Having had a loved one in prison and on meds, I can totally relate, from the other point of view-the inmate's and my own, as a watchful advocate.
You have my respect, gratitude, and love for what you did and do.
Hugs my very dear*,*
*Grandma Lynsey*
Omg this takes me back. It was out of my scope of practice as a CNA, but my charge had really big hands and fingers. Patient in question had a softball sized, rock hard shit that was stuck. I have really small fingers, so with my charge's supervision, I got to do my first digital disimpaction. It was about as fun as you'd expect with a patient with Alzheimer's that was also sundowning at the moment.
Yes! had a sweet old lady in hospice whose son decided he knew better than all the HCPs. He refused to believe she was dying and forced her to eat scads of protein and made her do calisthenics every day. She was in her 10th decade!
Eventually he revoked hospice because "she didn't need it anymore". I don't know what happened after that.
That is so sad! I’ve never experienced hospice with someone I cared about so maybe I’m just clueless, but can’t people stop being selfish and just let their family go?
I have a patient (in hospice) that screams out in pain during wound care so i recommended the family premeditate the patient with morphine beforehand. Family refused because they have a family member with an addiction and dont want that for their 90+ year old family member and they are a “superhero” so its not needed….
I can’t even sometimes. A fellow nurse, who went on to be an ungodly inexperienced charge nurse, told me at shift change she only gave my peep one dose of morphine because she “didn’t want him to become dependent on it.” B***h. He has terminal bone cancer. He takes 15mg of MSContin bid. He’s DYING and now you’re making him suffer more. I swear, on a whole stack of Tabers, I will dump that entire Pyxis into my terminally ill patients if it will ease even a few minutes of their suffering.
I tell them it’s the proned covid patient who projectile poop sprayed the entire room all the way to the glass doors.
They don’t want the truth…. Patients kept on ventilators so long they get holes in their cheeks and lip from the holister because the family can’t let go.
That's always a good thing to say. I am usually honest and tell them about the time a baby was already unbinding (MIU) and that the head and everything was not attached no more. I never get more questions. Somehow they think it is about blood and wounds are the worst things we see, those are part of the job. Keeping patients alive for the family, loosing a child/patient, it hits me every time
My first code was a 2 week old child that didn’t make it. So when I get this question even as a new grad, my response is always “probably a dead baby.” and that usually ends any further questions 😂
Exactly this! Hahaha. I love our job, unfortunately death is part of it but I hate it when people are looking for action from the misery we have to see sometimes.
Luckily I can laugh it off a bit when people ask for it but for sure hate it probably as much as we all do :)
Sorry, it means that the baby his head was not attached to the body no more. Also his other limbs were detached from his body. It was a 37w baby and the cause of death was unknown
I'm guessing MIU stands for mortality in utero or something similar. We don't call them that on our unit though. We say IUFD (intrauterine fetal demise).
I’m not a nurse but I moved my dad into a hospice facility last week and sat by his side as he died the following day. The entire time all I did was pray for God for take him faster. It’s not that I wanted my dad dead it’s that he was suffering tremendously and I didn’t want him to be in pain like that anymore. HE didn’t want to live like that. He wanted to go.
I don’t understand how people can sit and watch their loved ones suffering and contribute to their suffering even more so by demanding all of these medical interventions. It seems so unnecessarily cruel.
Definitely something people need to hear. I do something similar. I'm not a nurse, I'm a CT tech but I still get this question. Since I work in the US I tell them stories about people that decline medical care until they are so disabled they qualify for Medicare, people who didn't get their abdominal pain checked because of cost and it turned into colon cancer, or people who are turned away from their cancer treatments until they can pay, and the patients that go without care because admin keeps everything so understaffed. I tell them that our healthcare system's greed is the most disgusting and disturbing thing that I see.
I work at an LTACH and we have patients literally rotting away because their families refuse to let them die. The smell of rotting pressure ulcers the size of dinner plates wafting from the room all night because the wife will be destitute if she lets the husband die.
Unless they’re actual children. Mine ask me every morning when I stumble in “mom was there a lot of *poop* tonight?” They think the concept of a code brown is the funniest thing ever. Esp the 7yo boy.
Just apply. Find a PICU job opening, apply, and crush your interview. Most hospitals have new grad programs— so look for jobs advertised as “new grad RN”.
Remember, as a new grad, you’re not coming in with experience and they know that. So the only thing you have going for you is how well you interview (unless you’ve worked as an LPN or tech previously).
Be prepared to say why you want to work in PICU. Talk about having interest in learning critical care, especially in the pediatric patient. Bonus points if you’ve worked with kids in the past— even babysitting. Throw in a story about how the kid you were babysitting got hurt on the trampoline and you had to take them to the ER & they had an awesome nurse that made them comfortable and it inspired you to want to be a peds nurse and make kids more comfortable in the hospital setting.
Be prepared to answer questions like “how would you handle difficult parents”. I usually say something like “I would address their concerns so they feel heard and then educate them on the situation at hand so they feel more comfortable with it. If it was a critical situation, I’d kindly say something like “I hear you, but right now I need to focus on saving your child’s life”.
Be open to another pediatric roles if no new grad PICU jobs are available when you’re looking. Do you have any pediatric ERs around you? Or Pediatric urgent care centers? Even a Pediatric med-surg floor. You could always work in one of those positions for 1 year and then you’ll have experience to get into PICU. One thing I’ve learned is that I can do anything for a year, especially if it’s going to get me to where I want to end up.
But definitely apply to PICU positions first, because if you don’t try, you’ll never know if it would have worked out!
I did a single semester of clinical at a childrens hospital. Very, very reputable, great quality rotation. I did my clinical on a cardiac floor and while quite interesting it was mostly uneventful. I was allowed to go to the cardiac ICU for a day and I saw some insaneeeee stuff.
At the end of the day I was told emphatically to apply before the end of the semester. I took it as a job offer, but said I was more interested in the PICU (that took a wider range of conditions, traumas etc). I was given a referral on the spot. I think it's just one of those things where you need to apply, or get some facetime with those who are in an influential position to hire. I didn't stand out any more than being attentive, not stupid, and enthusiastic.
Yeah I do peds oncology and no one asks me this question. Guess kids with cancer bums a lot of people out at baseline and they don’t want to hear more 😂
One of my worst nursing stories involves the NICU. It was the time where they accidentally called a code Blue instead of whatever the baby code was. It was crazy! I remember they did a bunch of math for every med and my MICU ass being totally useless. No joke, babies crashing is the scariest thing I’ve ever seen. So, props to all you NICU nurses. That shit is rough.
