Land of the Fakers

[Jess]

[/font:771adc9ae9] Okay, So we have all had one call or another where the person was faking illness or injury for some attention. I've had a few myself, i just gave them the treatment my scope of practice allowed and transported cuz hey, it's not our prob anyways,we do our job,get them to the ER and let them deal with it, then we're through. Ok someone besides me thought it would be cool to start a board on some of your best stories of people who faked illness and how you treated it. so Post away! and people please dont get mad this wasn't all my idea, just a change in topics is all. okay now post away :thumbup:

[Coach Hohman]

My mom has ran on our department for 20 years, so about 10 years ago they had a frequent flyer that would fake seizures. Well, he had a mental illness following a car accident where him and his brother were in a car and were struck by a train trying to shimmy around the gates. His brother died on impact and he was Lifeflighted...treated...and developed this condition (He was a weirdo before it). Well he used to fake heart attacks and seizures and what not and they suspected for a long time that he was an arsonist and all this stuff. Well he got smart about it and used to pour water on himself to fake the seizure. Welll my mom used to take a lot of pride in opening up the biggest IV needle she could and using it. That same patient was so unpredictable that the sheriff would dispatch a deputy to his house for these seizures and the squad would stand by. One of the deputies always drew a gun going into the house because of the guy. That same guy started showing up at EMT's houses and faking illnesses and such until the county prosecutor stepped in. He was probably one of our most notorious "fakers" thought

[Jess]

My mom has ran on our department for 20 years, so about 10 years ago they had a frequent flyer that would fake seizures. Well, he had a mental illness following a car accident where him and his brother were in a car and were struck by a train trying to shimmy around the gates. His brother died on impact and he was Lifeflighted...treated...and developed this condition (He was a weirdo before it). Well he used to fake heart attacks and seizures and what not and they suspected for a long time that he was an arsonist and all this stuff. Well he got smart about it and used to pour water on himself to fake the seizure. Welll my mom used to take a lot of pride in opening up the biggest IV needle she could and using it. That same patient was so unpredictable that the sheriff would dispatch a deputy to his house for these seizures and the squad would stand by. One of the deputies always drew a gun going into the house because of the guy. That same guy started showing up at EMT's houses and faking illnesses and such until the county prosecutor stepped in. He was probably one of our most notorious "fakers" thought

that is soooo messed up. It makes me wonder why people do these things and what pleasure they get out of it. We ran a call one day for a 19 y/o girl with "Frequent episodes of fainting" First couple times we thought it was for real becaue her vitals were a little on the odd side and such. but we then kept getting calls out to her house sometime up to 15 times a week!!! We later found out that she had a fling for EMS guys and liked them touching her and feeling sorry for her. She ended up getting admitted to the psych ward.

[Cookie]

We had a pt . faking seizures. Problem was she wasn't' t even good at it, ems personnel were not fooled but her mother and husband were, and every time they called for the ambulance. She would shake her arms and legs and call out "help me", roll her eyes around and so on. When she was brought into the ER all was quiet, she was contented she was getting some undivided attention till Momma and Hubby showed up then she was having a seizure! The whole time I was there I walked around the cot, watching her watch me. She was shaking her arms and legs and calling out. I for just nothing more than proving the point, took her arm to take her pulse and lifted it a little higher than normal and then dropped it over her face. That arm flung back away from her face to her side. When the nurse asked for any medications, she had a box of anti depressants and anti seizure medications that would knock your socks off. Momma said he had a fever, well she had long flannel P. J.'s on and it was about 85 that day and she was covered with her blanket. It takes all kinds.

