r/emergencymedicine • u/Asleep-Palpitation43 Nurse Practiciner • Feb 02 '25

Advice Allergy Olympics

Is it wrong that if I see a patient has more than 10 allergies I IMMEDIATELY assume she's (bc it's always a she) a psych case?

In 24 years I've never been wrong.

You'll never read this in a textbook but add it to your practice today and thank me later👍

493 Upvotes

85% Upvoted

369 comments sorted by

View all comments

572

u/AppalachianEspresso Feb 02 '25 edited Feb 02 '25

Dyed hair over the age of 30? Borderline personality disorder.

Patient pulls out the cell phone charger in the room? They aren’t having an emergency.

Seizure + stuffed animal upon arrival? PNES

Non English speaking belly pain + never in the department before? Appendicitis or cancer

Contrast allergy? Liar or actually has the PE and that VQ will be equivocal.

Psychotic malingering patient that is there everyday? Will one day actually have badness someone will not believe, will die, someone gets sued

John Boy who comes in drunk every day will be dangerously hypoglycemic or have a head bleed inevitably.

If you’re ever going to have a bad outcome, it’ll be in the last hour of your shift when you’re trying to leave.

The laws of ER.

66

u/[deleted] Feb 02 '25

[deleted]

3

u/BlueDragon82 Feb 02 '25

Nah, hospitals especially the EDs are fucking freezing. When working I always snagged a blanket from the warmer but when I've been a patient I nearly always bring at least a small one until I can convince someone to get me one. The hair thing is so outdated yet we see it on all the medical subs. 1/4 of the people I've worked with in the hospital have had dyed hair including physicians but I didn't live and work in the Midwest so maybe that makes a difference.