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Hospital emergency rooms are built for just that: emergencies. Broken bones, heart attacks, motor vehicle accidents and similar incidents that require urgent assistance from doctors and nurses. These experts are trained to handle life-threatening cases under intense pressure. For them, and their patients, every minute counts.
But every now and again, someone comes racing in and causes a collective facepalm with their 'medical emergency.' From the guy who came in because he "wanted to watch the Super Bowl and his roommates did not," to the person who had severe stomach pains but actually just needed to let out a good, long fart, people have been sharing some of the dumbest cases ever to rock up in the ER.
Bored Panda has put together the most bizarre and ridiculous ones sourced from across the internet. Some are funny, others are painful, and many might leave you thinking that sometimes, the real emergency is a serious lapse in judgment and brains that failed to function.
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#1
Sneezed, threw out my back, fell on the cat (broke his paw), got bit by the cat, and ended up with an infection from the bite and on IV antibiotics for a week.
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#2
The custodian thought I was a ghost in a dark lab, hit me with a bucket and drove me to the ER. We’re engaged.
#3
I got bit on the neck by a bat in the dollar general parking lot trying to get to my car. It was close to Halloween and when I got to the first hospital they thought I was joking… the doc refused to give me rabies shots bc they said I could have an allergic reaction… I left and went to another hospital bc I’d rather have an allergic reaction than ☠️ from rabies, they laughed too until I showed them the bite… anyway, still here and no rabies.
#4
My son (barley 3 at the time)told me his head hurt, and kept saying it for the entire day. So I thought a 3 year old with a headache is NOT normal. So I took him to Urgent care, ran every test they could and looked at him and asked “why does your head hurt?” and he said “mommy says her head hurts and she gets a snack”….. he hears me say my head hurts (i have chronic migraines) and then I have to take my medication for them with a snack.
#5
Fell out of the ambulance while bringing someone in … I’m the EMT.
#6
Took my granddaughter for an eyeball up her nose. She kept fooling with her nose I finally shined a flashlight up to see if something was wrong. An eye was looking back at me. She must have had a craft with googily eyes and stuck one up her nose. The doctor thought it was quite funny.
#7
Ooh, this one is my favorite.
Mom shows up to triage with her 17 year old son. Complaints of being blue.
I think they'd maybe even been to their primary and they sent them in for a work up, but maybe it was just a phone call, I can't recall.
Anyway, they come into my triage room and the kid is obviously a light blue all over. Not cyanotic blue, but.. light blue.
Vitals are fine, no pain or other issues. Mom is freaked out about heart issues.
I'm curious but not really concerned. So, I take out an alcohol pad and wipe his hand. It comes up blue. I show the mother and the kid, then ask if he's got any new jeans, clothes, sheets, etc. The kid says yes, he just got blue sheets and didn't wash them before he slept on them.
Clearly, that's the issue. I figure they'd be seeing themselves out, but nope - they still want to see the doctor. Oof. (And this is in the US where that's not free).
Doc agreed with me, for the record.
Bonnie Blue Bird 3 days ago
I fell off a horse as a kid breaking my arm. The arena was newly covered with a fine blue gravel. At the ER all the nurses and docs rushed me through and sat me down for a serious conversation about how they were worried I had lost circulation to my arm. I started brushing the dust off and went ... don't worry, it's only blue stone. LOL
#8
I sneezed and broke 2 ribs.
#9
Drank water at a house party because I had to drive home from college early the next day. went to the ER feeling like I was having a heart attack. turns out I had drank enough water to severely lower my potassium levels. The Dr was sure to point out how funny it was that I was being responsible and ended up in the ER.
Annika Kremer 3 days ago
I was over 30 when I first heard of this even being possible. Now I make sure to switch it up with sports drinks during particularly hot shifts or strenuous hikes rather than just drink five litres or so of water.
#10
I sprained my finger turning off my light switch.
#11
-22year old male with a sore throat x1 hour.
-varied ages for pregnancy test- including “i just know I’m pregnant but my home test was negative.”
