The Weirdest ER Cases
There are a lot of things that happen in a hospital ER. While most incidents are fairly common, there are some patients who come through with ailments so weird that it leaves medical professionals talking about it for years.
From hilarious intimate mishaps to dumb self-diagnoses, here are 50 bizarre and entertaining stories from doctors, nurses, and even some patients who have seen some pretty weird things in the ER.
1. Yikes, This Sounds Awful
I found myself in the emergency room when victims of a car crash and rollover were brought in.
The individual behind the wheel hadn't been using a seatbelt which, at some point, led us to declare a "trauma alert."
This informed the medical team that his heart had ceased due to injury rather than a blockage.
His outcome was terrible—his entire leg had lost its skin.
After experiencing this, I often remind myself that if I think my day is going poorly, at least it could always be more dreadful.
2. Ribbit, Ribbet
I conducted a stomach check-up on a significantly large woman (her BMI registered at 74). To my surprise, I discovered a decaying frog tucked under a fold of her skin—a fact she was completely oblivious to.
Apparently, the couple had recently gone for a swim in a local pond with unfortunately detrimental effects on the wildlife.
3. This Is Heartbreaking
One day, a real gorilla, not a man in a costume, turned up in my emergency room.
A nasty fight had erupted amongst the male gorillas at the local zoo, resulting in one gorilla dropping another on its head with quite a bit of force. The zoo staff had quickly inserted a breathing tube, aware of the gravity of the injury.
In desperation, they reached out to our team of neurosurgeons, seeking their expertise as a final hope.
Accompanied by a set of IV distributions and a heart monitor, the gigantic creature was brought into our facility.
After a CT scan, the grim realization dawned on the doctors—the injury was so severe that even if it had been a human patient, survival would have been virtually impossible.
The zoo staff was overtaken by grief, shedding tears for the fallen giant. The entire experience was profoundly heartbreaking.
4. This Is Very Weird
I work as a nurse in an emergency room. We once had a young homeless man walk in, complaining about pain in his private area.
A quick check-up showed some serious problems: there was swelling, redness and infection, along with several puncture wounds healing at different times.
I asked him in a nonchalant way if he'd been using substances, and if he had been injecting them via his private area.
He denied doing so, but he confessed to similar startling habit—using substances through his arm and then hiding the used needles inside his private part "for safe keeping".
An X-ray disclosed that around 30 small-sized needles were stuck inside his private area. He had snapped off the needles from the used injections.
We had to carry out an immediate surgery and managed to remove most of them. The patient, however, left against medical advice and it's been a mystery as to what happened to him subsequently.