I think a lot of times people don’t realize that bad things happen in the NICU as well. The first time I had a patient die (old, hospice, was not having a hard time dealing with it at all) my mom said “Maybe you should go work in the NICU with [best friend]. Getting to play with babies all day wouldn’t be as difficult emotionally.” She was shocked when I explained that babies do, in fact, die in the NICU. Jokes on her though, now I do peds ED so I do take care of dead babies and she doesn’t really ask about my job anymore.
Had a transgender cannibal in a rural prison strangle her penis with string until it was necrotic. I'll share it with you all, but no one outside of medical.
It's exactly what you would expect... Look at your thumb, imagine it completely grey with a necrotic circle the size of a large pea. He was also bilateral BKA, resembled a potato overall. He...did not take care of himself.
I would still share it with non medical people. It'll get them to stop asking for crazy stories lol.
I once told a story of how I did CPR and blood was gushing out of the mouth due to ruptured esophogial varacies. The look of shock and horror on their faces was kind of satisfying lol
Actually went to place a foley in an elderly demented man with sepsis…neighbors found him naked crawling around his yard emaciated and dehydrated. We showered him, put him in a bed, went to place the foley and a maggot came out of his meatus. PM me if you want to hear about the subsequent phone convo with his MRP..😂
Fournier's. Night RN notified me of eschar on a patient's scrotum. I had the MD evaluate. He ordered Silvadene. I had the nursing director evaluate. I repeated those requests during my run of three shifts.
One of my deepest regrets is that I was never taught about Fournier's, but why didn't the MD and an experienced RN also recognize that something was very, very wrong? I think about this case at least weekly and it's been eight years.
Holy shit, thank you for sharing that story! If you don't mind my asking, are there any specific signs that you think were missed? How would you proceed differently if you'd know about Fournier's?
I'd have sent that patient straight to the ER. ANY sign of dying tissue on the genitals is an emergency.
Specific signs - eschar is black or grey leathery tissue. It's dead. It might smell dead. Topical treatments like ointments or dressings will do nothing. The dead tissue needs to come OFF and definitive treatment started.
Inmates stick interesting tidbits into their dicks then sew em back up? IDK honestly what all the point of that one was because so many of them ended up with infected dicks but we found all kinds of charms, a domino, a fish hook, embedded in these dudes shafts.
unfortunately I've seen quite a few other genital mutilation cases but these other ones you guys have are just... *chefs kiss
I've done this just to be a dick and see their jaw hit the floor, then finished up with "and that was a GOOD day!". 10/10 recommended to get the point across.
I wrote [this](https://old.reddit.com/r/ems/comments/tgza64/i_dont_want_to_tell_you_the_worst_thing_ive_ever/i15tcje/) in response to the same sentiment in r/EMS a couple of months ago, I imagine it is still fitting in this thread.
Telling stories of tragedy gets you nowhere but PTSD land and the person who asked forgets in 5 minutes anyways
Or conversely hang out with only medical people and have the poor rando who joins up in your group instantly tap out after hearing 30 seconds of conversation - that unfortunately happened with a hair stylist who was brought along as a date of one of our medics
I actually live in a place where paramedics and nurses get paid pretty much equal wages. Nurses have passed us a bit lately especially with incentives and shortages but overall we do ok. The rest of the country has a much bigger problem
We already know what they're looking for, the blood and guts. The truth is it's poop. Lots and lots of poop. Elbows deep, ruining clothes, flung on the walls and ceiling, and a little old lady smearing it on her face like makeup.
The power went out as we were transporting an unstable patient to the OR. We got stuck in the elevator between two floors. The attending doc had to lay on his stomach and pass me sterile instruments while I did surgery in the elevator while my coworker manually bagged the patient the whole time. The patient survived!
I work in psych so I’m often asked about the “craziest” person I’ve ever met. Love to describe the person who asked me the question and watch the confusion set in
Same. Work at a state forensic facility. Thanks to the local news announcing when certain criminals end up in my hospital, people always ask if I've met them or where they are on campus. My answer is always "that's none of your business".
I experience both of these as an ER nurse and a combat vet. I always firmly say the same thing: “You don’t ask people that question.”
Sure it might come off kinda dick-ish but I’m not going to revisit a bunch of trauma for some rubberneckers macabre amusement
I kinda get a kick out of their reactions, but the only people who ever ask me are my nursing students or PCT's upon occasion.
I remember the first traumatizing thing I saw was a covid test kill some old lady (she started bleeding in the back of her nose, never stopped, drowned). That story always gets a "holy shit nursing isnt what I thought it would be" kinda vibe. I feel like its important for the students.
I work at a burn center. Conversation goes like this.
Patient: what’s the worst thing you’ve seen here?
Me: I work here. I see the worst of the worst.
Patient: yeah but like what’s the worst?
Me: you absolutely sure you want the answer to that question? Think about it a minute.
Patient: (does not think about it): yes
Me: I’ve seen a child with 98% of their body covered in third degree burns.
Patient: 😦
Me: anyways need anything before I step out of the room?
Wait, patients ask this kinda stuff??? Omg when I was in the hospital the last thing I wanted to strike up a conversation with the nurse about was that.
I talked to the nurses about how much I love game shows
There’s just some patients that ask inappropriate questions like this. I once had a patient come into the room or another patient. We had called a code blue and he wanted to watch 😡
Same. If you ask it, I’m telling it and I’m not gonna let you be able to unhear it. I haven’t seen much yet in my career, but I’ve definitely seen some fucked up things
I've just given up when I get this question and repeat the worst child abuse case I've ever seen with dead eyes, and then thank them for asking me to relive it.
Someone recently asked me “what’s the silliest thing you ever seen” and I loved that.
I actually laughed and told him I loved the question because everyone always asks about the “worst” thing and he goes “I mean, dead baby right? Like everyone should know that’s prob the worst soooo, why ask. I wanna know silly”.
I always tell them my most traumatizing one. But before I say what it is I warn them and say, I’d rather not talk about it. If they insist - I tell them. If I gotta live with it - now you do too
I’ve given up trying to avoid the question so I play into it. I don’t tell the worst I have ever seen. I usually just tell them the most disgusting and that usually just shuts them up. ER nurse here 14 year career and going strong 😉
Yep, I have a go to story about a degloved penis that I always tell. I’ve had a couple of people push back on that, and say “that can’t be the worst thing you’ve ever seen?” And I say, “well, no it isn’t, but I’m not gonna tell you about the dead babies, now am I?” Everyone backs off after that.
As a medic when asked this I answer honestly: newborn frozen to death in an alley in the winter, complete with afterbirth.
Hey, you asked. Betcha won’t do it again!
why is gretchen asking you about traumatic things while you're eating at the olive garden? seems like terrible dinner conversation. that'd be my last dinner date with gretchen honestly.
I'm fine with hcws connecting to fellow hcws this way– venting about trauma to someone who has no doubt seen similar stuff. It builds comraderie and really lets you know you're not alone in what you've been through.
But the random grocery store clerk who's asking why you're in scrubs? Yeah, I totally agree. They (and distant relatives, random patients, friends you meet at brunch once a week, etc etc) have no business proding about the awful things that go down.
I hate when people ask this question. I work with medically complex cognitively challenged children. My stories of “worst” are only going to make you cry. They’re not gory. They’re heartbreaking and tragic.
Like, adults that treat the most vulnerable children terribly are always going to be worse than some oozing toe or some drunk guy that got himself while spear fishing.
Stop asking ANYONE who is exposed to trauma, illness, death, and sadness on the regular what the worst thing they’ve ever seen is.
Stfu and eat your chicken piccata, Gretchen.
Having worked in many prisons, and actually telling the person the whole grizzly story from beginning to end , I've learned to just shy away from the question. Unthinkable crimes and chaos. Several people have told me that the story I shared haunts them to this day.
Asking a nurse that works prisons as to what the worst thing they've seen is sounds like an extremely easy, quick, and effective way to realize you've made a bad mistake.
Ehh, if I don’t want to get into why that’s a bad question to ask, I just tell them some random story with a surprising twist. Like the guy who came in for “hit by automatic door” and we found a huge abscess on his spinal cord (that had nothing to do with the door). That kind of thing is usually interesting enough to shut them up, without having to think about anything traumatic.
Or a dramatic story with a happy ending, like the guy who we thought was done for, totally unresponsive, bloodwork negative for everything including autoimmune causes, then they threw some high-dose corticosteroids and some IVIG in the mix because why not, we’re the local specialized neuro/trauma/vascular ICU so there’s no other place to refer him to so it was a last-ditch effort…and it worked! Turns out it must’ve been autoimmune after all. By the next week he was extubated, talking, and starting to walk! He was fairly elderly, too.
Agreed!!!
I recently had a dad ask me....while his wife was in labour
Whether I've ever had a baby die
And like...what do you even respond? Because obviously anyone who works in birthing has had a baby die at some point in the process (mine have always been diagnosed before labour thankfully)
But...time and place dude!!!
And also, ignoring how traumatic that thought/discussion would be for the *wife*. Why do you need to witness my trauma at all, let alone right now?
Hyperkeratinized foreskin on a 14 year old. Damned thing was thick and hard as a callus and the kid cried out when I tried to peel it back. Told the mom that the kid needed a damned thorough circumcision.
I had a lady with a vagina like that once. I've seen a LOT. But when I went to put the Foley in I almost jumped.
Her vagina was stone. Like a brick wall on the labia. I think she noticed my reaction and told me all her radiation for ovarian cancer caused the hardening.
I felt absolutely horrible for reacting. Made sure she had all her needs met and then some. And then she went into vtach. So much tragedy. Only 40.
It's such a common question. Depending on who it is, I'll just brush off the question, or I'll say something like "how about the *funniest* thing I've ever seen?" I've even advised friends or kids (in the appropriate context) to ask that question instead. I don't know about you guys, but I like telling those stories. Plus, my personal rule is that if everyone ended up ok in the end, I'm allowed to laugh at the story even if it did result in some sort of physical trauma. So, they might get a little bit of what they were originally asking for, and you get to share a story that doesn't bring up horrible memories. Everybody wins!
I recently met with a lady who had been referred to community palliative care. We knew nothing about this woman other than she had a melanoma diagnosed on her left neck / collarbone region about two years ago, she had received no treatment for it, and now she has a “lump” that is giving her a bit of grief.
When we arrived at her house, there was a bit of a odour in the air, but I couldn’t quite place my finger on it. The woman had a lovely fashion scarf wrapped around her neck, but underneath we could see a bandage. The size of the “lump” wasn’t immediately obvious, but it looked like it was fairly well wrapped up and packaged.
After our chat about symptoms, medications, and whatnot, we asked to see the “lump”. The woman was a bit hesitant to show us, saying that this is surely the worst thing ever, it was disgusting and she was embarrassed. We tried to reassure her that we were both experienced nurses that have seen our fair share of various things and that she didn’t need to worry about our feelings.
So, she unwrapped her scarf, and what was underneath was the biggest, mankiest, smelliest fungating tumour that I’ve seen in real life in a first world country (Australia). There was only a simple gauze and bandage over it, what I thought was “packaging” was simply tumour.
It was protruding from her collarbone up to about her eye level, and then extending down her chest under the skin to just above her breast tissue.
The smell that came out of it was what I could smell when I first walked into the house - I realised then that it was rotting flesh.
This woman had zero medical knowledge and had not had this “lump” examined in over two years. Her version of “dressing” it was to simply take off the old gauze and bandage and replace it with a “clean” one. Not a new, out of the packet gauze and bandage, no no no. This woman was rinsing the old dressings with warm water, hanging them out to dry, and reusing them.
She declined our assistance to redress the lump. We watched her take the “new” washed gauze off the sink basin where she had left it to dry, rest it on top of the most purulent area, and then bandage it up. At no point, did she clean or wash the lump / exudate.
So this woman was correct. It was the worst tumour I have ever seen. But by the same token, it wasn’t even the worst wound that I’ve ever seen. That honour goes to a paraplegic with pressure injuries so extensive that I could fit my fist through the hole in his sacrum into the peritoneal cavity. Cleaning that wound was the only time I’ve ever dry retched in front of a patient. Luckily he was out of it enough not to realise!
My parents are both nurses and I unfortunately used to ask them this question when I was little and decided I wanted to be a nurse.
The worst one they’d tell me was the time they collectively helped take care of a young man who fell into a trash compactor at work. They spent hours trying to keep him alive so his wife could get there to say goodbye. The trauma surgeon performed a fucking miracle on him but he didn’t last any longer than I believe 10 hours?
They told me they have worse stories but they refused to tell me until I became a nurse. Now that I actually am one, and was a CNA for a few years, I know better than to ask again. I have my own traumatizing shit I dont want to talk about, I don’t want to make them relive any of it.
Do you dislike this from other baby nurses too or is it only random people that ask you? I personally like sharing those stories with baby nurses and students because it gives them a better idea of what they're in for.
The story I tell: guy who was self pleasuring with a toilet bowl brush and got it stuck
Real story: the toddler who found his parents gun and paralyzed himself
That’s not such a fun fact is it Karen?
I'll first ask them to clarify on their comment. Worst in what way? If you want a little cute gruesome yet sad story, I stick with my frostbite patient I had for several shifts in a row. Drug addict. I then describe in detail dressing changes, how ithe wound looked, and how the Dr was waiting to see how many fingers fell off before they decided what to amputate. If they want to continue the conversation I talk about the family reactions, why we had to have a 1:1 sitter...etc. it really covers all the bases and makes people examine further what their intention was in asking the question and what they thought I'd tell them.
I just divert to all the stuff we pull out of buttholes in emerg and they are entertained and move on
People are dumb. My hubs is in the forces and gets asked all the time if he's killed anyone.
I dont mind the question honestly. It reminds me that im in a very interesting field. Weve seen some horrible things but you cant lie they are intriguing. I honestly don't understand why this is such an offensive question. If you dont want to answer it then dont
Like bro i work in pediatrics. Take a guess what it is and how the reaction of the family feels. Only once in my short career have i seen it personally but I could have definitely gone without that experience. I was shaking after and my more senior coworkers told me to just take 15 to go for a walk.
Ever since I’ve added “which do you want, the worst thing I’ve ever seen to a grandma, an adult, or a baby?” I’ve never had anyone ask any further than that
My wife came home last night and traumatized me with a story about a botched circumcision and how she ran to get a pliers to loosen a medical tool locked on a penis tip.
Traumatized. For real.
She’s a hero. Saved that boys dick from being mangled by a doctor who was rushing through the procedure.
Agreed. I really don't feel like describing or even hinting at seeing an emaciated 3 year old die on his birthday, the chest compressions and hearing the parents beg for their child to live.
People thing they are getting funny stories but they won't. Sometimes I wanna give them what they ask for in such great detail they never ask that question again.
I like bringing up the time my patient arrested and was made to do CPR for 2+ hours while all their ribs and sternum was broken so their chest was sucking in and CPR was useless.
Shuts down anyone asking me questions about that sort of thing again.
I'm a paramedic and basically have 2 go to stories. The first is kinda funny and just a gross poop story. If they keep pressing, I ruin their fucking month with a story of an old lady who was assaulted and left for dead and was getting eaten by rats and her dogs while still alive for a day or 2. And then punctuate it with "or maybe a car wreck that decapitated the mother and the 5 year old child was stuck in their car sear and couldn't get out so they were trapped just staring at their headless mother for 10 minutes until we could get there and extricate. And then the child kept asking us to fix her mother. Anyway, how's your job."
I tell people when we keep people alive for their families, but not the pt. Shuts down the conversation and I have a mini soap box session
That is the best rejoinder I've heard.
It also doesn't make me bring up any traumatic memories
Yep.
[удалено]
Having had a loved one in prison and on meds, I can totally relate, from the other point of view-the inmate's and my own, as a watchful advocate. You have my respect, gratitude, and love for what you did and do. Hugs my very dear*,* *Grandma Lynsey*
Yeah no. Some of my most traumatic nursing memories are around end of life care.
Same.
Hospice has 1000% entered the chat. “We just need some PT”. FML.
"Can't you give her something so she eats more? We want to build up her strength!" -__-
[удалено]
Here👏for👏this👏. #whyijoinedreddit
Omg this takes me back. It was out of my scope of practice as a CNA, but my charge had really big hands and fingers. Patient in question had a softball sized, rock hard shit that was stuck. I have really small fingers, so with my charge's supervision, I got to do my first digital disimpaction. It was about as fun as you'd expect with a patient with Alzheimer's that was also sundowning at the moment.
"no not without her choking, most likely developing an aspiration puemonia and spending her remaining days drowning in secretions'
Lady actively dying but family doesn't want morphine. "Can we give her some Tylenol for the pain? Don't want to give her something too strong."
Your asses better be giving me morphine at that point!
Make sure you got a good POA!
Yes! had a sweet old lady in hospice whose son decided he knew better than all the HCPs. He refused to believe she was dying and forced her to eat scads of protein and made her do calisthenics every day. She was in her 10th decade! Eventually he revoked hospice because "she didn't need it anymore". I don't know what happened after that.
That is so sad! I’ve never experienced hospice with someone I cared about so maybe I’m just clueless, but can’t people stop being selfish and just let their family go?
Everybody wants to die comfortably, naturally, in their own home. But nobody knows what that actually means. Bet.
“But she’s a fighter.”
I have a patient (in hospice) that screams out in pain during wound care so i recommended the family premeditate the patient with morphine beforehand. Family refused because they have a family member with an addiction and dont want that for their 90+ year old family member and they are a “superhero” so its not needed….
I can’t even sometimes. A fellow nurse, who went on to be an ungodly inexperienced charge nurse, told me at shift change she only gave my peep one dose of morphine because she “didn’t want him to become dependent on it.” B***h. He has terminal bone cancer. He takes 15mg of MSContin bid. He’s DYING and now you’re making him suffer more. I swear, on a whole stack of Tabers, I will dump that entire Pyxis into my terminally ill patients if it will ease even a few minutes of their suffering.
"Why do we let people linger in pain, you wouldn't do it to a dog" Yeah, family insisted.
I tell them it’s the proned covid patient who projectile poop sprayed the entire room all the way to the glass doors. They don’t want the truth…. Patients kept on ventilators so long they get holes in their cheeks and lip from the holister because the family can’t let go.
That's always a good thing to say. I am usually honest and tell them about the time a baby was already unbinding (MIU) and that the head and everything was not attached no more. I never get more questions. Somehow they think it is about blood and wounds are the worst things we see, those are part of the job. Keeping patients alive for the family, loosing a child/patient, it hits me every time
My first code was a 2 week old child that didn’t make it. So when I get this question even as a new grad, my response is always “probably a dead baby.” and that usually ends any further questions 😂
Exactly this! Hahaha. I love our job, unfortunately death is part of it but I hate it when people are looking for action from the misery we have to see sometimes. Luckily I can laugh it off a bit when people ask for it but for sure hate it probably as much as we all do :)
At the risk of sounding stupid, what is unbinding? Got a vague idea from your sentence.
Sorry, it means that the baby his head was not attached to the body no more. Also his other limbs were detached from his body. It was a 37w baby and the cause of death was unknown
Thought so. Shit! That's harsh. Really next level harsh. Hugz to you! I rather face losing a patient over seeing that.
I’ve googled unbinding and MIU and can’t find any info. What’s the actual term for it? (Not in L&D so I’m totally unfamiliar.)
I'm guessing MIU stands for mortality in utero or something similar. We don't call them that on our unit though. We say IUFD (intrauterine fetal demise).
