Patients lie ALOT!!!!
Sleepy Doc: Hello Ms. teenager, what brings you to us today
Ms. teenager: I have been vomitting constantly for the past 2 weeks.
Sleepy Doc: Well have you had a change in eating habits recently?
Ms. Teenager: No doc
Sleepy Doc: Any fever or diarrhea.
Ms. teenager: No doc.
Sleepy Doc: Are you currently sexually active.
Ms. teenager (in an angry voice): No doc. How could you even think to ask me that!!!!
Her mom who was in the interview room was also shocked and angry by my line of questioning.
So after calming them both down and of course apologising and explaining that I only asked routine questions to get to the bottom of her daughter’s problems, I decided to run a few tests. Of course, I also included a pregnancy test…..to the horror and anger of her mother.
Sleepy Doc: Well I have the results of your tests, all of which came back within normal limits. One thing though, your pregnancy test is positive. So, let me ask you again, ‘Are you sexually active?’
The teenager starts screaming at me that it was wrong and I told her we actually did two separate tests just to be sure. Then she told her mom she was sexually active. The mom starting arguing with her daughter…….Too much drama for 2am……
Basically, the moral of this story is that patients lie ALOT!!!!!! Especially when being questioned in front of other people, like……parents…..
Sleepy ER Doctor Diaries 