whats the worst or funniest item family has snuck in to your pt?

Published

i have been a nurse a long time & familys can make or break your day.

was wondering what items you have seen family sneak in to pts?

i have had candy for diabetics, shavers with blades for cutters (omg), marijuana for grandpa...even had one man bring heroin in for his buddy........

what about you??:bugeyes:

Specializes in LTC, assisted living, med-surg, psych.

I was taking care of a pt. with asthma exacerbation whose family snuck in their cat AND four kittens. :smackingf

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in ICU, nutrition.
Microwave, food processor, hot plate. They were making lasagne.

That reminds me of the family that set up buffet in the waiting room on a Sunday afternoon. They were all there to visit Daddy and they always had lunch on Sunday, so they just moved together all the tables in the SICU waiting room. There were like 15 covered homemade dishes! They didn't share though and left a big mess when they were done. The housekeeper was furious!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in L&D, OB/GYN clinic.

My father was dying of lung CA. He was admitted to the VA hospital for pain control. Even with the assistance of Hospice, he was never pain/nausea free. My brother took him some marijuana. He smoked it and noone said a thing. (This was 7 years ago. I don't know if patients can smoke in a VA hospital now.) I don't know if it helped but I think he enjoyed it. He died the following week at my brother's home.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in DOU.

I had a morbidly obese patient who had a gastric bypass surgery that ruptured. She had a feeding tube and was supposed to be NPO, but her family brought her in boxes of Sees candy.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in ER.

A pistol.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Med/Surg.
Not snuck in, but large as life and twice as ugly!

Pet budgerigars in a cage-they stayed-not a quick visit.

Pt was a surgeon at the hospital, management let him off with everything!

Budgies aren't ugly! :) Just noisy. :lol2:

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Psychiatric.

When I was still working inpatient, one of our patients, who had a prosthetic leg, had a friend who snuck him cigarettes:smokin:, matches, and some BIG nails...prior to his admission, he had somehow drilled holes in his prosthetic leg, and he was hiding the smokes, the matches, and the nails in the holes. When we discovered this cache, we did a 'shakedown' on the leg and confiscated the items. At that point he got really mad, took off his leg, and threw it at me...at THAT point, I confiscated his leg because he tried to use it as a weapon:D...He spent the next 2 days scooting around our unit in a wheelchair.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in ER, TRAUMA, MED-SURG.

About 4 or 5 yrs ago, I was working on a med surg overflow unit and one of the patients brought in their own home meds but he said he left them at home. He was self medicating and accidentally ODed on pain meds along with everything else he was getting. Another nurse and I were in the room and the other nurse was going to secure the rest of the home meds, and opened the suitcase - and it was FULL of sex toys/aides, and lacy bras and thongs.

I sure didn't need to see that so early in the am! Talk about a shocker.

Anne, RNC

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Hey my family also had a buffet in the waiting room when my grandpa was sick. It was Thanksgiving though. We shared with with his nurses and another nurse who kept bugging the family for food after that day...to bad she lives with us. ;)

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Trauma, Teaching.

The family pot bellied pig, in to see the post op appy kid.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Pedatrics, Child Protection.

A box of kittens.

The family cat had given birth (again) and the adult children thought that they should bring the cat and her kittens into the LTC to stay with their mom b/c they thought that the nurses and aides would take them home.

Although I adore cats and kittens....NOT flea-ridden ones in a healthcare facility. Did I mention they brought the animals but no litter? GROSS!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
A box of kittens.

The family cat had given birth (again) and the adult children thought that they should bring the cat and her kittens into the LTC to stay with their mom b/c they thought that the nurses and aides would take them home.

Although I adore cats and kittens....NOT flea-ridden ones in a healthcare facility. Did I mention they brought the animals but no litter? GROSS!

Maybe they were trying to create an "Eden" facility.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion