Where there is smoke ... there is usually a cigarette

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It's been years since smoking has been allowed in public places.....including hospitals. But this doesn't deter some patients. They will go to all lengths to get their nicotine fix. Have you had encounters with smokers who try to bend and break the rules?

Specializes in Med nurse in med-surg., float, HH, and PDN.

One of those spinal-cord patients I mentioned in my post above had his sweet little sister bring in brownies, and I was offered a sample. I had eaten 1 & 1/2 of these really delicious brownies when they told me she had made pot​ brownies. Well, that was about 9:30 PM. I had to give report at 11PM and I honestly don't know HOW I did it. Needless to say I had to take a cab home that night. (again, this was in the early '70's).

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In the past month we've had two patients caught smoking in their room, another patient had their cigs seized and locked after they walked around asking for a light, and one lady on HIGH FLOW NC O2 light herself and the bed on fire after lighting up in the room.

I'm just thankful she didn't blow up the whole danged hospital. Every time I think of her I get so disgusted with human beans and their not-so-common sense.

I'm to the point where I think each patient should be searched at admittance and all lighters and cigarettes either tossed, locked, or sent home. It's all fun and games until someone gets sent to the burn unit.

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Specializes in Geriatrics, Dialysis.
One of those spinal-cord patients I mentioned in my post above had his sweet little sister bring in brownies, and I was offered a sample. I had eaten 1 & 1/2 of these really delicious brownies when they told me she had made pot​ brownies. Well, that was about 9:30 PM. I had to give report at 11PM and I honestly don't know HOW I did it. Needless to say I had to take a cab home that night. (again, this was in the early '70's).

Sweet Jesus! I shouldn't laugh at that, because really you worked a couple hours impaired and at least nowadays that could get you in some real and major trouble! But my goodness, I sure will think twice about partaking in the home baked goodies this holiday season!

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Specializes in Peds/outpatient FP,derm,allergy/private duty.

Oh yes! Looking back, it amazes me how acceptable smoking was for both patients and staff. I'm recalling the break room of a large multi-specialty clinic I worked in. It literally had a perpetual cloud of smoke hovering over the top half of the room and had a seating capacity of up to 30 people at one time.

Non-smokers never demanded a smoke-free break room. On the other hand, watching people struggle down the hallway with their oxygen and seeing "patient still smoking" in the notes was so disturbing to me I quit smoking and became one less person polluting the air in Secondhand Smoke Central (aka the break room) I still count that as among the top decisions I ever made in my life.

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Specializes in Med nurse in med-surg., float, HH, and PDN.
Sweet Jesus! I shouldn't laugh at that, because really you worked a couple hours impaired and at least nowadays that could get you in some real and major trouble! But my goodness, I sure will think twice about partaking in the home baked goodies this holiday season!

Gads, I can't even imagine it happening today! I was in my early twenties when this event took place.

Well, the brownies didn't even start taking effect until about 15 minutes before report, but that was bad enough! Just before I went to give report I stuck my head in the patient's room and said to him and his sister, "Toto, I don't think I'm in Kansas anymore."...which left them laughing until they cried. I just tried very hard to be straight-laced and sober acting, made report brief and to the point and got the h___ out of there! I really would have hated to have to do actual working or charting​ in that condition. Fortunately I was essentially through with everything except for report. It's a thousand wonders nobody asked me why my eyes were lit up like christmas-tree lights. By the time the cab dropped me off my brain was feeling like I'd had 3 glasses of champagne, loopy as all get-out!

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Specializes in Trauma, Teaching.

I was the one who argued and got smoking banned in our "lounge", a room about 6x10 with lockers and maybe 5 chairs. People were propped everywhere and it stank. That was in '84.

As an aide in the 70's it was my job to help my little old ladies light up, indoors. (Also enemas, but that is a different tale!)

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Specializes in Med nurse in med-surg., float, HH, and PDN.

I worked at a small private hospital on the 'back-pain' floor. Some post laminectomy, some just as a chronic sufferer of back pain, unspecified. It was like a spa/drugs vacation for them. I actually had a patient who rang for me, the med nurse, and when I walked in her room, she'd inform me, "I'd like 'the works please.!"

'The works' consisted of: a pain shot (usually Demerol 50 or 75), her muscle relaxer IV drip, her muscle relaxer tablet, her 'nerve' medicine, AND her sleeping pill! Then she sat up chain-smoking cigts and drinking coffee and chatting away with her roomie for several hours until things started wearing off. Four hours later she'd ask for another pain shot and her repeat sleeping pill.

The one time I mentioned it to the doc, he very wearily said, "If it's ordered and it's time , give it." I said, "ALL of it at the SAME time?

He repeated his statement; so she got what she wanted: to be high as a kite all evening long. She was generally there for at least a week at a time, just happy as hell to have 'back pain'. I don't remember too much PT going on, but this was a 3-11 shift. This was also in the mid-70's. Doubt a doc could get away with that today! Talk about your dependence being catered to!

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Specializes in Trauma, Teaching.

As one who is having some long term problems, honestly there are times when I wish someone would just knock me out for a "vacation" from the pain, even for a short time.

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Specializes in Med nurse in med-surg., float, HH, and PDN.
As one who is having some long term problems, honestly there are times when I wish someone would just knock me out for a "vacation" from the pain, even for a short time.

I can honestly appreciate that! I feel that way myself, and I haven't ever even been through half of what you have.

This lady I was telling about used to make a big joke how she got a 'legal high' twice a year for a week or more and didn't have to do anything, and her insurance paid for it all, and said there wasn't anything anybody could do about it.She was wanting a REAL GOOD buzz. I think what bugged me about her was her "I'll have the works" attitude; she was quite smug,​ and said things trying to bait the nurses. I didn't swallow the whole, entire hook, but I got a good scraping on the inside of my cheek.....

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While in clinicals, a bunch of us were walking back from lunch and came upon a patient in front of the hospital. He was in a wheelchair and wearing a disposable isolation gown, had his IV pole and his O2 tank with him. He was smoking - and so was his gown. It was on fire. Someone in our group said "Sir, your gown is on fire." He looked down, looked up at us and replied "It's no big deal." We dumped a soda on his fire, took his cigarette, pushed him and his paraphernalia to his unit and returned him to his RN. HE complained because we assaulted him with our soda.

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I remember volunteering in a hospital in 1999 and that was the year the smoking room IN the hospital was discontinued. Crazy it was that recent.

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To the back pain thing. I've been out of work (cna) for 2 months now due to an injured back. I'm a wuss though. I can't stand pain medication. I still have half my bottle of Vicodin left (6 pills or so). I'm a bit of a hypochondriac and double check all potential drug interactions with my medications I take on a continual basis, even when the dr. Doesn't. Got dilaudid in the ER (I asked for half a dose since I'm a lightweight) and I was high as a kite. I wish I wasn't so paranoid about pain meds so I could convince myself to pop a Vicodin so I could sleep (it's 5 am and I haven't fallen asleep yet).

I haven't had anyone try and light up in their room but I did glance up from charting at the end of my 3-11 to find one of my favorite male residents standing in his doorway waiting for me to take him for a smoke (policy is after dark they need an escort) naked as the day he was born. I became a human shield of modesty as I ushered him back into his room to get dressed (he always has to wear a cowboy hat). I miss my residents :(

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