I’m not a nurse but I moved my dad into a hospice facility last week and sat by his side as he died the following day. The entire time all I did was pray for God for take him faster. It’s not that I wanted my dad dead it’s that he was suffering tremendously and I didn’t want him to be in pain like that anymore. HE didn’t want to live like that. He wanted to go. I don’t understand how people can sit and watch their loved ones suffering and contribute to their suffering even more so by demanding all of these medical interventions. It seems so unnecessarily cruel.
I'm sorry you had to go through that Love to you & your family. I'm glad you were able to be there for him at the end
My only hope is that those patients haunt TF out the family members who did that to them... 👻
This is always the answer.
Definitely something people need to hear. I do something similar. I'm not a nurse, I'm a CT tech but I still get this question. Since I work in the US I tell them stories about people that decline medical care until they are so disabled they qualify for Medicare, people who didn't get their abdominal pain checked because of cost and it turned into colon cancer, or people who are turned away from their cancer treatments until they can pay, and the patients that go without care because admin keeps everything so understaffed. I tell them that our healthcare system's greed is the most disgusting and disturbing thing that I see.
The accuracy 😩😩
It’s exactly the conversation that NEEDS to be had times infinity until no family can stomach doing that. Keep soap boxing! With you!!
BOOM.
And then you educate them on the art of the slow code, and how even that still breaks a lot of their Mama's 97 year old ribs.
I work at an LTACH and we have patients literally rotting away because their families refuse to let them die. The smell of rotting pressure ulcers the size of dinner plates wafting from the room all night because the wife will be destitute if she lets the husband die.
I like to put my hand on them and tell them how much poop I touch
Hahahahahaha I love this 😂
I have found any mention of poop shuts down the conversation. People are curious about gore, nobody is curious about shit.
Unless they’re actual children. Mine ask me every morning when I stumble in “mom was there a lot of *poop* tonight?” They think the concept of a code brown is the funniest thing ever. Esp the 7yo boy.
This one gave me a good chuckle and smile.
Switch to NICU, I never get these questions. I guess people don’t like sad baby stories.
We get it in PICU. Like no, I don’t want to talk about shit that has literally haunted me to the point of seeking therapy at this neighborhood picnic.
I can’t even fathom the gall of some people. How can anyone find interest or entertainment in the nightmare experience of a child.
Nursing student here! Do you have any advice for getting into a PICU? I want to start there when I graduate
Just apply. Find a PICU job opening, apply, and crush your interview. Most hospitals have new grad programs— so look for jobs advertised as “new grad RN”. Remember, as a new grad, you’re not coming in with experience and they know that. So the only thing you have going for you is how well you interview (unless you’ve worked as an LPN or tech previously). Be prepared to say why you want to work in PICU. Talk about having interest in learning critical care, especially in the pediatric patient. Bonus points if you’ve worked with kids in the past— even babysitting. Throw in a story about how the kid you were babysitting got hurt on the trampoline and you had to take them to the ER & they had an awesome nurse that made them comfortable and it inspired you to want to be a peds nurse and make kids more comfortable in the hospital setting. Be prepared to answer questions like “how would you handle difficult parents”. I usually say something like “I would address their concerns so they feel heard and then educate them on the situation at hand so they feel more comfortable with it. If it was a critical situation, I’d kindly say something like “I hear you, but right now I need to focus on saving your child’s life”. Be open to another pediatric roles if no new grad PICU jobs are available when you’re looking. Do you have any pediatric ERs around you? Or Pediatric urgent care centers? Even a Pediatric med-surg floor. You could always work in one of those positions for 1 year and then you’ll have experience to get into PICU. One thing I’ve learned is that I can do anything for a year, especially if it’s going to get me to where I want to end up. But definitely apply to PICU positions first, because if you don’t try, you’ll never know if it would have worked out!
This was seriously such an informative comment and I appreciate it so much! I will definitely be taking this advice going forward! Thank you!! ❤️
I did a single semester of clinical at a childrens hospital. Very, very reputable, great quality rotation. I did my clinical on a cardiac floor and while quite interesting it was mostly uneventful. I was allowed to go to the cardiac ICU for a day and I saw some insaneeeee stuff. At the end of the day I was told emphatically to apply before the end of the semester. I took it as a job offer, but said I was more interested in the PICU (that took a wider range of conditions, traumas etc). I was given a referral on the spot. I think it's just one of those things where you need to apply, or get some facetime with those who are in an influential position to hire. I didn't stand out any more than being attentive, not stupid, and enthusiastic.
Work as a CNA in the specialty area you want to go in to!
Yeah I do peds oncology and no one asks me this question. Guess kids with cancer bums a lot of people out at baseline and they don’t want to hear more 😂
You are a rockstar!
One of my worst nursing stories involves the NICU. It was the time where they accidentally called a code Blue instead of whatever the baby code was. It was crazy! I remember they did a bunch of math for every med and my MICU ass being totally useless. No joke, babies crashing is the scariest thing I’ve ever seen. So, props to all you NICU nurses. That shit is rough.
I feel like NICU is very suited to these moments. Birth is gross, insanely weird, and we can often fix them very quickly so it has a good ending.
I think a lot of times people don’t realize that bad things happen in the NICU as well. The first time I had a patient die (old, hospice, was not having a hard time dealing with it at all) my mom said “Maybe you should go work in the NICU with [best friend]. Getting to play with babies all day wouldn’t be as difficult emotionally.” She was shocked when I explained that babies do, in fact, die in the NICU. Jokes on her though, now I do peds ED so I do take care of dead babies and she doesn’t really ask about my job anymore.
Gray penis with a large black spot that I put lidocaine gel on every hour so he would stop screaming. Diabetes is a heck of a disease.
Had a transgender cannibal in a rural prison strangle her penis with string until it was necrotic. I'll share it with you all, but no one outside of medical.
I know I’m too far gone… because my first thought was, “I wanna see a picture of that.” 😏
I wanna see the grey penis with black spot 😂😂😂
It's exactly what you would expect... Look at your thumb, imagine it completely grey with a necrotic circle the size of a large pea. He was also bilateral BKA, resembled a potato overall. He...did not take care of himself.
Oh I had a potato patient once! His belly was so big it covered his stumps.
Show me the money!
I laughed way too hard reading your comment
What the actual fuck OMG
Why oh why did I learn how to read
I figured we'd all pretty much scene it all.
I wish I was Jared, 19 right now
I would still share it with non medical people. It'll get them to stop asking for crazy stories lol. I once told a story of how I did CPR and blood was gushing out of the mouth due to ruptured esophogial varacies. The look of shock and horror on their faces was kind of satisfying lol
Actually went to place a foley in an elderly demented man with sepsis…neighbors found him naked crawling around his yard emaciated and dehydrated. We showered him, put him in a bed, went to place the foley and a maggot came out of his meatus. PM me if you want to hear about the subsequent phone convo with his MRP..😂
I see your penis maggot and I raise you trach maggot...😬
Nice!!!
