What things do your family members do that drive the nurse in you nuts?

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1. My dad takes his lasix and digoxin religiously, but never takes his potassium.

2. My mom takes tylenol PM to sleep every night, even though she has no pain, just wants to sleep. I keep telling her plain benadryl will suffice, and she insists that tylenol PM works better.

3. My whole family abuses antibiotics. They take half courses. They save them for future use. They want them for stuffy noses. They want them in case their colds turns into an infection- just in case.

Specializes in ER.

Trying to refuse to take a 4 day course of Bactrim for a simple UTI because..."I will NOT be dependent on the evil pharmacutical companies!"

(I told her, "Mom, if you get cancer, I promise we will do the palliative thing and hospice and all that jazz. If something catastrophic happens and you need a vent, I swear I won't let anyone within a hundred yards of you with an ET tube. But you will take the Bactrim and will not die of a UTI because that will be embarassing for me and all my nurse friends will think I suck." :D She's fine now. )

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Specializes in Developmentally Disabled, LTC, Clinic, Hospital.

SMOKING!

My mothers' best lines...

1. Smoking after a lung resection: "Please God, don't let it be cancer, if its not cancer I'll stop smoking!" DX: Histoplasmosis. "Well I've smoked all these years and its not cancer, the cigs must not be as bad as they say"

2. Could you bump up my O2 a little bit? I'm short of breath. (H*LL yes you are short of breath, you just smoked a freakin pack of cigarettes!!)

3. I wish I could stop coughing so much. (STOP SMOKING!!)

4. Why don't you come and visit more often? (Because the cigarette smoke is so thick I can't see you when I'm there, might as well just call and save MY lungs!!!)

5. I wonder why the grandkids (that live with said smokers) always have ear infections, bronchitis, asthma attacks? (Because you smoke like a freight train!)

My all time favorite is "You complain about the smoking now, it never bothered you when you lived at home". DUH--my lungs had never had a breath of fresh air... I've not lived there for 20 years!! *I* don't smoke!! YES!! It bothers me!:banghead:

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Specializes in Acute Care Cardiac, Education, Prof Practice.

I have an aunt who incessantly emails me about random sets of symptoms. I gave her very concise and clear instructions on how to find a doc, list her symptoms and eve designed a quick and dirty symptom journal.

After the 5th email with a whole new set of symptoms and references to three different and separate doctors/visits I just stopped emailing back.

Tait

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1. Asking why kid has cough, chest infection, asthma then getting angry at me when I inform them that smoking near their kid is probably why kid has a "smokers" cough, constant chest infections and asthma! "Oh, but we smoke outside" [with the door open], and "oh, but we have the windows down when we smoke in the car".

2. Not finishing their antibotics or asking "hey, is this okay to take" [AB that expired four years ago].

3. Asking for advice about birth control then getting ***** at me when I tell them certain BC doesn't protect against STD or why when on AB that the pill ain't 100% effective.

4. The paracetamol you buy from the supermarket that is clearly oral is not to be shoved up your orifice, and NO i will not be doing the shoving...

5. Being told "oh, when I got stung by a bee I was covered in a rash all over and my tounge and throat got all puffy... but I'm pretty sure I'm not allergic or need to carry adrenalin". :banghead:

THen there's my flat mate and his foul orifice smoking habit! "Don't be stupid! Smoking doesn't cause cancer, its a bunch of things that causes cancer". (the guy who has had cancer that almost killed him should not be pushing his luck, me thinks). Followed through with - oh, its okay to wear a four nictonine patches, smoke and chew the gum at the same time, cos its the toxins in the smoking that's bad right, not the nictoine!"

And what REALLY ticks me off:

"I've had sex with at least 140 girls and over 100 of them I've never used condoms or anythign with and I dont' have any diseases".

To which my reply fell upon death ears "you know, some STDs don't have symptoms you can notice"... "Oh, but I'd notice if I had an STD".

Would you notice if I whacked you up side the head with a rolled up news paper? Seesh.

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Specializes in LTC, case mgmt, agency.

They know it all because they " googled it ".

Mom's favorite quote," You just need more sleep".

Or because I'm a nurse I must be told every little ache and pain or every gross disgusting thing that they possibly have or could have.

Or they " have a friend " who needs advise.

Father who is diabetic but won't check his blood sugars or eat the prescribed diet!!! Then complains he is dizzy and diaphoretic.

