What is your worst visitor story?

Nurses General Nursing

Published

What is the worst thing a visitor has done?

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

There was the visitor who gave her intubated son an entire bottle of Snapple by wetting a swab and putting it in his mouth. Sadly, the patient aspirated and eventually died. She wanted to sue the hospital for "killing my son."

There was the woman who was convinced that her prayers would revive her recently deceased husband. She barricaded herself in the room with candles, incense and various religious symbols. When engineering took the door off (after about six hours of dithering by management as to whether the candles and incense represented a real threat or not), she flung herself on top of the body screaming and fighting anyone who came near. That went on for several hours before the police came and forcibly removed her.

There was the prostitute who regularly made the rounds of the men's medical ward at (Famous east coast hospital) back when the ward was two large rooms -- one with 14 beds in a circle and one with 16 beds in a circle. For $2 (or so I was told), she'd perform sex acts with the curtains drawn around the bed and another patient about two feet away.

There was the visitor who had beaten his wife within an inch of her life and was turned away by the charge nurse when he decided to visit her later to "finish the job." He stood outside with a rifle, firing shots into the window of the ICU.

There was the visitor who didn't recognize his wife after the 40 liters of fluid she got in the OR (OK, I might not have recognized her either) and decided to "(bad word that rhymes with duck) up the doctor."

And then there was the one who, when given a sad prognosis for his mother, actually shot the doctor in question. That wasn't my unit, but mine was within sight line and range of his weapon.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Oh man, the stuff we are subjected to in healthcare!

As for visitors; There was the boyfriend and patient that decided sex before bed rest was lifted post heart cath was a good idea. This resulted in the largest hematoma I've ever seen!

2 visitors, each visiting different patients-strangers before this day, that decided having very loud sex in the stairwell was a good idea.

The group home "sitter" that showed up drunk and high as a kite, smelling to high heaven of ETOH and MJ to sit with an MR patient for the evening. A big NOPE on that one. He got extremely angry when we called the group home to let them know why we wouldn't allow him to stay with the patient. Security had to escort him off the unit and the police department was notified and picked him up for drunk driving before he even left the parking lot.

and who can forget the mom and daughter(mid 30s) that beat the snot out of each other in the restroom. Security had to remove the door! they accused the security guards of trying see them naked, since clearly, they were just "going pee"...both were bloody and the sink had been broken off of the wall...

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Palliative, Onc, Med-Surg, Home Hospice.
Had patient take fentanyl patch of of sharps and chew it. She also peed on toilet paper, ran the paper over her brand new knee incision. She had replacement done because of a recall. Needless to say, knee got infected. So she had a sitter. She stayed in until 2nd knee was completed. She took her methadone crushed it put it in cap of inhaler. That got switched to elixir.

Both acute care facilities that I worked for had that happen. we were no longer allowed to put fentanyl patches in the sharps containers. We got the "cactus". As it was in the locked med room, no access accept staff. Pharmacy had to empty the "cactus"

I've seen visitors steal the fentanyl patches off patients. They couldn't understand why it was such a big deal (patch placed on day 1, taken off on day 2. Then claim ignorance that it is a 72 hour patch) They also didn't understand why security (or police) were escorting them out of the facility.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Pediatric Critical Care.
Had patient take fentanyl patch of of sharps and chew it. She also peed on toilet paper, ran the paper over her brand new knee incision. She had replacement done because of a recall. Needless to say, knee got infected. So she had a sitter. She stayed in until 2nd knee was completed. She took her methadone crushed it put it in cap of inhaler. That got switched to elixir.

On purpose? But...why? Am I just not thinking enough like an addict?

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Pediatric Critical Care.
There was the boyfriend and patient that decided sex before bed rest was lifted post heart cath was a good idea. This resulted in the largest hematoma I've ever seen!

I mean, you just said that he had to stay supine... :rolleyes:

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Pediatric Critical Care.
There was the visitor who gave her intubated son an entire bottle of Snapple by wetting a swab and putting it in his mouth. Sadly, the patient aspirated and eventually died. She wanted to sue the hospital for "killing my son."