-my 14 year old daughter has been bleeding from her privates for 3 days, she had the same problem last month for 5 days but no one took us seriously (this was mom, not like a single dad).
#12
I read a story here a while back that fits.
A young couple (like late teens, early 20s) came to the ER. She was fine. His complaint? Abdominal pain. After a full workup on an otherwise totally healthy young man, they determined…he was hungry.
His ‘abdominal pains’ were hunger pangs. He had never experienced them before and was scared something was really wrong.
David Paterson 3 days ago
For some odd reason I can't tell the difference between being hungry and being sick. Glad to hear that someone else can't, either.
#13
Never been sunburnt in my life. Went hiking in high elevation all day. The sky was cloudy so I thought nothing of it. On my drive home, my neck was stinging. Really bad. It was all red. I thought I had been bitten by something. Instead of going home, I went to the ER and after a few hours I was promptly told it was sunburn.
Annika Kremer 3 days ago (edited)
I've had sort of the opposite experience reenacting. Went to an event in the UK which starts with a "schools' day" where pupils from local schools can do all sorts of medieval-themed activities. Stood in the sun all day with no sunscreen because I forgot to bring the one kind I wasn't allergic to (I have more options now but it used to be strictly Ladival only, which is only available at the chemist and ridiculously expensive). I tan pretty well when given a bit of time to get used to the sun but hadn't been outdoors much that year due to various commitments, so of course, I got a pretty spectacular sunburn. Well, it was unpleasant and hurt, but I was otherwise fine, so when the battle was on the next day I put on my armour and got on with it. Several clashes in, one of the marshalls insisted on me pulling out of the battle because "you're all red in the face" and she suspected heat exhaustion, dehydration, etc. It took some discussion to be allowed to continue.
#14
My daughter was 3 at the time and she kept saying I’m dizzy right now and turns out she was trying to say I’m busy right now, that whole place probably thought I was insane.
Linda Paulson 3 days ago (edited)
But you never know. I always listened to my kids when they told me they hurt somewhere.
#15
A woman brought her seven-year-old child in at 10pm for a mosquito bite. No infections, no complications, just a <1 cm mosquito bite.
They sat four hours in the waiting room. When they finally got seen, the doc took one look and said, "That's a mosquito bite."
The mom said, "That's what I thought."
Remi (He/Him) 3 days ago
Why do I feel like we're missing a part of this story. Someone hypochondriac and controlling who ordered these two to go see a doctor because "it's clearly lyme disease or plague, and if you don't get that kid to the doctor, you're a bad mom" or something like that
#16
I papercut my eyeball with a Manila folder while answering a phone at my office job.
#17
I fell in my cousins grave site, in the vault. The grave diggers left a small area not covered all the way and I stepped in that very spot and the ground sucked me up into the grave, it was Friday the 13th.
#18
I was 19. My head hurt soo bad I was convinced I was having a stroke. I was dizzy with waves of excruciating pain plus vomiting. I refused to leave until they CT scanned my brain. Turns out, it was my first and only ever migraine. They gave me some shots a cpl tablets of something. I slept for 12 hrs and have never had another lol.
#19
When i was little at the pumpkin patch i tripped while carrying a mini pumpkin and the whole stem went up my nose.
#20
I was in so much stomach pain and they did an ultrasound and it turns out I just needed to fart.
#21
Ate a sandwich with a spot of mold on it. Wasn't happy with the care they received at the other hospital after calling 911 so came to us for a "second opinion".
Loudawg76 3 days ago
I ate mouldy bread one night after being out drinking (I lived in shared accommodation and had to make my snack in the dark so I didn’t wake the others in the room - so couldn’t see the state of the bread). I was soooooooo sick! It was a penicillin mould. Gawd it was hideous 🤢🤢
#22
Thought my water broke when I was sleeping at 22 wks pregnant but I had just actually [wet] my pants. (They did find out I had a UTI and Covid I assumed all symptoms were from pregnancy)
StrangeOne 3 days ago
This isn't a dumb reason to go to the hospital. If she hadn't gone she would not have known the other underlying issues until the symptoms worsened.
