40 Of The Weirdest Diseases And Issues Healthcare Workers Say They Have Witnessed With Patients

Healthcare workers see the kind of situations most people only hear about secondhand, and sometimes the stories are so strange they sound made up. From bizarre injuries to baffling patient explanations, these encounters show just how unpredictable a shift can be.

This roundup pulls together anonymous stories shared by medical workers on Bored Panda, and the results range from funny to downright shocking. Some are awkward, some are heartbreaking, and a few are hard to believe until you read them yourself.

Here are 40 of the weirdest things healthcare workers say they have witnessed on the job.

1. Penile pump

2. An RTC

3. Motorcycle wreck

4. Genetic disease

5. ER specialists

That first story already sets the tone.

6. Broomstick

7. Tampons as earplugs

8. I cut myself a bit

9. Vacuum cleaning

10. Crooked forearm

11. Period

12. Hockey ball

13. Lol...

14. The paramedic

Not my story, but my friend is a paramedic and got called to a house where someone thought a person "might" be dead. The guy had hanged himself at least three weeks previously. Think advanced state of decomposition. She said she can remember thinking, "What do they expect us to do? Resuscitate him?"Obviously, she didn't say anything and just contacted the police. I assume some people just panic and don't know who to call in this situation.

15. What!

16. Blasting radiation into his pituitary gland

I had a patient who wouldn’t let me take his temperature with a non-contact device on his forehead. He was worried about "blasting radiation into his pituitary gland." First of all, you’re 90, so I’m sure by now your pituitary gland is a little bag of sand; and secondly, where did you get this information? Facebook?

Things only get stranger from here.

17. Emergency

18. Broken nail

19. It's getting wild

20. Shocking tales

21. A bath

22. Check this one out

23. Shocking

24. A flower bee

25. Spoiler alert

By now, the stories are getting hard to top.

This is the kind of fallout you see in the AITA where a person asked a friend to cover their grandma’s medical bills.

26. Geez...

27. Which one?

28. Cringeworthy

29. Inserting peas

30. The nurse joked with me about it

31. She wanted to fix her baby

32. Abdominal surgery

33. Human flesh

34. Fish in the urethra

35. No injury

36. Couldn't eat anything with seaweed

The final stretch does not calm down at all.

37. Metal axe

38. From a nurse

39. Rabbit

40. "B12 deficiency"

I once had to explain to a patient that there was no need for us to check his B12 levels because he was actually not on a vegan diet.Still, he insisted on being a vegan because he only ate poultry regularly, while other meats or fish only "a few times a month," and it was always organic. He genuinely thought he was a vegan and therefore needed his B12 level checked.I ended up saying, "B12 deficiency is only a problem for those vegans who don't eat meat."

Seriously, it takes courage to be a healthcare professional. The profession is reputable, but it requires a lot of courage to practice it.

You will undoubtedly see a lot that will scare you and change your perspective on life and how fleeting it is.

We know these posts get you thinking about many things. Let us know your thoughts in the comments section. 

For another tense “friend in need” moment, see why someone refused to pet sit a parrot during an emergency.