Your last day in the ER

Specialties Emergency

Published

Your last day in the ER, what will you say to some of those patients, who ask the stupidest quetions. What would you like to say when there is no more fear of getting into trouble.

Q. pt asks how long is the wait.

A. Hang around and find out,duhhhhhh

Q what is the doctor going to do????

A. whatever it is, I am sure you desreve it

Q. Do I have to wait much longer

A no, you can leave anytime you want

Q is it going to hurt

A Im sure it is.

Q how much longer before I get called back

A there is a 30 minute penalty everytime you ask me that question.

Q. Will my cut leave a scar

A yes, duhhhhhhh

Q. How long before I get my shot

A I am waiting for it to be delivered from Egypt

Q how do I take this pill

A rectally

Q how do I take this suppositiry

A orally

Q do you take my insurance

A if I say no will you go away

Q I know the sign says no cell phones back here, does

that include me?????

A YES, who did you think it meant, dummie!!!!

Q everytime I turn around to look at my heart monitor it jumps all over the place, am I all right.

A, No !! its trying to tell you that if you move again you will die certainly.

Q is he going to be able to play soccer.

A, I dont know can he now.

What gems have you ever thought of saying, to some of the questions pts ask.

Originally posted by ernurse2244

When my least liked frequent flyer comes in with a sore throat that is a 10/10 on the pain scale, I would put his thumb on the overbed table, hit it as hard as I can with a hammer, then say: That was a 10/10...tell me again the number for your sore throat??

THANK YOU!! Best one I have heard in a while. I love it when they are sipping on their soda, eating their chips and smiling and saying their pain is a 10/10. I know that you can't "judge" but there are those that out and out lie!!!!

Specializes in Med-Tele, ICU.
Originally posted by liz75

I think he has also done the fake seizures too. I am so amazed that he gets meds most every time he does this and he hasnt been sent to jail or a psych ward. I dont know quite how EDs handle this sort of situation but kudos to you guys for what you have to go through. It is sad that they ruin it for people who might be in legitimate pain though.

I don't get how someone could fake a seizure - your vitals would be a "tell-tell" sign that you are faking. To all you seasoned ER nurses out there, am I correct?:confused:

Specializes in ER, ICU, L&D, OR.

People will fake anything they can at times, Ive seen them all I think

Guy with Flank pain, urine dip positive for Blood. But he came out of the bathroom and also asked for a bandaid for his finger that got pricked, Then he allowed us to cath him for a ua. Guess what dip for blood was negative. No meds for Bubba.

Pts with fake seizures, some will even go and pee on themselves. One asked for a glass of water, we gave him some water, 5 minutes later he had a seizure and his pants were wet, And the glass was empty, how dumb does he think we are, his post ictal period ended immediately when I went to put a foley in him.

Pt with upper Abd. pain for 1 hour, Upright abd xray showed free air in the Abd. Doctor on closer exam not small needle mark above Umbilicus. Turned out pt was injecting air into his abdomen.

Got to admit that is Ballsy.

Specializes in Emergency/Critical Care Transport.
Originally posted by sabRN2b05

I don't get how someone could fake a seizure - your vitals would be a "tell-tell" sign that you are faking. To all you seasoned ER nurses out there, am I correct?:confused:

We're not saying that these people "fake" the seizure well, we just know they're faking. When I was street medic back in the dark ages we got sent to seizure in a pick-up truck. On arrival an obese woman who we knew from previous encounters was sitting upright in the front seat staring into space and performing a perfectly timed kinda "air drum solo". I leaned into the car and said "I don't know what you're doing. But it ain't a seizure. So you can stop now." She continued for a second or two then shrugged, said "Okay" and got out of the truck. She had drawn a nice crowd of onlookers. police, fire rescue personnel, maybe that's what she was trying to do? Who knows. I've seen people do these kinds of things to manipulate their family members. Everyone knows the patient who has chestpain everytime they fight with their spouse, or their kids want to move out, or whatever makes them feel they're losing control. Some of these people try to manipulate ED personnel the same way. It rarely works.