#23
Also, and I quote, “I think my baby might’ve eaten a toenail clipping” (baby is content and playful in the stroller). Proceeds to swear at me when I tell them the longest wait is currently about 8 hours.
I could write a book about this stuff!
#24
As an ED nurse once had a man come in bc he was afraid he had a skin or heart disorder bc his legs were turning blue… turns out he had just worn new denim jeans that day, the blue rubbed right off with an alcohol swab. Never seen someone simultaneously so grateful and unwell in triage.
#25
Had a guy call an ambulance and arrived the ER with the complaint of “wanted to watch the Super Bowl and his roommates did not”. Also this was at the height of delta where people were dropping like flies.
#26
A panic attack.
I diagnose myself with so many things and I have horrendous health anxiety as well as GAD
I’m a neuro RN
Geobugi🇰🇷🇰🇭 3 days ago
That is an absolute valid reason to visit ER. Self diagnosing is very tricky and you never know if it is not indeed a heart problem unless you can make an echo at home. Without that, it is allways possible
#27
I sneezed and fractured one of my vertebrae.
#28
When I worked at the ER one of the dumbest reasons I saw a patient come in for was that he LOOKED (with his eyes, no contact) at a “creature” (squirrel) and wanted to get checked for rabies because “you never know.”
#29
"My BP machine at home wasn't working due to no battery. So I called the health line and they told me to come to ER to get it checked."
Mind you, this was at peak delta wave with a 7hr wait in triage. Literally gave them a blank face and that was enough for them to acknowledge it was a bad time and that they'd hit the store in the AM for new batteries.
Epona 3 days ago
I know this post is titled "73 dumb ER visits", but calling the health line instead of just having batteries on hand is absolutely inane! If I was the responder to the person calling for that reason, I would have said "Are you serious? This is a waste of a phone call! You should have batteries on hand anyway, for a TV remote or alarm clock! Go to a store and but a 20 pack of batteries and don't waste our (and your own) time!!". Also, you can take a BP (in this case not standing for Bored Panda, rather Blood Pressure) monitor to a clinic to get it calibrated. No need to go to the ER!
#31
Someone told him he had flat feet. I’ve never seen a patient discharged so fast in all my life.
#32
Guy called 911 after vomiting once. He had his mommy and wife meet him at the ER. He thought he ate a bad pb&j sandwich.
#33
Went to the hospital because my baby's [feces were] red, turns out my MIL gave her cherries… cried because I didn’t give her her first food.
Spencers slave no more 3 days ago
If the MIL had caused a life threatening reaction, I'd be punching her f'ing light out.
#34
Took my 1 year old to the ER because he kept tensing his whole body and we thought he was having seizures. Nope, he just thought it was funny.
StrangeOne 3 days ago
Tbf, that's not dumb to get checked out and it can be scary. My daughter did this when she was a about a month or 2 old. Later, when she became more mobile it turned into fits of hitting her head repeatedly and biting the anything that she could grab while screaming like she was in intense pain. No one took it seriously until my public health nurse and home visitor witnessed an episode and told me that it wasn't normal. I kept mentioning it to every specialist was saw, including speech therapists, until one finally told me it sounded like early childhood seizures. To the untrained eye, she was having tantrums. She was diagnosed with Global Developmental Delay at 18 months. When she turned 18 she's been since re-diagnosed with Intellectual Disability. I'm always wondering if those seizures were the cause or a symptom of her disability.
#35
I thought I lost a tampon and the doctor was basically elbow deep inside of me and couldn't find anything. We assumed that it fell out in the toilet.
Bill Swallow 2 days ago
A tampon 'falling out' and the doctor being 'elbow deep' tells me more about this person that I really wanted to know.
#36
Fainted from dancing too hard listening to “Santa tell me” by Ariana grande. Still can’t listen to it to this day.
#37
I went because I thought I had an allergic reaction to a anti depressant. I didn’t, I had a panic attack while taking the tablet and all the symptoms made me believe I was passing away from an allergy.
Cat Palmer 2 days ago
Not dumb at all: mental health does weird things to your body and thinking processes.