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Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.

refusing to call 911 when they know they're having a heart attack. in fact, dad woke up with chest pain, sob, nausea, etc. "i thought i was having a heart attack," he said. "so i went outside to split some wood just to see what would happen." what happened was he went down. mom drove the car up next to him, dragged him into the car and drove him to the hospital. "it's ok," she says. "i know cpr."

but do you know how to do it while you're driving?

calling me (2000 miles away) at midnight to tell me that "i'm having one big fat beat and one little skinny beat and one big fat beat, and the doctor wants to do a 12 lead. what should i do?" then calling me back to tell me that the doctor wanted to give him procainamide (ok, this was 20 years ago) and asking what i thought he should do. when i told him to take the procainamide, he said "you're just like those pill pushers they have here." then telling me, "no, you don't need to come. i don't want to bother you." wth?

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Chain smoke and then avoid medication because of worries about side effects.

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1. My dad takes his lasix and digoxin religiously, but never takes his potassium.

2. My mom takes tylenol PM to sleep every night, even though she has no pain, just wants to sleep. I keep telling her plain benadryl will suffice, and she insists that tylenol PM works better.

3. My whole family abuses antibiotics. They take half courses. They save them for future use. They want them for stuffy noses. They want them in case their colds turns into an infection- just in case.

LOL @ #3! Thats totally my mother! She always has antibiotics and cough syrup she keeps on hand "just in case" and takes it whenever she feels sick.

Although it is endearing at times, I cant stand it when friends/family expect me to diagnose every ache and pain because I am their "little nurse".

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Not telling the doctor she is on birth control, beginning a course of antibiotics and ending up pregnant. So she comes to me complaining "they never asked me if I was on birth control!" I ask "didn't they want a list of current medications you are taking?" And she goes "well, yeah, but birth control is not a medication." :banghead:

Telling me a list of symptoms, asking me what it could be and when I tell them to make an apt with their PCP, they say "no, I'll be fine." Then whay are you asking for my help!?!?!?

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Specializes in Geriatrics, Home Health.

My Mom had abdominal surgery July 1, which is probably the worst day of the year to have surgery. I was there when she came out. She didn't know if she had a colostomy, but she wouldn't let me look at her abdomen to see if she had one. She wanted me to spend the night in her room, but not sleep. She wanted me to turn off the IV pump because it kept alarming. I kept telling her not to raise her arm, but she wouldn't listen.

A few years ago, one of my relatives died suddenly from undetected cancer. Her husband filed a malpractice suit. They keep sending me copies of the expert testimony, and asking for my opinion.

My co-workers at my current (non-nursing) job know I'm an RN. Two got pregnant, then bombarded me with questions about their pregnancy. My boss told me all about his virtual colonoscopy.

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1. My Grandma. She had a simple outpatient knee surgery and was supposed to wear an immobilizer, use crutches and be on bedrest for a couple days. The only time she ever wore the immobilizer was home from the hospital, never used the crutches and went grocery shopping the next day, saying- I'll lean on the cart!

She also doesn't beleive in pain control. She complains of pain but then won't take anything stating "If I use it too much now it wont work when I'm older and really need it". Woman! Its Extra Strength Tylenol! I try to explain to her about pain control, but it falls on deaf ears.

She does something to her back and cant stand up straight. I tell her to call her doc, she states she will after my uncle goes home...in 1 week!!

2. My Grandad. Hx of colon ca. I wake up one day and noticed the bathroom is a bloody mess. I tell my Grandma and she says the mattress was a mess too. I tell her to ask him if the blood came from the front or the back, either way it BAD. He's very vague. I tell him he has to call his doctor. He states he did, doc said "don't worry about it, call me if it happens again'. Yeah right!!

3. My sister. A hypochondriac and is constantly telling me everything that's wrong with her and how impcompetent her doctor is. Wants me to figure out ALL her meds. When I tell her something she said doesnt' make sense or line up with that drug or disease, she states- she knows her body better than me.

Family! Gotta love 'em because you're stuck with 'em.

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Not washing hands before meals, chewing on tips of fingers, telling ME medical advice (you know low blood pressure is just as bad as high blood pressure~not quite!), taking Tylenol PM , being know-it-alls about medicine when they don't even know what it does to the body (Statins always hurt your liver):argue::argue: NOT taking my advice!!

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