Everyone has areas where they just don’t know enough to really have a strong opinion. However, some folks are blissfully unaware of how little they know and take this energy with them everywhere, including in cases where it’s best to listen to the experts.
We’ve gathered stories from medical professionals sharing about their encounters with the dumbest, least informed patients they’ve ever had the misfortune to meet. So get comfortable as you scroll through, upvote your favorites and be sure to share your own experiences, if any, in the comments below.
#41
I'm an EMT and one of my patients went to the ER because they felt they had too much earwax in their ears and needed it removed.
Report
11points
#42
Physiotherapist here (so close enough).
I've had quite a few rather interesting patients, but one in particular still stands out.
I was in my final year of Uni, on my Musculoskeletal rotation, working in the hospital outpatient clinics. I'd read the file for the patient I was about to see, and there were a few yellow flags, but nothing bad enough to prevent me from treating him.
Anyway, I called the guy's name in the waiting room, and was greeted with one of the oddest looking people I've ever seen. This guy was at least 6'5", thin as a rake, balding on the crown with long, very thin, whispy white blond hair down to his shoulders. He was wearing a pink, sequin crop top, flared, but too short, jeans, crocs, and had a massive, zebra striped, full length fur coat. He looked like the pimp for the guys from The Darkness.
Anyway, this guy comes in, and I start going through my subjective with him. He's got a neck injury, but he's pretty vague on exactly what happened. Halfway through my subjective, he stops me and asks "Did you hear the moon last night?". I asked him to repeat what he'd said again, assuming that I'd misheard him. Nope. "Did you hear the moon last night?". I replied that I hadn't. He proceeded to tell me about how the moon had previously told him to cause the fairly recent Christchurch Earthquakes, and that it wanted him to do it again, but he wasn't sure because it hadn't gone over all that well last time.
I managed to move past that, and got into my objective. He had some restricted range in his upper cervical spine, and complained of some grinding, which was consistant with his older x-rays (basically fairly significant degenerative changes to his upper cx spine). I showed him a few exercises and stretches to be doing, which he was fine with, but he kept insisting that I manipulate his neck.
At the time, I wasn't really up to manipulating anyone's neck, as a physio student, but I certainly wasn't going to be doing it to someone who was convinced that the moon was talking them into creating natural disasters. Eventually he started getting a little agitated with my refusal, and when I refused again, he replied "You can't stop me, I'm too powerful!".
He kept repeating this every time I refused. At that point, my supervisor finally decided to intervene, and basically sent him away.
I've still never had a stranger patient; and I never did figure out how his being too powerful was supposed to lead into my inability to refuse to manipulate his neck.
I've had quite a few rather interesting patients, but one in particular still stands out.
I was in my final year of Uni, on my Musculoskeletal rotation, working in the hospital outpatient clinics. I'd read the file for the patient I was about to see, and there were a few yellow flags, but nothing bad enough to prevent me from treating him.
Anyway, I called the guy's name in the waiting room, and was greeted with one of the oddest looking people I've ever seen. This guy was at least 6'5", thin as a rake, balding on the crown with long, very thin, whispy white blond hair down to his shoulders. He was wearing a pink, sequin crop top, flared, but too short, jeans, crocs, and had a massive, zebra striped, full length fur coat. He looked like the pimp for the guys from The Darkness.
Anyway, this guy comes in, and I start going through my subjective with him. He's got a neck injury, but he's pretty vague on exactly what happened. Halfway through my subjective, he stops me and asks "Did you hear the moon last night?". I asked him to repeat what he'd said again, assuming that I'd misheard him. Nope. "Did you hear the moon last night?". I replied that I hadn't. He proceeded to tell me about how the moon had previously told him to cause the fairly recent Christchurch Earthquakes, and that it wanted him to do it again, but he wasn't sure because it hadn't gone over all that well last time.
I managed to move past that, and got into my objective. He had some restricted range in his upper cervical spine, and complained of some grinding, which was consistant with his older x-rays (basically fairly significant degenerative changes to his upper cx spine). I showed him a few exercises and stretches to be doing, which he was fine with, but he kept insisting that I manipulate his neck.