#38
Is the GP urgent? anyway I took my daughter to the GP as a baby as I thought a piece of hair was stuck around her toe and I couldn't get it out! I panicked, turns out it was a fat roll.
#39
Dry feet. I swear to all that is holy. This was the only time I ever asked a pt if they really thought this was an emergency.
#40
Every single Sunday, people usually come in for work/school notes or because “I have a doctor’s appointment tomorrow, but I figured I’d come here because they’re closed on weekends and I didn’t think you guys would be busy today.”.
#42
While eating Little Cesars in traffic, you know how easy it is to grab a $5 cheesy, and coughing due to, well, weed, I had inhaled a tiny piece of pizza crust that lodged in my airway. I could breath but it was irritating as hell. I tried to expel it for over an hour but just couldn’t get it out. It wasn’t until after triage and just seconds before seeing the doc when i finally coughed it up. Very unimpressive!!! With that little dough nugget in my palm, i jokingly said to the doctor as she slid open the exam room curtain, “ you cant charge me, i got it”, haha. They still charged me, 😂.
Sara Frazer 3 days ago
You driving while under the influence of "well, weed" should've gotten you a whole other charge, too
#43
Tried to get the pit out of an avocado with a knife. 3 stitches in my middle finger.
#44
Positive home covid or pregnancy test. Straight to the ER to confirm.
Annika Kremer 3 days ago (edited)
We had a guy come into work asking one of our leads "I had a positive home COVID test, what do I do now?" It was summer 2020 and had these things had been communicated about 2000 times by that point. I still admire the lead for staying calm, not sure I could have with that amount of sheer idiocy
#45
1. 24 yo female: “I’m tired.” Literally just wanted a nap. Called EMS, who brought her by foot in the ambulance bay doors straight to the lobby. Nothing wrong with her at all.
2. “Left leg hasn’t worked for five years.”
#46
Sore gums after using her inhaler a couple times.
A cough every time he smokes a cigarette.
One slightly puffy cheek from eating pineapple. He already took 25mg of Benadryl at home.
I wish these weren’t true lol.
#47
Had a young guy come in because his muscles were more fatigued than normal….like literally instead of him being fatigued the next day after a work out he was fatigued the same day…like wth bruh. He straight up said it usually takes a day for him to be fatigued after a workout but today he was fatigued hours after.
#48
Healthy 23 y.o. F arrived via EMS for 3 hours of constipation….
Dc’d in 5 min.
#49
New parents bringing in their baby because the umbilical cord fell off. Seen this multiple times.
#50
Impaling a needle through my finger. I pulled it out but still meandered over to ED to see what I should do about it. They wrapped it and gave me a tetanus shot (it was a sterile needle!).
weatherwitch 2 days ago
The needle was sterile but was your finger? Tetanus isn't worth risking 🤷🏻♀️
#51
My roommate told us her whole stomach was going numb/paralyzed , we all took her to er, waited from 11pm-5:30am, all for her to be constipated.
#52
I had flying termites I thought they were just flies which wouldn't pass away so I used sooo much fly spray and ended up inhaling it and not being able to breathe.
#54
Wet socks. We took them off his feet and handed them to him with his discharge paperwork.
"I get scared on the 4th of July (VA hospital)." Ok, but it's June 4th. He read the calender wrong.
"I usually need to come to the ER on Tuesdays." Patient was MWF dialysis, frequently skipped Monday dialysis, had not skipped that Monday's dialysis, called EMS out of habit.
#55
There is a few that quickly come to mind:
Leg cramp (arrived via ambulance)
"I'm hungry" - functional adult with food at home (arrived via ambulance)
Several instances of 1cm cuts to fingers that don't require formal closure or ADT update (different patients)
Kicked toe on coffee table 1 week ago (arrived on boxing day, our busiest day of the year)
Dropped object on foot but has no pain, bruising, or other concerns. Just wanted to get checked out.
Auntriarch 2 days ago
To be fair, the first time I had leg cramp I was terrified and had no idea what was going on. Mr Auntriarch had the decency to refrain from laughing at me until it had gone
#56
I actually had a patient check in on Christmas Day for a cough that started 25 minutes prior to check in. He was in his 30s, demanded labs and a chest X-ray lol. Pre Covid too.