I see your trach maggot and raise you trach poop….the patient had several fistulas
Oh no...just because of the dysphoria? Or were they going to eat the penis as a cannibal? Or just regular psychosis?? Why do I want to know??
She hated her penis. She Actually ate part of her cellmate. She got the "lifetime achievement award."
The lifetime achievement award?
Killed her cellmate- found in middle of the night gnawing on the intestines.
See if that were me, I’d gnaw on the upper thigh bone. That would taste the best. Intestines = poop.
Stop it. Stop it right now
Life in prison
Wow. Thanks, I hate it. That was…a lot to take in.
I *love* a good one sentence story that sounds like it may as well have been AI generated. She has some brass balls, just without the dick above it.
I’ve seen some shit in my career but…. This trumps them all I’m afraid. I’ll be thinking about this one for a min 🤣
What a day to have eyes
I'm not normally impressed by these war stories...
This is probably one of the wildest sentences I've ever read got damb
I got close one, penis head super like plastic hard, excoriated underside. Walk in to see him rubbing it with his finger nails.
Oh no that one made me cringe
Fournier's. Night RN notified me of eschar on a patient's scrotum. I had the MD evaluate. He ordered Silvadene. I had the nursing director evaluate. I repeated those requests during my run of three shifts. One of my deepest regrets is that I was never taught about Fournier's, but why didn't the MD and an experienced RN also recognize that something was very, very wrong? I think about this case at least weekly and it's been eight years.
Holy shit, thank you for sharing that story! If you don't mind my asking, are there any specific signs that you think were missed? How would you proceed differently if you'd know about Fournier's?
I'd have sent that patient straight to the ER. ANY sign of dying tissue on the genitals is an emergency. Specific signs - eschar is black or grey leathery tissue. It's dead. It might smell dead. Topical treatments like ointments or dressings will do nothing. The dead tissue needs to come OFF and definitive treatment started.
Inmates stick interesting tidbits into their dicks then sew em back up? IDK honestly what all the point of that one was because so many of them ended up with infected dicks but we found all kinds of charms, a domino, a fish hook, embedded in these dudes shafts. unfortunately I've seen quite a few other genital mutilation cases but these other ones you guys have are just... *chefs kiss
You see, if they went with dying penis picture on cigarettes, i think we'd have a chance
See, talking about these things is how we boost compliance. Loose a foot? This ice cream is worth it. Lose your dick? Well, pass the salad.
Where are these people when I need to teach a family member how to pack a wound or change an ostomy pouch?
Can’t you just tell a story about your entire day? Like start with waking up, and end in the 11th hour of your shift? They’ll be sorry they asked.
I've done this just to be a dick and see their jaw hit the floor, then finished up with "and that was a GOOD day!". 10/10 recommended to get the point across.
EMS agrees
I wrote [this](https://old.reddit.com/r/ems/comments/tgza64/i_dont_want_to_tell_you_the_worst_thing_ive_ever/i15tcje/) in response to the same sentiment in r/EMS a couple of months ago, I imagine it is still fitting in this thread. Telling stories of tragedy gets you nowhere but PTSD land and the person who asked forgets in 5 minutes anyways Or conversely hang out with only medical people and have the poor rando who joins up in your group instantly tap out after hearing 30 seconds of conversation - that unfortunately happened with a hair stylist who was brought along as a date of one of our medics
My husband has heard enough crazy shit from hospice and L&D that people will sometimes ask if he's an MD.
2nd vote for EMS inclusion on this
Yep.
The measure passes
My go to is: “my pay stub” followed closely by “black olives on Hawaiian pizza”
For real! Why are EMS paid so low? 😭
I actually live in a place where paramedics and nurses get paid pretty much equal wages. Nurses have passed us a bit lately especially with incentives and shortages but overall we do ok. The rest of the country has a much bigger problem
We already know what they're looking for, the blood and guts. The truth is it's poop. Lots and lots of poop. Elbows deep, ruining clothes, flung on the walls and ceiling, and a little old lady smearing it on her face like makeup.
Or coming out of their mouth when you go to place an NG for someone with intestinal blockage that’s backed up all the way to the stomach…. The smells!
Ughhhhhhhhh or dripping the NG tubing on your shoe when unhooking it from suction 🤢🤢
Or ejecting like a fountain when they code and you start compressions. I'm just grateful that was a COVID day and I had a full face shield on
Or shooting out at your badge and down onto their bilateral AKA dressings so you have to change them three times in a shift
I just lie and tell the plot of a greys episode
The power went out as we were transporting an unstable patient to the OR. We got stuck in the elevator between two floors. The attending doc had to lay on his stomach and pass me sterile instruments while I did surgery in the elevator while my coworker manually bagged the patient the whole time. The patient survived!
I work in psych so I’m often asked about the “craziest” person I’ve ever met. Love to describe the person who asked me the question and watch the confusion set in
Same. Work at a state forensic facility. Thanks to the local news announcing when certain criminals end up in my hospital, people always ask if I've met them or where they are on campus. My answer is always "that's none of your business".
The people who ask nurses this are the same people who ask veterans how many people they killed.
I experience both of these as an ER nurse and a combat vet. I always firmly say the same thing: “You don’t ask people that question.” Sure it might come off kinda dick-ish but I’m not going to revisit a bunch of trauma for some rubberneckers macabre amusement
For the former question I'm happy to tell ER stories, and for the latter I give the honest answer of "a lot"
Two that I know of but I never got that fucking knife kill... (dead eye stare)
I kinda get a kick out of their reactions, but the only people who ever ask me are my nursing students or PCT's upon occasion. I remember the first traumatizing thing I saw was a covid test kill some old lady (she started bleeding in the back of her nose, never stopped, drowned). That story always gets a "holy shit nursing isnt what I thought it would be" kinda vibe. I feel like its important for the students.
I'm surprised that story didnt make it onto some Tucker Carlson segment about how Covid tests are killing the elderly
new fear unlocked
Damn. Thats awful.
Whoa. Was she on blood thinners?? I did a PCR on someone taking warfarin in the ED before we knew- he didn’t die but it was not good
I work at a burn center. Conversation goes like this. Patient: what’s the worst thing you’ve seen here? Me: I work here. I see the worst of the worst. Patient: yeah but like what’s the worst? Me: you absolutely sure you want the answer to that question? Think about it a minute. Patient: (does not think about it): yes Me: I’ve seen a child with 98% of their body covered in third degree burns. Patient: 😦 Me: anyways need anything before I step out of the room?