[paraloco]

I've dealt with lots of fakers, and can usually tell you when the call is dispatched what the demographic of the patient will be. If its fainting at a fast food establishment, it will be a teenage female trying to get out of work, has never had a job before and is unaccustomed to it. If its chest pain or dyspnea at Walmart, the mall, etc., it is usually a middle age female shoplifter that got caught. If its seizures at the side of the road, there will be a patrol car there, with someone who 'seized' after the handcuffs went on. The way I deal with simulated stridor, is to whisper in the pt's ear, that I know they are faking, that if they don't stop, me, my partner, and all the firemen will be doing it too to show that family that they are faking. They stop. I miraculously 'cure' them. I also promise to rat them out to the family members they were trying to buffalo if they ever do it again. On a different note, how many of you have run on a patient (with a real problem, ex. hypoglycemia,asthma attack) and a family member who had all the time in the world to get 'decent' is wearing something (or not wearing anything) skimpy? In the last year I've been to 2 different residences with a hypoglycemic patient, in which the patient's adult daughter answered the door in a T shirt and skimpy panties. One apparently expected the engine to arrive first and knew what shift was working, cuz she asked, "Is Jim working tonight?" "She was all prettied up, hair, nails, makeup. LOL OMG ROFPMP My partner told her, " We'll take care of your mother. You go put on some pants."

[fireflymedic]

I worked in a county for a bit that seemed to have an overflow of seizure fakers. Word seemed to have gotten around that if you faked a seizure, you got valium, well in this poor county we had an abundance of both the real thing (people too poor to afford to take meds regularly), and fakers (people who just wanted valium as a cheap high that they didn't have to pay for). Well, one day my partner and I get called to a church out in the boondocks for a lady having while at work. We get there realizing we have ran on her one too many times and even her family has admitted she's faking them (which is a huge help to us), but she's there flopping away while guess what - talking on the cell phone ! OH MY GOD ! We ask her if she's seizing and she doesn't answer, we are like, okay well then...get her loaded in the back of the buggy and stick her with the largest IV we've got and will fit -14 ah how lovely....start it running KVO and she keeps floppin away VERY dramatically. We've had enough, but we're not giving her valium, we're less than two from the hospital, and we're not doing all the paperwork involved with it. Then my partner (and this is why he is my hero to this day) looks at her as we roll up to the ER and goes, well, no patent airway, guess they'll intubate. Tells doc the story (who was also our med director) who grabbed a handful of amonia capsules, stuck 'em in the O2 mask. Lady held her breath for quite a while, finally doc goes, "breathe B***h or I'll shove a tube down your throat and that'll be it !" Lady miraculously breathed, came to completely, threw off NRB, and shoved everyone outta her way and walked home. Needless to say that run didn't get QA review and I appreciated my med director all the more that day. Mind you, things got so bad in that county, we ended up pulling all narcotics off the truck for almost 8 months because of the frequency (company had high turnover, so newbies didn't know the fliers and pushed valium - most fresh outta class). Only thing that put them back on was having a neurologist come in and give a Con Ed on seizures, and having a lady in true status, aspirate, and us not able to do anything about it. Was clenched so bad couldn't intubate orally, and severly deviated septum ruled out nasal. Cric wasn't approved there, and wasn't an option. In the end, it was good education for everyone. Keep your heads up out there and be safe !

[Arachne]

We had one who would "wake up" from her "unresponsive" state if we discussed OPAs.

[Michael]

wonder why people do these things and what pleasure they get out of it.

Mebbe not always, but apparently sometimes: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Munchausen_syndrome

[whit72]

good ole nasal trumpet. They should rename them the fake seizure detector.........lol

We also used to have this old timer he would flick your eyelids to deteremine LOC. He was a nut.

[paramedicmike]

Best way to determine if they're faking (not sure if this was mentioned here on this board in another thread or not) but look for an eye lid reaction.

But please DO NOT FLICK THE EYELIDS!!!!!! That's a good way to cause an eye injury. Besides, it's just stupid.

Best way is to blow on their eyelashes. Or, you can run your fingers *very lightly* over their eyelashes. If they're faking their eyelids will flicker.

But yeah...no eyelid thumping.

-be safe.