Nurse Scoffs At The Doctor's Warning She Might Feel Lightheaded In The Middle Of The Procedure, Proceeds To Faint Minutes Later

One warning from a doctor was all it should have taken, but this nurse brushed it off and paid for it minutes later. The story starts with a routine bone marrow biopsy, a bedside procedure that is usually quick, familiar, and a little uncomfortable for anyone seeing it for the first time.

OP, a hospital doctor, needed help during the procedure and ended up working with a traveling nurse who had never assisted with a bone marrow biopsy before. She also had not eaten lunch, which made his heads-up about possible lightheadedness even more relevant, at least in theory.

That theory did not hold up for long, and the rest of the procedure went in a direction nobody expected.

There is a scratching noise that you can hear as the needle scratches the surface of the bone.

People somehow feel the sound at their core. Doctors have to exert a lot more force during a bone marrow biopsy to obtain a sample from the inside because bones are hard.

Plus, when they pull out the marrow, they are technically extracting fluid from a vacuum, which can be very painful for the patient and those witnessing the procedure.

The nurse did not appreciate the warning and rolled her eyes at him. She huffed and said, condescendingly, "Don't you worry about that, honey. I have been a nurse for 15 years."

"I have been a trauma and ER nurse for most of that time. I have seen metal spikes and machetes pulled out of all sorts of holes in patients' bodies. I think I will be alright," she continued.

OP noticed that she was intentionally rude and antagonistic. He assessed the situation and decided not to confront her, choosing instead to proceed with the biopsy.

Minutes into the procedure, the patient grunted while OP was starting to extract the liquid marrow. In the background, OP heard a thud and found the nurse cold on the floor.

He called her name, but she was unresponsive. He had to interrupt the procedure and leave the sterile field to call for help for the unconscious nurse, who thankfully turned out okay after being treated in the ER.

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Here's a summary of the story:

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The full version can be read below:

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That nurse’s eye-rolling reminds me of the AITA post about refusing to attend a mother’s surgery for mental health.

readitonreddit34

After 15 years of experience, she thought nothing could faze her.

BeatSalty2825

But after more than a decade, that was not the lesson she should have learned.

Slurms_McKensei

Just to make the image more vivid, another nurse shared the sound of the procedure: "crunchy crunchy."

Brianthenurse

Just imagining it elicits a visceral feeling.

[deleted]

We hope so, three.

Metallbran88, readitonreddit34

It certainly wasn't the doctor and definitely not the patient.

Narrow-Big7087

If you feel something, say something before you become another patient.

No_Shallot_6350

It's the hubris, man.

readitonreddit34

By the way, doc, why aren't people sedated for this?

Situation-Slow

Apparently, they do, but just for some people.

readitonreddit34

Sometimes you don't even feel the effects before it's too late.

sandeejs

Is it too much to ask for her to apologize?

Decent-Activity-7273

At least she was fine—embarrassed but fine.

readitonreddit34

The world keeps turning because of petty people.

heidimark

To sum it up, she was wrong for acting haughty when OP was warning her, and she delayed an important procedure.

schnurble

After 15 years of working in the medical field, the nurse probably thought nothing could surprise her anymore. She was very obviously wrong.

Like the other Redditors said, if a specialist warns you about something, you better heed their advice. They've probably seen it happen too many times for it to become a part of the prep.

For a different kind of “don’t ignore the warning,” read about refusing to lend money for a friend’s dental emergency.