patient refused to listen and demanded a trip to the ED. So they wheeled him from the foyer to the ambulance then around to the ambulance entry and wheeled him into the main ED. He got shipped backed to triage and told he could go to fast track. He walked out 20 minutes later without being seen by the MD

Specializes in ER, NICU, NSY and some other stuff.

How about 4 chigger bites on the waistband area? Not infected just itchy.

We just had a mom bring her daughter in because the daughter could not stop itching her head (she arrived in the ER at 200am). The girl's head was full of lice and her hair was the filthiest hair I have ever seen. Needless to say, we spent the rest of the shift itching our heads, and had to close the room until it was completely cleaned by Housekeeping!!!

ack that makes my head itchy just hinkin about it.

I once brought my son into the emergency room with a broken little toe (he was 6, it was S shaped). Hey- I didn't know, I figured they would put a tiny little cast on it. They took an X-ray though...

Specializes in ER, Med/Surg.

Bee sting, not allergic, no soa, just "got stung".

2 weeks later:

Same guy, same thing.

Specializes in ortho/neuro/general surgery.

Okay, I'll fess up.... When my youngest was just a few days old, or maybe a few weeks old, I almost brought her to the ER cuz she kept crying and I thought her heel bone had gotten dislocated. :rolleyes: I wasn't a nurse yet at that time. I thought the heel of her foot was sticking out more than the other one, and that's why she was crying. Sheesh... postpartum depression, I guess. Thankfully an online nurse friend who I was ICQ'ing with at the time talked sense into me, or I would've ended up on this thread.:monkeydance:

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