At the time, I wasn't really up to manipulating anyone's neck, as a physio student, but I certainly wasn't going to be doing it to someone who was convinced that the moon was talking them into creating natural disasters. Eventually he started getting a little agitated with my refusal, and when I refused again, he replied "You can't stop me, I'm too powerful!".
He kept repeating this every time I refused. At that point, my supervisor finally decided to intervene, and basically sent him away.
I've still never had a stranger patient; and I never did figure out how his being too powerful was supposed to lead into my inability to refuse to manipulate his neck.
Report
10points
#43
Not a doctor but an echo tech, we had a patient show up for his stress test drunk.
Report
9points
#44
Not a doctor but worked in an ER for several years. There was certainly a bit of cynicism that is probably prevalent in many similar settings. We'd get people bringing their kids in for hangnail or split ends on their hair (no, seriously)
The inverse, however, was that sometimes you could not be too cynical as it could have been a big deal in the end. I remember one time a Haitian family came in and most of the staff would roll their eyes when Haitians came in because their English was typically terrible and they would not be able to convey what was wrong (in most cases it was something like baby has sniffles or constipation -- not really emergencies.) This particular family brought a teen who claimed his eye hurt. Between the language barrier and the complaint, most people just shrugged and said, "yeah, ok whatever."
Turns out the kid got a CT scan that showed WORMS basically eating his brain. I don't remember the outcome but the doctors guessed it was poorly cooked pork. To be honest not sure if the kid even lived or not.
The inverse, however, was that sometimes you could not be too cynical as it could have been a big deal in the end. I remember one time a Haitian family came in and most of the staff would roll their eyes when Haitians came in because their English was typically terrible and they would not be able to convey what was wrong (in most cases it was something like baby has sniffles or constipation -- not really emergencies.) This particular family brought a teen who claimed his eye hurt. Between the language barrier and the complaint, most people just shrugged and said, "yeah, ok whatever."
Turns out the kid got a CT scan that showed WORMS basically eating his brain. I don't remember the outcome but the doctors guessed it was poorly cooked pork. To be honest not sure if the kid even lived or not.
Report
9points
#45
Medical student, but I have seen a fair number of dumb people already in my first 6 months.
Young (20s) diabetic girl wasn't compliant with her treatment and all of the dialysis clinics in the city won't accept her anymore. Now she can't/won't go to the suburbs for her dialysis and will likely pass away within a few weeks, unless that changes. My advice: if your kidneys don't work, you should probably show up for your dialysis appointments.
Morbidly obese man was in the hospital after he fell, needed his edema, heart and lung problems to be treated. Insisted that he only needed help with his legs, started raising in his voice and refusing to answer questions because he said they weren't relevant. Then at the end of the interview he started complaining about his shortness of breath.
And then there's the psych patients but that seems like it doesn't count.
Young (20s) diabetic girl wasn't compliant with her treatment and all of the dialysis clinics in the city won't accept her anymore. Now she can't/won't go to the suburbs for her dialysis and will likely pass away within a few weeks, unless that changes. My advice: if your kidneys don't work, you should probably show up for your dialysis appointments.
Morbidly obese man was in the hospital after he fell, needed his edema, heart and lung problems to be treated. Insisted that he only needed help with his legs, started raising in his voice and refusing to answer questions because he said they weren't relevant. Then at the end of the interview he started complaining about his shortness of breath.
And then there's the psych patients but that seems like it doesn't count.
Report
6points
#46
Dude eats a snail off the ground for 10 bucks, gets sick, doesn't get seen for four days ends up being sepsis, comes to the hospital in a wheelchair because he's paralyzed due to the infection.
Report
5points
#47
Had someone come into hospital because they got their arm stuck in a wood shredder. I mean, it's a legit reason to go to hospital, but kinda stupid to be in that situation to begin with. I don't know much about wood shredding but even my instinct tells me not to put fleshy appendages in the dangerous bits.
Report
-2points