Your Call Light is On Can I help YOU?

[MrsMommaRN]

he he! i got this idea for a thread starter from a previous post. what was one or more of the funniest or weirdest requests you have gotten when a call light was put on?

here is one to start:

can you change my tampon? (from a perfectly capeable 30 something to a really embarassed male nurse)

[HisTreasure, BSN, RN]

Help! We have a code M going on in here!

Run in there, pt. had maggots escaping from his heel dressing. (Maggot therapy pt).

I can't eat spanish rice since then.

I saw that working as a GPN! My preceptor did the dressing change, thank God, but I nearly lost my lunch. I really contemplated that day whether I should sit the boards at all...I really wondered if I could handle this nursing thing. :wink2:

[RN1982]

I saw that working as a GPN! My preceptor did the dressing change, thank God, but I nearly lost my lunch. I really contemplated that day whether I should sit the boards at all...I really wondered if I could handle this nursing thing. :wink2:

Ah, I've been a nurse for a while and there are times when I really think I'm gonna be sick. Like when I have to change necrotic wounds or clean up poop, well not so much poop, just the really stinky kind...it's all pretty stinky isn't it. I can handle it alright but there have been times where I've had to step out of the room because it was really getting to me.

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

years and years ago, i was working in a step-down unit in a world famous hospital. some of the patients wanted to pay more for private duty nurses to fluff their pillows, hold their straws while they drank, etc. etc. most of the private duty nurses were retired hospital nurses -- hey it was an easy job. they'd spend their night shifts knitting, working crosswords or reading unless the patient was awake and demanding some pillow fluffing. one night, i'm sitting at the desk watching the monitors, and the call light went off at the end of the hall. since i was alone, and i knew the patient had a private duty nurse, i just let it ring. and ring. and ring.

then the patient went off the monitor, and it was with a feeling of enormous dread that i started down the hall toward the still-ringing call light. and met the patient loping down the hall toward me, trailing his ecg leads.

"help!" he screamed. "you got to do something for my nurse; i think something's wrong with her."

sure enough, she was sitting in her chair, knitting in her lap, deader than a doornail.

[Penelope_Pitstop, BSN, RN]

years and years ago, i was working in a step-down unit in a world famous hospital. some of the patients wanted to pay more for private duty nurses to fluff their pillows, hold their straws while they drank, etc. etc. most of the private duty nurses were retired hospital nurses -- hey it was an easy job. they'd spend their night shifts knitting, working crosswords or reading unless the patient was awake and demanding some pillow fluffing. one night, i'm sitting at the desk watching the monitors, and the call light went off at the end of the hall. since i was alone, and i knew the patient had a private duty nurse, i just let it ring. and ring. and ring.

then the patient went off the monitor, and it was with a feeling of enormous dread that i started down the hall toward the still-ringing call light. and met the patient loping down the hall toward me, trailing his ecg leads.

"help!" he screamed. "you got to do something for my nurse; i think something's wrong with her."

sure enough, she was sitting in her chair, knitting in her lap, deader than a doornail.

oh. my. goodness.

jess

[HisTreasure, BSN, RN]

years and years ago, i was working in a step-down unit in a world famous hospital. some of the patients wanted to pay more for private duty nurses to fluff their pillows, hold their straws while they drank, etc. etc. most of the private duty nurses were retired hospital nurses -- hey it was an easy job. they'd spend their night shifts knitting, working crosswords or reading unless the patient was awake and demanding some pillow fluffing. one night, i'm sitting at the desk watching the monitors, and the call light went off at the end of the hall. since i was alone, and i knew the patient had a private duty nurse, i just let it ring. and ring. and ring.

then the patient went off the monitor, and it was with a feeling of enormous dread that i started down the hall toward the still-ringing call light. and met the patient loping down the hall toward me, trailing his ecg leads.

"help!" he screamed. "you got to do something for my nurse; i think something's wrong with her."

sure enough, she was sitting in her chair, knitting in her lap, deader than a doornail.

i am so sorry, but i am cracking up. i know death isn't funny by any stretch of the imagination, but i am picturing this guy with these colorful leads dangling and his butt flapping in the wind, yelling at the top of his lungs, iv pole in hand...i'm picturing you looking ashen face, and the poor deceased slumped to the left, rigor mortus just setting in, her purple and baby blue afghan lying haphazardly across her lap, needles still in place...:chuckle (your last sentence had a hint of humor too )

[Simplepleasures]

I didnt read the whole thread so this might be a duplicate,I had this one several times, "just testing".

[Diary/Dairy, RN]

In Acute Care at one hospital, there are 4 patients in one room - some of them are a little pushy when trying to get your attention while you are with another patient (most of the time they can see where you are).

I just firmly, but gently say, I am with someone else right now. I will be with you in a moment.... Some people....

[Sterling'sAunt]

The call light went off

Nurse went to the patient, "can I help you"?

the patient only had one eye. He said, I feel feverish. He also felt warm.

The nurse went to get the thermometer and when she came back to his room she said, "here put this thermometer under your eye"

[Sterling'sAunt]

Another patient was a bilateral amputee. He put his call light on and asked to see the social worker to help him make out his advance directives.

She came and once the paperwork was finished he asked her, "what do I need to do next?" She said "Nothing, I will do the legwork for you."

These things are so innocent but you carry the memory forever. Both of these happened to the sweetest people on earth about 24ish years ago.

[Sterling'sAunt]

Kiyasmom:

I too wondered if I was really cut out for this. When I was a nursing student, I was caring for an unresponsive, 20 something, glioblastoma patient. He was a nice looking guy from a very nice family. I had certainly done my homework, I was confident to care for him. He had a trach and needed suctioned. The nursing instructor was there as were all my nursing student peers because it was not something any of us had seen or done before. I prepared to suction him and I had assumed he would lie there lifeless like he had all day. No one told me he would have this wretched, horrendous gagging cough. Needless to say, I ripped the suction catheter out of the trach and the instructor had to peel me off the ceiling. I was pitiful. Through streams of tears she made me do it again.

Later she came to me and said, I selected you to care for this patient because of all the students, I knew you could do this and now you have crossed that hurdle. How do you feel. I wanted so much to say, "I feel like punching you out" but didn't. I said, "not too bad". She said good, I think you should have him again tomorrow. I wanted to puke. But a brilliant idea came to me and I said, but I think other students need the experience of suctioning as well so I will gladly care for him and call when he needs suction. She agreed. Whew.

30 years later---I have seen muuucccchhhhh worse things and lived through them all.

[aeauooo]

Another patient was a bilateral amputee. He put his call light on and asked to see the social worker to help him make out his advance directives.

She came and once the paperwork was finished he asked her, "what do I need to do next?" She said "Nothing, I will do the legwork for you."

These things are so innocent but you carry the memory forever. Both of these happened to the sweetest people on earth about 24ish years ago.

One time I took care of a guy who fell asleep on railroad tracks and had both hands and a foot amputated. I walked into his room after he had put the call light on had said...

"Can I give you a hand?"

[emnicams]

RE: suctioning. The SAME thing happened to me in clinical. No one had told me and nothing in the textbook prepared me for the coughing/gagging that takes place. I thought I had done something wrong and was killing the patient! LOL.