IV Poles and Bad Decisions: Med-Surg Mayhem, Episode 2

🛒 IV Poles and Bad Decisions: Med-Surg Mayhem, Episode 2

Blog Post:

There are moments in med-surg nursing when you question everything—your career path, the laws of physics, and how one person can create that much chaos in non-skid socks.

It was around 2:30 a.m.—that magical hour when sleep-deprived patients start getting ideas. My unit was relatively calm (red flag #1). I was catching up on charting, blissfully unaware that just down the hall, a perfect storm was brewing in Room 409.

Now, Room 409 was occupied by a middle-aged gentleman recovering from abdominal surgery. Nice guy, full of jokes, slightly too comfortable with the hospital bed controls. Earlier that night, he asked if he could "walk the halls a little to stretch out." I said, “Sure, just call me and I’ll help you.”

He did not call me.

Instead, he MacGyver’d his IV pole into what can only be described as a medical-grade scooter. Somehow—still attached to fluids and all—he was propelling himself down the hallway using one foot like he was pushing a shopping cart at full speed in Walmart.

I saw it all in slow motion: the hospital gown flapping, the wild-eyed determination, the IV pump beeping in protest.

And then—WHAM.

Right into the linen cart.

Sheets. Everywhere. Alarms. Beeping. My soul leaving my body.

I sprinted down the hall like I was running track for Team RN, yelling, “Sir! You can’t ride the IV pole!”

To which he responded, “It had wheels. I thought it was encouraged.”

Sir, this is not Mario Kart: Post-Op Edition.

He was okay—thankfully. Nothing damaged but his dignity and the linen supply. The IV? Miraculously still connected. I wish I could say this was the first time I had to say, “Please don’t use the hospital equipment for extreme sports,” but... welcome to med-surg.

Lessons Learned:

• Wheels do not equal permission.

• Patients get creative when bored.

• Never trust a man in a gown with free hallway access at 2:30 a.m.

Final Thought:
We may work on a “surgical specialty” unit, but sometimes it feels more like an improv comedy club—with bed alarms.

To all my fellow med-surg nurses: may your IV poles remain upright, your patients stay seated, and your linens remain folded.

Until next time in the chaos...

🩺 Stay safe, stay caffeinated, and for the love of nursing—secure the wheels.