People will fake anything they can at times, Ive seen them all I think

Guy with Flank pain, urine dip positive for Blood. But he came out of the bathroom and also asked for a bandaid for his finger that got pricked, Then he allowed us to cath him for a ua. Guess what dip for blood was negative. No meds for Bubba.

Pts with fake seizures, some will even go and pee on themselves. One asked for a glass of water, we gave him some water, 5 minutes later he had a seizure and his pants were wet, And the glass was empty, how dumb does he think we are, his post ictal period ended immediately when I went to put a foley in him.

Pt with upper Abd. pain for 1 hour, Upright abd xray showed free air in the Abd. Doctor on closer exam not small needle mark above Umbilicus. Turned out pt was injecting air into his abdomen.

Got to admit that is Ballsy.

I wanted to reply to the "foley" ending post ictal periods.. foley is also a cure all to some of the so-called "unresponsive" patients. like the drunks that just dont want to go to jail, and their only way out is for us to admit, so they fake "unresp." I have found that intubation of the meatus has a healing effect. HA HA HA :rotfl: (just good humor)

I wanted to reply to the "foley" ending post ictal periods.. foley is also a cure all to some of the so-called "unresponsive" patients. like the drunks that just dont want to go to jail, and their only way out is for us to admit, so they fake "unresp." I have found that intubation of the meatus has a healing effect. HA HA HA :rotfl: (just good humor)

We have an ER doc that just loves the ones that come in "unresponsive" or "seizing"...not!! His favorite painful stimuli?!!?-Ti**y Twisters!! Workd like a charm...everytime.

We had a FF 18 y/o that like to fake seizures at school...doc walks in...no response...one big twist...the kid says" HEY...DON'T DO THAT IT HURTS!!!!"

Doc says..."cured...send him back!"!!!

Gotta love him!!

:rotfl: :rotfl:

Specializes in ER, ICU, L&D, OR.

I love it when they come in from jail in their orange scrubs, complaining of everything in the world all translating to basic "Jailitis"

they c/o chest pain

they c/o abd.pain

they c/o their left little toe hurts

they c/o whatever

After they have been treated and I hand them their discharge papers, I always smile very sweetly and say

"your free to leave.now"

dourse

i love it when they come in from jail in their orange scrubs, complaining of everything in the world all translating to basic "jailitis"

they c/o chest pain

they c/o abd.pain

they c/o their left little toe hurts

they c/o whatever

after they have been treated and i hand them their discharge papers, i always smile very sweetly and say

"your free to leave.now"

of course, with your "escort"

:angryfire

Specializes in ER, ICU, L&D, OR.

the other night was extremely busy, almost 20 people waiting to go back and long waits.

One guy who had been ill for quote 4 months unquote

came to the window literally every 5 minutes each time I was in the middle of triaging another pt. Interrupting my assessment and interupting the pt with his whining.

Finally after an hour of being polite.

I told him " sir you need to stop coming to the window every 5 minutes or I will summon security here to keep an eye on you, plus everytime you come to the window I personally will go and move your chart all the way to the back every time you come up here, is that understood sir"

the entire time I smiled sweetly at him and used my softest voice so he would have to strain to hear every word.

He stopped coming up

so much about the ER I don't miss, & I think you all have hit on all of them, esp. the part about the cigs, sodas, & chips ---when their kid has a fever & "they can't afford tylenol"....grrrrrrrrr! (did I say Walmart is 1 block from the ER I worked in? open 24/7)...:rolleyes:

I would like to say snap off one of those 6 inch artifical nails that you get done every week--at 15-20$ a set-- one nail would pay for store brand motrin or tylenol, save you a trip to the hospital and make ME much happier:confused:

IT IS FUN TO DREAM:chuckle

On my last day (night) in the ER, I'm sticking every patients cell phone where the sun don't shine!

Specializes in Emergency room, med/surg, UR/CSR.

how about just "we were all in the nurses station making fun of you!"

:roll :roll :roll

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