Patients say the darndest things

Me: What kind of medical history do you have?
Pt: I dont have any.
Me: Okay, why did the doctor prescribe you Metropolol?
Pt: For High blood pressure
Me: But you don't have any medical history
Pt: No.
 
EMTswag said:
Me: What kind of medical history do you have?
Pt: I dont have any.
Me: Okay, why did the doctor prescribe you Metropolol?
Pt: For High blood pressure
Me: But you don't have any medical history
Pt: No.
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He takes medicine for it, therefore it's not a problem! Geez....

(Surprisingly common thinking among the elderly)
 
On the way home for hospice care.."Look Jesus" I looked all over but only she could see him.
 
usalsfyre said:
He takes medicine for it, therefore it's not a problem! Geez....

(Surprisingly common thinking among the elderly)
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yeah its either that or they have no idea and just take whatever the doctor tells them without question.
 
EMTswag said:
yeah its either that or they have no idea and just take whatever the doctor tells them without question.
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Yeaaaaa... I had a pt the other day on a giant list of meds.... all of them cardiac. She had NO idea what her contidion(s) is.... Sorry but if a doctor is giving me medicine, I want to know exactly what for. Esp if it's cardiac...
 
sirengirl said:
Yeaaaaa... I had a pt the other day on a giant list of meds.... all of them cardiac. She had NO idea what her contidion(s) is.... Sorry but if a doctor is giving me medicine, I want to know exactly what for. Esp if it's cardiac...
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especially since a lot of elderly go to multiple doctors and full scripts at multiple pharmacys so who knows how these combinations of drugs are reacting
 
EMTswag said:
especially since a lot of elderly go to multiple doctors and full scripts at multiple pharmacys so who knows how these combinations of drugs are reacting
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SO true. I had a patient (not the same one as above) who had a gallon sized plastic bag full of prescriptions, couldn't tell me a name of a single one of them. My station (we're in a small town) has been trying to standardize and give out "vial of life"s to all our patients, to write down what they have and take and stick it in the orange prescription bottle we give it to them in since it's labeled "VIAL OF LIFE" on it...... I expect the compliance rate to be at about... 10%.

Although I was very happy that a few of my patients had up-to-date Excell spreadsheets on what they take, when, and why.... That was nice. I can dream, right?
 
sirengirl said:
SO true. I had a patient (not the same one as above) who had a gallon sized plastic bag full of prescriptions, couldn't tell me a name of a single one of them. My station (we're in a small town) has been trying to standardize and give out "vial of life"s to all our patients, to write down what they have and take and stick it in the orange prescription bottle we give it to them in since it's labeled "VIAL OF LIFE" on it...... I expect the compliance rate to be at about... 10%.

Although I was very happy that a few of my patients had up-to-date Excell spreadsheets on what they take, when, and why.... That was nice. I can dream, right?
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Vial of life is actually a very helpful thing. When i can pull up, get a complete list of meds, a photostat of your latest ekg, any medical problems or a dnr or living will or most form( whichever one they prefer to use), that makes our jobs so much easier and can help us better treat our PI's, but we all know how some patients are
 
sirengirl said:
SO true. I had a patient (not the same one as above) who had a gallon sized plastic bag full of prescriptions, couldn't tell me a name of a single one of them. My station (we're in a small town) has been trying to standardize and give out "vial of life"s to all our patients, to write down what they have and take and stick it in the orange prescription bottle we give it to them in since it's labeled "VIAL OF LIFE" on it...... I expect the compliance rate to be at about... 10%.

Although I was very happy that a few of my patients had up-to-date Excell spreadsheets on what they take, when, and why.... That was nice. I can dream, right?
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Even better.. when you roll up to a group home and the information sheet they give you has the name and address of the pt and nothing else. *headsmack
 
EMTswag said:
Me: What kind of medical history do you have?
Pt: I dont have any.
Me: Okay, why did the doctor prescribe you Metropolol?
Pt: For High blood pressure
Me: But you don't have any medical history
Pt: No.
Click to expand...

I've had better luck lately just figuring out their history from their meds. No one seems to know why they take the meds they just know what to take and when.
 
shfd739 said:
I've had better luck lately just figuring out their history from their meds. No one seems to know why they take the meds they just know what to take and when.
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yeah ive started doing that too. Either that or praying that they're already in the system so all their info is there. For some reason that never happens -_-
 
EMTswag said:
Even better.. when you roll up to a group home and the information sheet they give you has the name and address of the pt and nothing else. *headsmack
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Even better.... "This isn't my patient. Go ask the nurse."
"You are a nurse."
"This isn't my patient."
"Whose patient is it?"
"I don't know."

Fml.
 
I had one a couple weeks ago that just left me speechless. Skinny little extremely CSAI, 19yo male, prison tats everywhere, just got beat up by his sisters boyfriend.
Talking about his sisters BF. "I'm gonna cut his flip-flops and make him suck my @&$%".
There was a little bit more to his quote, but I can't put the rest of it down. I had no comeback to that one.
 
sirengirl said:
Even better.... "This isn't my patient. Go ask the nurse."
"You are a nurse."
"This isn't my patient."
"Whose patient is it?"
"I don't know."

Fml.
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Had a call where I was trying to get info on what the pt was being seen for at a little clinic in town. The first nurse had the same answer as sirengirl's nurse. So the next scrubs clad person to come through the doorway, I asked if they knew anything in regards to the pt and if not, to get the person that did. Little did I know I was talking to the doc. The engine crew was OK with me after that.B)
The doc did not have information either.
 
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Last night, took in a little old lady for a slip/fall at a community pool with facial injury and rt sided rib pain on inspiration w/swelling.... She's an A+ patient, chatting, joking, being pleasant, the typical "Oh you're all so wonderful for bothering with little old me" sort of thing. I pop her into bed at the hospital, and she says,

"You were great- I'd definately recommend you!"

Idk, just thought it was funny...
 
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