According to statistics, more than 130 million people visit the emergency room in the U.S. every year. The reasons for visits differ from person to person, of course: a flu is nowhere near as urgent as a cut off finger or an ongoing heart attack. While only 14% of ER visits result in hospitalization, the most frequent reasons for going to ER include digestive symptoms, chest pain, muscoskeletal injuries, and skin cuts.
However, some folks go to the ER for much less. As a fellow hypochondriac, I feel for them: it's not hard to convince yourself that a simple headache might actually mean you might have bacterial meningitis. But the comment section online where one content creator asked, "What's the dumbest reason you went to the ER?" had heaps of entertaining stories of folks panicking and going to the ER for the dumbest thing. Scroll down to see the real power of self-persuasion.
#1
Met my mom for brunch one day. She mentions she was watering her plants before she left and when she turned the hose on the pressure made it bounce and it bumped her in the head. She says oh but I’m fine it wasn’t very hard.
As we are finishing lunch she moves her bangs off her forehead and I notice a brown spot. I say hey there is something on your forehead. She gets out her compact and looks at it and proceeds to tell me she thinks she is starting to get a headache. I say let me drive you home and you can get your car later. She gets in my car and looks closer at the spot on her head in the vanity mirror. She starts to panic and says drive me to ER I think I have a brain bleed. I start to panic and rush to the hospital that was thankfully pretty close. It was not busy and they take us back to a room immediately.
The nurse is checking her out and pulls out a wipe. I watch her wipe the brown spot off her forehead. It was dirt. My mom went to the ER for dirt on her forehead. Love you mom
As we are finishing lunch she moves her bangs off her forehead and I notice a brown spot. I say hey there is something on your forehead. She gets out her compact and looks at it and proceeds to tell me she thinks she is starting to get a headache. I say let me drive you home and you can get your car later. She gets in my car and looks closer at the spot on her head in the vanity mirror. She starts to panic and says drive me to ER I think I have a brain bleed. I start to panic and rush to the hospital that was thankfully pretty close. It was not busy and they take us back to a room immediately.
The nurse is checking her out and pulls out a wipe. I watch her wipe the brown spot off her forehead. It was dirt. My mom went to the ER for dirt on her forehead. Love you mom
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103points
#2
I had a baby and randomly started bleeding after the post partum lochia stopped. I was panicking, baby was only 7 weeks and I thought I was hemorrhaging.... they diagnosed me with "We think it's your first period after baby ma'am".
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76points
#3
When I was a kid I got chicken pox, I broke out in hives too so my parents took me to the ER. Turns out I'm allergic to chicken pox, how that is even possible is still a question to this day
72points
#4
I had extreme pain on the side of my abdomen. We called the ER and they said it could be kidney stones. They loaded me in the ambulance, I kept farting all the way. By the time I arrived in the hospital I was fine. Turned out I had flatulence.
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57points
#5
My sister left school for the ER cuz her fingers were turning blue and it turns out she was wearing new jeans and the dye rubbed off on them
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57points
#7
I had the absolute worst flu of my life I finally called my doctor to make an appointment but dialed the wrong number by 1 digit and I called the cemetery instead. I freaked out even more and had to go to urgent care lol
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54points
#8
I never went to the hospital but one time I woke up facing the wall and started screaming because I thought I went blind
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53points
#9
I caused ligament damage and bruising on my knee by moving my couch cushion with my knee..Not moving my couch, moving my couch CUSHION
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53points
#10
I stretched in a way I've done daily my entire life and my hip fell out. like full anterior dislocation. won't do that again
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47points
#11
I had a radical hysterectomy. I thought I was having fevers and was worried about infection. Hot flashes. I was having hot flashes. You know from the menopause.
41points
#12
thought i was leaking amniotic fluid at 3 mo pregnant. nope, just peeing myself.
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40points
#13
I had a slight headache and convinced myself I had bacterial meningitis- I was diagnosed with severe ocd!
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37points
#14
when i was 4 i put a rock in my nose. i told my dad but he didn’t believe me; later i was returned to my mom and she was tucking me in to bed and i said “but what about the rock in my nose?” and we went to the rural ER at 9pm
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36points
#15
i went to the er because i thought i was poisoned since my arms down to my wrist were extremely purple (idk, i think of the worst). the nurse wiped my arm and it came right off. i had worn a new jacket that day and the dye transferred to my skin- it was a black jacket
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36points
#16
Bruised and dislocated my kneecap by slipping on a banana peel
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32points
#17
I had to go because there was a moth in my ear and I couldn’t get it out
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31points
#18
My drunk friend thought it was a good idea to ride our e scooter with 5 people. Let me tell you. We all fell after 4 minutes but this one friend fell into a garbage can on the side of the street and he got stuck. I will never forget the face of the fire fighters.
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30points
#19
Not me but I worked in emerg and someone came in via ambulance for chapped lips.
30points
#20
I had a pierogi explode in my face and got second degree burns
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29points