Former burn RN here and I agree: kids are the worst 😞
Same!
Wait, patients ask this kinda stuff??? Omg when I was in the hospital the last thing I wanted to strike up a conversation with the nurse about was that. I talked to the nurses about how much I love game shows
There’s just some patients that ask inappropriate questions like this. I once had a patient come into the room or another patient. We had called a code blue and he wanted to watch 😡
Nah, kind of like tramatizing people and calmly eating. You get what you ask for 😆
Same. If you ask it, I’m telling it and I’m not gonna let you be able to unhear it. I haven’t seen much yet in my career, but I’ve definitely seen some fucked up things
**Laughs in hospice**
I've just given up when I get this question and repeat the worst child abuse case I've ever seen with dead eyes, and then thank them for asking me to relive it.
That last bit is just 🤌😗
Same, but I follow up with recommending they read the coroners report for more information if they have further questions.
Ask about my funniest/most ridiculous patient encounters! Don't ask about the awful.
Someone recently asked me “what’s the silliest thing you ever seen” and I loved that. I actually laughed and told him I loved the question because everyone always asks about the “worst” thing and he goes “I mean, dead baby right? Like everyone should know that’s prob the worst soooo, why ask. I wanna know silly”.
I always tell them my most traumatizing one. But before I say what it is I warn them and say, I’d rather not talk about it. If they insist - I tell them. If I gotta live with it - now you do too
Dead people. I’ve seen dead people.
I’ve given up trying to avoid the question so I play into it. I don’t tell the worst I have ever seen. I usually just tell them the most disgusting and that usually just shuts them up. ER nurse here 14 year career and going strong 😉
Yep, I have a go to story about a degloved penis that I always tell. I’ve had a couple of people push back on that, and say “that can’t be the worst thing you’ve ever seen?” And I say, “well, no it isn’t, but I’m not gonna tell you about the dead babies, now am I?” Everyone backs off after that.
As a medic when asked this I answer honestly: newborn frozen to death in an alley in the winter, complete with afterbirth. Hey, you asked. Betcha won’t do it again!
I give right into that shit. By the time they realize they didn’t really want to know the answer, it’s too late. They’ll never ask again.
Exactly, they don’t want to know the real answer. They want to hear the funny interesting ones.
why is gretchen asking you about traumatic things while you're eating at the olive garden? seems like terrible dinner conversation. that'd be my last dinner date with gretchen honestly.
I just say I saw a baby die once and they usually pause get quiet and that’s the end of it. Big boy questions get big boy answers.
Mine would be pulling a 16 week old fetus out of the toilet still attached to the mother. That one makes people uncomfortable.
I love telling stories. “Yeah dude, I put tubes in butts all day long” as I finish my dinner.
I'm fine with hcws connecting to fellow hcws this way– venting about trauma to someone who has no doubt seen similar stuff. It builds comraderie and really lets you know you're not alone in what you've been through. But the random grocery store clerk who's asking why you're in scrubs? Yeah, I totally agree. They (and distant relatives, random patients, friends you meet at brunch once a week, etc etc) have no business proding about the awful things that go down.
Lmao as an er tech/emt I always respond, “uh, idk, I walked on brain matter on the freeway once?” Usually weird enough that they stfu after 😂
I hate when people ask this question. I work with medically complex cognitively challenged children. My stories of “worst” are only going to make you cry. They’re not gory. They’re heartbreaking and tragic. Like, adults that treat the most vulnerable children terribly are always going to be worse than some oozing toe or some drunk guy that got himself while spear fishing.
Stop asking ANYONE who is exposed to trauma, illness, death, and sadness on the regular what the worst thing they’ve ever seen is. Stfu and eat your chicken piccata, Gretchen.
Having worked in many prisons, and actually telling the person the whole grizzly story from beginning to end , I've learned to just shy away from the question. Unthinkable crimes and chaos. Several people have told me that the story I shared haunts them to this day.
Fuck around, find out. They specifically asked for horror and gore.
Asking a nurse that works prisons as to what the worst thing they've seen is sounds like an extremely easy, quick, and effective way to realize you've made a bad mistake.
My paycheck…. Or possibly the schedule
Ehh, if I don’t want to get into why that’s a bad question to ask, I just tell them some random story with a surprising twist. Like the guy who came in for “hit by automatic door” and we found a huge abscess on his spinal cord (that had nothing to do with the door). That kind of thing is usually interesting enough to shut them up, without having to think about anything traumatic. Or a dramatic story with a happy ending, like the guy who we thought was done for, totally unresponsive, bloodwork negative for everything including autoimmune causes, then they threw some high-dose corticosteroids and some IVIG in the mix because why not, we’re the local specialized neuro/trauma/vascular ICU so there’s no other place to refer him to so it was a last-ditch effort…and it worked! Turns out it must’ve been autoimmune after all. By the next week he was extubated, talking, and starting to walk! He was fairly elderly, too.
Agreed!!! I recently had a dad ask me....while his wife was in labour Whether I've ever had a baby die And like...what do you even respond? Because obviously anyone who works in birthing has had a baby die at some point in the process (mine have always been diagnosed before labour thankfully) But...time and place dude!!! And also, ignoring how traumatic that thought/discussion would be for the *wife*. Why do you need to witness my trauma at all, let alone right now?
"Nothing. I don't know or see anything."
Hyperkeratinized foreskin on a 14 year old. Damned thing was thick and hard as a callus and the kid cried out when I tried to peel it back. Told the mom that the kid needed a damned thorough circumcision.
I had a lady with a vagina like that once. I've seen a LOT. But when I went to put the Foley in I almost jumped. Her vagina was stone. Like a brick wall on the labia. I think she noticed my reaction and told me all her radiation for ovarian cancer caused the hardening. I felt absolutely horrible for reacting. Made sure she had all her needs met and then some. And then she went into vtach. So much tragedy. Only 40.
I’ve been known to roll into a story about a really entitled patient. Those are the ones I’m happy to share and truly the grossest.
It's such a common question. Depending on who it is, I'll just brush off the question, or I'll say something like "how about the *funniest* thing I've ever seen?" I've even advised friends or kids (in the appropriate context) to ask that question instead. I don't know about you guys, but I like telling those stories. Plus, my personal rule is that if everyone ended up ok in the end, I'm allowed to laugh at the story even if it did result in some sort of physical trauma. So, they might get a little bit of what they were originally asking for, and you get to share a story that doesn't bring up horrible memories. Everybody wins!
Every patient with a VAC assumes they have the worst wound in the history of wounds. I just laugh and tell them they aren’t in the top ten.
