ER Docs Share the Weirdest Things That Patients Bring to the Hospital, Including Live Chickens
From monkeys to a suitcase full of french toast, Reddit’s emergency room workers share the bizarre things patients bring with them
Emergency room doctors are use to seeing all sorts of bizarre things — and in a recent Reddit post on the subreddit r/emergency room, they’re sharing the weirdest items patients have brought to the hospital.
The r/EmergencyRoom is described as “a subreddit for all of us involved in the emergency room. Anyone that works in or with the ER is welcome. We understand your twisted sense of humor!”
That humor was fully on display as they shared the weirdest, wildest — and at times, unsafe — things patients brought with them.
It was prompted by a post from Separate_Mechanic758, who asked, “What’s the strangest thing a patient had brought into the ER with them? I’ll go first: today I had a patient bring in a live turtle.”
Turns out‚ many patients bring in animals — and chickens surprisingly top the list.
“Pet chicken. It was summer and too hot to leave it in the car,” Redditor llsaatzer wrote. “It sat in her lap for most of the time. It got a little bitey during the EKG.”
Roccmyworld added, “Had that happen once. We told her it could not come in. He chose to leave. No f—ing way are we letting a chicken in the ED.”
And as Key-Radio1090 chimed in, “A pet f—ing chicken, she said she couldn’t leave him in the car. Why tf did you bring him in the first place?”
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Another patient brought in “‘helper’ monkeys."
“They didn't really do much, just kind of sat on or near her looking cute,” Redditor Halome wrote. “Honestly they just seemed like fuzzy little live baby dolls, she painted their nails and dressed them up as such. It was bizarre.”
Another bizarre answer: an “emotional support duck," while “a young boy…snuck in garter snakes in his jacket. Grandpa was with him and he was pissed!”
Other patients brought their favorite snacks — often in large quantities — in suitcases.
“Not the ER, but we had a patient admitted for bowel prep (as he had failed to complete it so many times before) and brought a suitcase full of Mountain Dew 2 liters,” wrote RevolutionaryYak4843.
Another patient also brought luggage, but it was stuffed with french toast.
“No syrup or butter, it looked a little dried out to me. But it honestly didn't smell bad or anything,” wrote Diligent-Law-4275, who said the patient “wouldn't agree to any treatment without her suitcase.”
Related: Pediatric ER Doctor Issues Warning After Boy, 4, Ate Hamburger Containing Wire from Grill Brush
If you’re headed to the emergency department, there are things you should bring — and none of them are pets or suitcases full of snacks.
Come prepared with a list of your medications, medical conditions, surgical history, allergies, and the names of your doctors, according to New York-Presbyterian, which adds, “If possible, leave valuables and other items at home.”
And that definitely includes pet chickens.
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