There was the woman who was convinced that her prayers would revive her recently deceased husband. She barricaded herself in the room with candles, incense and various religious symbols. When engineering took the door off (after about six hours of dithering by management as to whether the candles and incense represented a real threat or not), she flung herself on top of the body screaming and fighting anyone who came near. That went on for several hours before the police came and forcibly removed her.

There was the prostitute who regularly made the rounds of the men's medical ward at (Famous east coast hospital) back when the ward was two large rooms -- one with 14 beds in a circle and one with 16 beds in a circle. For $2 (or so I was told), she'd perform sex acts with the curtains drawn around the bed and another patient about two feet away.

There was the visitor who had beaten his wife within an inch of her life and was turned away by the charge nurse when he decided to visit her later to "finish the job." He stood outside with a rifle, firing shots into the window of the ICU.

There was the visitor who didn't recognize his wife after the 40 liters of fluid she got in the OR (OK, I might not have recognized her either) and decided to "(bad word that rhymes with duck) up the doctor."

And then there was the one who, when given a sad prognosis for his mother, actually shot the doctor in question. That wasn't my unit, but mine was within sight line and range of his weapon.

Were these all at hospitals that you were actually working at when they happened? Seriously Ruby, you have had the wildest career. Ever thread like this that you comment on just convinces me more.

...and how many years ago was it that the prostitute was charging only $2? I hope not recently because she isn't much of a businesswoman if shes undercharging by that much!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Pediatric Critical Care.
Both acute care facilities that I worked for had that happen. we were no longer allowed to put fentanyl patches in the sharps containers. We got the "cactus". As it was in the locked med room, no access accept staff. Pharmacy had to empty the "cactus"

I've seen visitors steal the fentanyl patches off patients. They couldn't understand why it was such a big deal (patch placed on day 1, taken off on day 2. Then claim ignorance that it is a 72 hour patch) They also didn't understand why security (or police) were escorting them out of the facility.

What is "the cactus"?

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Public Health, TB.

A Cactus is a brand name narcotic disposal container for liquids, tablets and patches.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]25634[/ATTACH]

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Pediatric Critical Care.
A Cactus is a brand name narcotic disposal container for liquids, tablets and patches.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]25634[/ATTACH]

Well thats classy. At my top-rated academic medical center, we just squirted liquid narcotic waste into a Cavi-wipe container filled with kitty litter.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in NICU, ICU, PICU, Academia.
Well thats classy. At my top-rated academic medical center, we just squirted liquid narcotic waste into a Cavi-wipe container filled with kitty litter.

We used to (1980s NICU) squirt it into a potted plant. They finally bought us something to squirt narc waste in and you have never seen a plant die as quickly as that thing did.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in NICU, ICU, PICU, Academia.

ACK! I just remembered this after running in to the person in question in WalMart this morning.

Middle of the night I was the house supervisor when a little girl (family had been in a traffic accident on the interstate and we were arranging a hotel for them) comes out of the restroom across from the ER waiting room and tells me "There's a sick lady in there". I grab an ER nurse and we go charging in there to find a woman unresponsive on the toilet, but is still wearing her pants. Crawl under and unlock the door to the stall. She starts to come around with all the commotion and is clearly high. Really high.

Only then do I notice she has stuffed in her sweatpants an enormous compressed air / keyboard cleaner canister. This particular brand comes in a 10" high 'family-size'! The locals enjoy huffing these after shoplifting them from said WalMart. Cops are called as she is not a patient, not visiting anyone- just stopped in to huff and she was driving.

She then proceeds to tell me that it is her "asthma inhaler".

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Med-Surg/Neuro/Oncology floor nursing..
On purpose? But...why? Am I just not thinking enough like an addict?

My guess is to get the incision infected so she could have a legit though manufactured reason to get narcs?

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Add a Comment