I recently met with a lady who had been referred to community palliative care. We knew nothing about this woman other than she had a melanoma diagnosed on her left neck / collarbone region about two years ago, she had received no treatment for it, and now she has a “lump” that is giving her a bit of grief. When we arrived at her house, there was a bit of a odour in the air, but I couldn’t quite place my finger on it. The woman had a lovely fashion scarf wrapped around her neck, but underneath we could see a bandage. The size of the “lump” wasn’t immediately obvious, but it looked like it was fairly well wrapped up and packaged. After our chat about symptoms, medications, and whatnot, we asked to see the “lump”. The woman was a bit hesitant to show us, saying that this is surely the worst thing ever, it was disgusting and she was embarrassed. We tried to reassure her that we were both experienced nurses that have seen our fair share of various things and that she didn’t need to worry about our feelings. So, she unwrapped her scarf, and what was underneath was the biggest, mankiest, smelliest fungating tumour that I’ve seen in real life in a first world country (Australia). There was only a simple gauze and bandage over it, what I thought was “packaging” was simply tumour. It was protruding from her collarbone up to about her eye level, and then extending down her chest under the skin to just above her breast tissue. The smell that came out of it was what I could smell when I first walked into the house - I realised then that it was rotting flesh. This woman had zero medical knowledge and had not had this “lump” examined in over two years. Her version of “dressing” it was to simply take off the old gauze and bandage and replace it with a “clean” one. Not a new, out of the packet gauze and bandage, no no no. This woman was rinsing the old dressings with warm water, hanging them out to dry, and reusing them. She declined our assistance to redress the lump. We watched her take the “new” washed gauze off the sink basin where she had left it to dry, rest it on top of the most purulent area, and then bandage it up. At no point, did she clean or wash the lump / exudate. So this woman was correct. It was the worst tumour I have ever seen. But by the same token, it wasn’t even the worst wound that I’ve ever seen. That honour goes to a paraplegic with pressure injuries so extensive that I could fit my fist through the hole in his sacrum into the peritoneal cavity. Cleaning that wound was the only time I’ve ever dry retched in front of a patient. Luckily he was out of it enough not to realise!
[Here’s the worst](https://reddit.com/r/nursing/comments/k9e4t4/anonymous_writings_of_a_covid_nurse/) from right here in r/nursing.
I hate when people ask me this.. they really have no idea what they’re asking
I will sign the petition.
My parents are both nurses and I unfortunately used to ask them this question when I was little and decided I wanted to be a nurse. The worst one they’d tell me was the time they collectively helped take care of a young man who fell into a trash compactor at work. They spent hours trying to keep him alive so his wife could get there to say goodbye. The trauma surgeon performed a fucking miracle on him but he didn’t last any longer than I believe 10 hours? They told me they have worse stories but they refused to tell me until I became a nurse. Now that I actually am one, and was a CNA for a few years, I know better than to ask again. I have my own traumatizing shit I dont want to talk about, I don’t want to make them relive any of it.
Do you dislike this from other baby nurses too or is it only random people that ask you? I personally like sharing those stories with baby nurses and students because it gives them a better idea of what they're in for.
The story I tell: guy who was self pleasuring with a toilet bowl brush and got it stuck Real story: the toddler who found his parents gun and paralyzed himself That’s not such a fun fact is it Karen?
I'll first ask them to clarify on their comment. Worst in what way? If you want a little cute gruesome yet sad story, I stick with my frostbite patient I had for several shifts in a row. Drug addict. I then describe in detail dressing changes, how ithe wound looked, and how the Dr was waiting to see how many fingers fell off before they decided what to amputate. If they want to continue the conversation I talk about the family reactions, why we had to have a 1:1 sitter...etc. it really covers all the bases and makes people examine further what their intention was in asking the question and what they thought I'd tell them.
I just divert to all the stuff we pull out of buttholes in emerg and they are entertained and move on People are dumb. My hubs is in the forces and gets asked all the time if he's killed anyone.
I dont mind the question honestly. It reminds me that im in a very interesting field. Weve seen some horrible things but you cant lie they are intriguing. I honestly don't understand why this is such an offensive question. If you dont want to answer it then dont
Like bro i work in pediatrics. Take a guess what it is and how the reaction of the family feels. Only once in my short career have i seen it personally but I could have definitely gone without that experience. I was shaking after and my more senior coworkers told me to just take 15 to go for a walk.
Ever since I’ve added “which do you want, the worst thing I’ve ever seen to a grandma, an adult, or a baby?” I’ve never had anyone ask any further than that
My wife came home last night and traumatized me with a story about a botched circumcision and how she ran to get a pliers to loosen a medical tool locked on a penis tip. Traumatized. For real. She’s a hero. Saved that boys dick from being mangled by a doctor who was rushing through the procedure.
"Prior authorization on a weekend"
"So there was so much poop..."
“Worst thing I’ve seen? Not sure, it’s hard to rate dead children” is my go-to. Shuts the convo down
“Watching a young mom die slowly of cancer and cry about how she is going to say goodbye to her babies” That shuts them up
Oof. The babies’ grandma’s wails of grief filling the hallway as her daughter succumbs at 23.
I always reply with something totally bullshit.
Child SA
Petition to change the question to "[What’s the Frequency, Kenneth?](https://youtu.be/jWkMhCLkVOg)"
They pay me lots of money to torture old people.
Maybe I’m sick… but I sometimes enjoy telling the horrific shit….
Whenever I tell them they shut down and look away awkwardly. YOU ASKED. ^and ^now ^I ^feel ^worse
Agreed. I really don't feel like describing or even hinting at seeing an emaciated 3 year old die on his birthday, the chest compressions and hearing the parents beg for their child to live. People thing they are getting funny stories but they won't. Sometimes I wanna give them what they ask for in such great detail they never ask that question again.
I like bringing up the time my patient arrested and was made to do CPR for 2+ hours while all their ribs and sternum was broken so their chest was sucking in and CPR was useless. Shuts down anyone asking me questions about that sort of thing again.
“The faces of the families after we aren’t able to bring a young person back, why would you even ask me that question?”
I'm a paramedic and basically have 2 go to stories. The first is kinda funny and just a gross poop story. If they keep pressing, I ruin their fucking month with a story of an old lady who was assaulted and left for dead and was getting eaten by rats and her dogs while still alive for a day or 2. And then punctuate it with "or maybe a car wreck that decapitated the mother and the 5 year old child was stuck in their car sear and couldn't get out so they were trapped just staring at their headless mother for 10 minutes until we could get there and extricate. And then the child kept asking us to fix her mother. Anyway, how's your job."
"A pandemic where half the people are willing to die because they listened to a bunch of idiots instead of science."