Medical Professionals Share Their Most Ridiculous Encounters With Dumb Patients

Medical professionals undergo years of training and take solemn oaths to prioritize the well-being of all people who seek their assistance. However, they often face challenges like protecting patients from their own actions or decisions.

These medical professionals decided to share stories of their all-time dumbest patients in order to remind us how important it is to listen to experts who are trying to help you.

40. YOU’RE ALLERGIC TO WHAT YOU’RE MADE OF?

I see some crazy stuff, but one thing that stands out was the time I was admitting a guy to the hospital.

I can’t really remember what for but he was about 400lbs, diabetic, heart disease, you name it. Anyhow I’m at the computer going over some admission questions with him and his 10 family members who are crowded in the room with him.

A few minutes in he starts complaining that he’s thirsty. He needs something to drink RIGHT NOW. So I get on my phone, call the nurse assistant and ask her to bring in some ice water. As soon as the words are out of my mouth the whole family screams “NOOOO! NO WATER! HE’S ALLERGIC TO WATER!”

Well this is gonna be a problem. Turns out the guy had been drinking nothing but Sprite and sweet tea for years because of his “water allergy”. The next question the wife had was “where are we all supposed to sleep?” The whole family, 10 people, were planning to stay at he hospital with him.

jsellars8

39. I CAN SEE THE LOGIC HERE

I was speaking with a non-controlled diabetic patient about her sugar intake and she said she drinks a 32 oz soda everyday. So I ask her if it’s regular or diet and she replies with: “It’s half-regular. I let the ice melt first so there isn’t as much sugar in it.”

Sorry but that isn’t how it works.

Friskypharmer

38. “YOU CHANGED THE OIL IN MY CAR AND THEN THE WHEEL FELL OFF!”

We had a patient who refused to let us use the tonometer, a machine for checking ocular internal pressure to diagnose glaucoma. He said that machine gives you glaucoma and we weren’t going to pull that on him.

He told us his father got an exam and had glaucoma after using that machine. His uncle and brother also had no signs of glaucoma, and after getting the puff test, both people had been diagnosed with the disease.

Glaucoma doesn’t have any outward symptoms before you start going blind. This genius just told me he has a very strong familial disposition to glaucoma, and refused to be tested for it. Also, puff isn’t that bad guys. Try contacts, your eyes stop fighting back pretty quick.

The puff is a lot better than the old machine – it just hit you on the eyeball with a little ball on a lever.

I also have plenty of patients that don’t understand family history. I interview patients directly so we don’t have any real paperwork, and too many people can’t answer simple questions.

“Do you or any of your direct family members have diabetes?”

“Yes.” …Yourself or your family?

Alternately, if yes to family members, they start listing their spouse’s family or step children. Not how genetic disposition works.

CaptainTheGabe

37. I SHOULDN’T HAVE TO SAY THIS, BUT FACEBOOK IS NOT A REPUTABLE SOURCE

Pediatric RN. Had a patient with severe status asthmaticus (continual asthma attacks), admitted as an inpatient. A standard treatment for this is albuterol (among other meds, like racemic epinephrine), delivered by a face mask.

The face mask is important to actually get the medicine to the patient – otherwise the patient will get next to no medication and it’s a useless treatment. Typically kids HATE the face mask, struggle and cry, and the parents/staff have to hold their arms and legs to keep them from fighting it.

These parents refused the albuterol treatment, which would help their child breathe and not die, because the kid cried with the face mask on. Patient ended up okay to the extent of my knowledge, but I was floating at the time so I never saw them again.

I do know the physician eventually went against facility protocol and allowed respiratory therapy to do blow by, which means they hold the albuterol a few inches from their face and hope that they get the medicine.

They figured at least they get some medication, however small of an amount, rather than nothing. Had another situation in the neonatal intensive care unit in which parents were refusing a blood transfusion their baby desperately needed to live.

I watched the physician flat out tell them she would take emergency custody of the baby and give the transfusion anyways (which physicians are absolutely allowed to do, at least in GA, if they believe a child will die without the necessary).

The parents agreed after that. Of course the families were always educated about the consequences of their decisions, risks and benefits, etc. Sometimes it’s totally useless because apparently Facebook is more reputable than my degree and the degree of the physician. It can be infuriating.

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