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 ?

She really should not have done that. It may be the kids were brainwashed and manipulated by the mother and that's why they avoid the father.

No, it was one of those far too common situations where neither parents should have custody.

:(

The overwhelming majority of divorced women I know want their kids to have a good relationship with their fathers (ditto never-married women, and the inverse for custodial fathers). She thinks it's totally hilarious that the kids don't want to see him, and that's heartbreaking to me.

Specializes in Retired OR nurse/Tissue bank technician.

Once I was probably the patient that was being talked about. *hangs head* I had injured my ankle at home and was limping quite a bit-my job required being on one's feet and sometimes moving equipment. When the charge nurse saw me limping, she said I had to bring documentation before the next day or I'd be off work-which meant no wage.

I lived in a community with no walk-in clinics (Urgent Care in the US), my GP's office closed at 5 and it was already evening. I went by the hospital and fortunately the ER was essentially empty-just one person in observation, so I signed in and apologized profusely to the MD, who was very good about it-not sure what she said once I left the building, though.

I've seen parents bring their cooing, happy babies in because they had the hiccups or because said babies had sneezed-twice! *insert sniffle and wobbly lip on the parent's part* These weren't even newborns-one was about 6-8 months and the other 4-5 months. The babies were more upset at the indignity of having their diapers taken off and their temperature taken than they were by their hiccups or now non-existant sneezes.

Another time I was in the ER myself with a suspected SJS reaction. I had been triaged and had to wait for a bit to get into a room. A woman, late 20s, was near me in the waiting area, along with a man and his 7 year old son; the boy had hit his head the day before and was still feeling dizzy and sick. The woman was nice and pink, eating while she waited, calm, etc. The boy was white and I was fire red, so she really seemed out of place among the three of us. As we all waited, the woman and the dad got to talking and he asked her what she was there for.

She said she'd come straight from her family doctor's office (yes, she'd already been seen by her GP that morning, barely an hour before) because she had a lump in her neck (pointed to her submandibular area)-I couldn't see a thing, no matter how she turned her head. She said her family doctor had felt it, said it was 0.5-1cm, was most likely a lymph node that was taking care of a bug of some sort, that it would probably pass in a few days and she may or may not come down with a cold or flu-both were going around. If it didn't go away, then come back in a week or two, or if it got lots bigger (meaning she and others could actually see it) then come back sooner.

So, given that report from her GP, why was she in the ER?

She wanted a second opinion. :angryfire :trout:

Specializes in Management, Emergency, Psych, Med Surg.

An oyster? This is so funny.

Specializes in Management, Emergency, Psych, Med Surg.

There were so many things. Hangnails, pregnancy tests, etc. As the triage nurse, after assessing these pt I would usually recommend an alternative to them. I did not turn them away but I would encourage them to go home and get a pregnancy test at a pharmacy. The problem was that many of them were not smart enough to know how to use it.

I had a woman come in with her daughter who had lice. We gave her a prescription and explained the procedure. She looked at me like a deer stunned in the head lights. She had NEVER been to a pharmacy!!! Came straight out of the East Texas woods. ( I grew up in East Texas, I know how people are there).

There were so many things. Hangnails, pregnancy tests, etc. As the triage nurse, after assessing these pt I would usually recommend an alternative to them. I did not turn them away but I would encourage them to go home and get a pregnancy test at a pharmacy. The problem was that many of them were not smart enough to know how to use it.

I had a woman come in with her daughter who had lice. We gave her a prescription and explained the procedure. She looked at me like a deer stunned in the head lights. She had NEVER been to a pharmacy!!! Came straight out of the East Texas woods. ( I grew up in East Texas, I know how people are there).

Not smart enough to know how to use a pregnancy test, and now they might have a baby? Niiiiiiice.

How long ago was the head lice kid? Nowadays, people like that would know all about pharmacies because their kids would be on ADD meds before they are out of diapers, and antipsychotics before they started kindergarten, and getting an SSI check to boot, even though the child probably has nothing more wrong with them than the misfortune of being born to the wrong parents.

Specializes in Emergency Department.

Sometimes we wonder.... lol...

Specializes in Emergency Department.

Amen to that.

Specializes in Emergency Department.
Had a man come in for shooting up with coffee - yep you read it right.

He said "I thought that if it gave me a buzz when I drank it, it would really make me feel good if I shot it"

Skin grafts, Vanco, psych unit.

That's a new one... gees.

Specializes in ortho, hospice volunteer, psych,.

My dorm was one of three brand new circular dorms on campus and phones were located in alcoves in inner walls -- 1 phone for every 3 or 4 rooms. A friend was pinning up a pair of jeans that were too long. One leg was pinned up and the other not and someone yelled that I had a call and off I went, running, and WHAM! and SPLAT! I not only broke my nose and blackened both eyes but I bled all over the new carpeting... Got to the ER across the street where they absolutely refused to believe what I told them. Didn't help that my boyfriend (a football tackle) who had accompanied me was 6' 9 1/2" to my 5'4".

sharpeimom:paw::paw:

During nursing school I worked in the ED triage. We had one lady brought to the front desk by EMS for.......menstrual cramps. When she was told it'd be a six hour wait, she said "Ok," and proceeded to whimper in her wheelchair in the corner for six hours. The doc wrote her a note for Midol.

Specializes in ER, Step-Down.
Oh, and one guy had some plastic thing in his member right underneath the skin, I guess to make it more pleasureable for her. It was in the shape of a money sign. Well, new girlfriend didn't like it so he tried to cut it out himself ???? That was dumb!

hahaha... so glad to hear someone else in the world has this. Had a pt that had two stars like that... one of the more bizarre things I've ever seen

There have been so many.

Two women in there 50's "We both got stung by a wasp" I asked if they were allergic to insect stings. The answer, "That is why we are here so you can tell us." No redness or swelling anywhere.

Child brought in because they got dizzy while blowing up a baloon. Feel fine now.

Very sweet one: Father brought in 4 month old to be checked for a head injury. " She rolled over for the first time and just seemed very startled." I asked what she fell off he states, "nothing she was on the carpeted floor."

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