#57
Newborn (literally days old) was crying.
Because it was the day before thanksgiving and sometimes when he eats too much he throws up so he wants to make sure he’s all good before he eats.
Period cramps.
Heffalump 2 days ago
I get the newborn thing, and I don't think it's stupid. I remember being a new parent and not having a clue despite reading all the books. So, yes, you know newborns are supposed to cry a lot: but that much? like that? If you don't have experienced parents around (who you trust), who can say 'that's fine' then you're going to want to take all precautions with your precious bundle.
#58
Leg pain due to a June bug (beetle) sitting on their leg.
They left the park,drove in to the ED, sat in the waiting room all this time they had a bug on their leg. I went to triage her because her check in complaint was just leg pain and when she shows me what is wrong I just removed the bug. She insisted that she be seen by the doctor to make sure she was okay.
#59
I’ve seen elderly person come in for head lice.
Geoffrey Scott 2 days ago
Dental techs have told me they have refused doing a cleaning for this reason. Literally crawling on their head. How can you NOT know?
#60
Sigh…. I discovered “lemon perfect” water and drank like 6 back to back later that day genuinely thought I was having a heart attack. Nope. Acid reflux from the lemon water. I didn’t have health insurance, still haven’t paid that bill….
Barbara Hill 3 days ago
Call hospital and ask to speak to the patient care advocate about the bill and charity care. don''t need it to end up on your credit.
#61
In HS, I didn’t want to go to tutoring. I put makeup on my ankle and told my mom she had to take me to urgent care because I sprained my ankle on the yard steps. I should’ve been a special fx MUA because I somehow convinced the Dr. as well and got out of tutoring.
#62
A reason I personally went to the ER as a child, that looking back as an adult & a peds nurse was pretty dumb and embarrassing - my dad put a homemade cast on my arm when I fell off my bike and sprained my wrist as a child (he was a surgical tech) instead of taking me to the doctor/ER. My mom had planned to take me to the doctor the next morning to get proper care, but I woke up at night with throbbing pains in my wrist and hand.. so she took me to the ER at like midnight to get the homemade cast removed. 🙃.
#63
My friend gaslighted me into believing my heartburn was a heart attack.
Daisydaisy 3 days ago
It's not uncommon to think heartburn is a heart attack. Symptoms can be very similar
#64
Abdominal pain that was not just abdominal pain.
I went to do a quick cath urine and what do I see? Dark grey/ bluish and pulsating in and out of her cha-cha-cha...oh my god! It was a baby trying to be born.
Ummm...homegirl hadn't had a period for many months and didn't know that she was even pregnant. And forgot to tell the triage nurse, or wasn't asked or whateva. The hell! All I could remember to tell her was 'pant, pant, pant!'
So, yeah, don't call it 'just a little belly pain, lady!'
weatherwitch 2 days ago
Well I've never heard a professional refer to the vag1na as a cha-cha-cha before 😮🤦🏻♀️ Also it is possible for people to not know they're pregnant. Many continue with monthly bleeds, others like myself may have very irregular periods. Mine were 18 days to 80 days. Total guesswork
#65
A Mole. It hurt her once a few days ago.
DelvianBlue 2 days ago
Maybe not ER worthy, but worth a trip to a dermatologist. When it comes to melanoma, sometimes that's the only warning you get before it's too late - if you even get that much.
#66
Way before I worked in health care but I went to the ER for some bad constipation, had tried everything at home.
They did an enema. The nurse who took care of me was a girl in went to high school with.
#67
Dry mouth.
#68
My dad got frostbite in August. Yeah, he wasn’t usually sober then. Although to watch the ER nurses’s jaw dropped when I had to take him in again the next day for related symptoms. The nurse walking by, casually said, oh that hasn’t been filed yet, I’ll get it.
#69
I went to the emergency room for a doctor's note because I felt too sick to work and didn’t have the money to go to urgent care.
#70
I felt sick went to hospital and farted in the nurses room went home and got fined £60 for “wasting docters time.”
