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 ER, ICU, L&D, OR.

Came in by ems for chest pain, but he only wanted to see the rest of the football game. His tv was broken by his wife.

actually seems reasonable

This happened when I was an EMT--not to me, but to someone else I worked with. Got called out late at night, call was "ineffective airway". EMS gets there. Lady is obviously a prostitute. Stated she couldn't breath because she had a pubic hair caught in her throat from last night....

I had a patient that came in recently because "her pee felt too hot".

Specializes in ER.

Three really stick out in my mind...

1) Had a patient that came in with a "toy" stuck in his rectum - states that someone put it on the seat of his car as a joke...now, I ask, how many of you get into the driver's seat of your vehicle naked and do not notice something like that standing up in the seat (fake story, you think???!!!):confused:

2) Had a guy who was "experimenting" with his wife and actually had a Yankee candle (you know, the ones in the big jars) stuck in his rectum...OUCH!:smackingf

Both of them went to surgery, of course.

3) Had a girl who came in through triage and said that she had a tampon inside of her that she couldn't find. MD did a pelvic and didn't find it either. She came in next night through triage for same problem, but it was really busy so she went home and called an ambulance to bring her in - thought she wouldn't have to wait. Got to ER and we sent her back to triage (haha). Anyway, another pelvic by another MD who couldn't find tampon. She never came back - maybe we should've made her a psych patient?:roll

Just a SN for now, but work registration in the local ER so I've seen a few... And this is my first post here, I feel like I fit right in!

10yo boy - I asked "What brings you in today?" and he replies: Well, I had me an itch on ma butt, so I went to scratch it. And when I pulled my fingah out, I had me a big ole WORM!" (all said with a huge grin on his face).

19yo girl who wants a pg test. RN triage informs said girl we do not do pg tests, try the local health dept, wal-mart, or dollar store (yes, they have them for $1!). Pt leaves, returns w/in 5 minutes c/o abdominal pain and lady partsl bleeding. *sigh*

40ish yo male presents with "headache" x1 hours. RN triage asks pt to remove hat, at which point blood pours down pt's face from a gaping head wound. Gee, bet he did have a headache!

50ish yo female, looks like Elvira... "What brings you in today?" : well, when I was about 3 I got hit by a car... blahblahblahblah and then when I was 14 I was raped and caught chlamydia so I had to take some pills for a while... blahblahblahblah and then : RN triage interrupts "What is your chief complaint TODAY?" : I just been feelin' tired. (brought by EMS of course)

Specializes in NA, Stepdown, L&D, Trauma ICU, ER.
Came in by ems for chest pain, but he only wanted to see the rest of the football game. His tv was broken by his wife.

actually seems reasonable

So using limited resources (there are only so many ambulances available at any given time) to take you to the hospital for a bogus complaint to watch tv is reasonable now? Interesting concept...:uhoh21:

Most rediculous happened last night: 8 month-old got hold of flour, ate it, and then fell asleep. Parents were worried.

Specializes in ER, ICU, L&D, OR.
So using limited resources (there are only so many ambulances available at any given time) to take you to the hospital for a bogus complaint to watch tv is reasonable now? Interesting concept...:uhoh21:

Well I did say his TV was broken by his wife, maybe he feared she would break him.

It really makes me angry to go through the checkout at the grocery with a $100+ grocery that I had to scratch for and the woman in front of me is paying for a crapload of junkfood, seafood, steaks, etc. with foodstamps....and she's wearing Abercrombie/Hollister/American Eagle clothes and jewelry there's no way I can afford.

When I was in college, I knew students who found ways to get food stamps, not because they came from struggling families, but because they had a limited budget and wanted to save their own money for other things, like beer. One guy I knew who did this was a member of a frat that was known for being a haven for young Republicans... and he said he knew lots of guys in his fraternity who did exactly the same thing. I also knew a girl who was planning to transfer to a nursing program who was talking about pulling the same stunt. :( They may not have been rich, but they weren't really poor, either. They'd just found a way to work the system, despite the ethical issues.

Specializes in ER, ICU, L&D, OR.

Well Beer is a basic food group isnt it, when in school anyway

A father brought his little girl into the ER one night because she wouldn't take the liquid antibiotic her pediatrician ordered. During the entire visit the father was walking behind this 5 to 6 year old with the medicine bottle and spoon trying to get the little tyke to ingest what she obviously felt was a very disgusting taste. The child was brought into the ER and the ER ordered a different oral medication which the child took without any issue and home they went. :penguin:

Specializes in emergency.
Had another great one this past weekend. Tell me if you ever got this one: middle age female presents to ER with c/o generalized rash (looked like eczema) for 2 weeks (yep - 2 weeks) asked why she didn't see her PMD, she states she "didn't have time". VSS, no acute distress - as she watches me mark her chart "non-urgent" she asked if we were busy. I replied, "Well, it is the weekend and this is a trauma center - we have several high acuity patients so you may have to wait for awhile." (I figure honesty is the best policy - why mislead her?) Well, I'll be darned. As an after thought, she suddenly remembers that she is also having chest pain. Ofcourse that bought her the LAST mon bed and a cardiac work up (which was negative) but hey - she got seen quicker ... never mind that the work up took even more of her time and she complained the whole time. I guess the "chest pain" BS call has unfortunately became public knowledge as a means of getting seen quicker. Geez ...

Yes, I have that all the time, more so when we are busy. They come in with a mild complaint of something totally different, and when they find out it's going to be a long wait, they suddenly remember they are also having chest pain. That is so aggravating! I wonder if they think I'm really that gullible! Fortunately I can r/o many of them by asking them if the pain is sharp or dull pressure, if worse with cough, inspiration, palpation. Many patients who try the CP trick don't actually know the characteristics of cardiac pain versus bronchitis/smoker's cough and I make them wait their turn. Any doubt of course and I get an EKG, I do send several questionable patients back, but there are those you just know are being manipulative.

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