#71
Can’t sleep.
#72
I went because I thought I had appendicitis turns out I was just constipated.
MonsterMum 1 day ago
I had it the other way round, I was diagnosed with constipation and later my appendix burst!
#73
Not me personally, but had someone come in by squad at 0650 for an ear ache. They were discharged before dayshift took report.
Debby Keir 1 day ago
Hmm - depends on why they have earache. Some can wait to see a GP but its not unknown for an abscess to burst and cause sepsis or hearing damage. This is when antibiotics really are needed.
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CloPotato 3 days ago
Dumbest injuries for me occur when sleeping. I once rolled in my sleep and the weight of the covers sprained my ankles. Just last week I yawned in my sleep and woke up from the pain of having dislocated my jaw. But dumbest visit to the ER? I was 2 and loved it when my dad grabbed me by the wrists to spin me super fast. I felt like the mix of a helicopter and Superman. Anyways, my dad discovered one day that little toddlers aren't solid, as both my wrists popped at the same time. As I have very early memories, I remember the nurse asking me very weird questions, and clocking ~6-7 years later that she didn't believe my dad was THAT dumb, so she wanted to make sure I wasn't mistreated. Props to her.
Lady Eowyn 2 days ago
I once gave myself a concussion while asleep. I move a lot in my sleep, and my bed was next to the wall. The bump on my head matched the dent in the wall....
Load More Replies...
Cat Palmer 2 days ago
As a carer for someone with Alzheimer's, the worst one is mum being in agonising pain, can't even get out of bed. I call the doctor. The doctor calls paramedics. Paramedics take mum to hospital, where she tells the first doctor she sees "I don't understand why I'm here - I feel fine". I know they're probably used to it, but I feel like I want the ground to open and swallow me.
Auntriarch 2 days ago
My heart hurts for you Cat. My father died of heart failure in January and I'm so grateful he went before the Alzheimer's got to that stage.
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AnaBanana 1 day ago
One time on vacation, I couldn't get my contact out of my eye. I tried and tried and thought it had gone up into my eyelid. Went to local ER waited a few hours before being seen then a few hours for nurse, doctor, etc. Turns out it had fallen out on it's own. My eye was dry and irritated because I kept touching it trying to get out the contact that wasn't there 😒 Felt like a d*****s...
CloPotato 3 days ago
Dumbest injuries for me occur when sleeping. I once rolled in my sleep and the weight of the covers sprained my ankles. Just last week I yawned in my sleep and woke up from the pain of having dislocated my jaw. But dumbest visit to the ER? I was 2 and loved it when my dad grabbed me by the wrists to spin me super fast. I felt like the mix of a helicopter and Superman. Anyways, my dad discovered one day that little toddlers aren't solid, as both my wrists popped at the same time. As I have very early memories, I remember the nurse asking me very weird questions, and clocking ~6-7 years later that she didn't believe my dad was THAT dumb, so she wanted to make sure I wasn't mistreated. Props to her.
Lady Eowyn 2 days ago
I once gave myself a concussion while asleep. I move a lot in my sleep, and my bed was next to the wall. The bump on my head matched the dent in the wall....
Load More Replies... Cat Palmer 2 days ago
As a carer for someone with Alzheimer's, the worst one is mum being in agonising pain, can't even get out of bed. I call the doctor. The doctor calls paramedics. Paramedics take mum to hospital, where she tells the first doctor she sees "I don't understand why I'm here - I feel fine". I know they're probably used to it, but I feel like I want the ground to open and swallow me.
Auntriarch 2 days ago
My heart hurts for you Cat. My father died of heart failure in January and I'm so grateful he went before the Alzheimer's got to that stage.
Load More Replies... AnaBanana 1 day ago
One time on vacation, I couldn't get my contact out of my eye. I tried and tried and thought it had gone up into my eyelid. Went to local ER waited a few hours before being seen then a few hours for nurse, doctor, etc. Turns out it had fallen out on it's own. My eye was dry and irritated because I kept touching it trying to get out the contact that wasn't there 😒 Felt like a d*****s...
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