According to statistics, more than 130 million people visit the emergency room in the U.S. every year. The reasons for visits differ from person to person, of course: a flu is nowhere near as urgent as a cut off finger or an ongoing heart attack. While only 14% of ER visits result in hospitalization, the most frequent reasons for going to ER include digestive symptoms, chest pain, muscoskeletal injuries, and skin cuts.
However, some folks go to the ER for much less. As a fellow hypochondriac, I feel for them: it’s not hard to convince yourself that a simple headache might actually mean you might have bacterial meningitis. But the comment section online where one content creator asked , “What’s the dumbest reason you went to the ER?” had heaps of entertaining stories of folks panicking and going to the ER for the dumbest thing. Scroll down to see the real power of self-persuasion.
Met my mom for brunch one day. She mentions she was watering her plants before she left and when she turned the hose on the pressure made it bounce and it bumped her in the head. She says oh but I’m fine it wasn’t very hard. As we are finishing lunch she moves her bangs off her forehead and I notice a brown spot. I say hey there is something on your forehead. She gets out her compact and looks at it and proceeds to tell me she thinks she is starting to get a headache. I say let me drive you home and you can get your car later. She gets in my car and looks closer at the spot on her head in the vanity mirror. She starts to panic and says drive me to ER I think I have a brain bleed. I start to panic and rush to the hospital that was thankfully pretty close. It was not busy and they take us back to a room immediately. The nurse is checking her out and pulls out a wipe. I watch her wipe the brown spot off her forehead. It was dirt. My mom went to the ER for dirt on her forehead. Love you mom
mikeam91 , Mauro Sbicego Report
I had a baby and randomly started bleeding after the post partum lochia stopped. I was panicking, baby was only 7 weeks and I thought I was hemorrhaging…. they diagnosed me with “We think it’s your first period after baby ma’am”.
Rosey , Getty Images Report
When I was a kid I got chicken pox, I broke out in hives too so my parents took me to the ER. Turns out I’m allergic to chicken pox, how that is even possible is still a question to this day
rhapsvin , freepik Report
I had extreme pain on the side of my abdomen. We called the ER and they said it could be kidney stones. They loaded me in the ambulance, I kept farting all the way. By the time I arrived in the hospital I was fine. Turned out I had flatulence.
properwithchanel , Getty Images Report
My sister left school for the ER cuz her fingers were turning blue and it turns out she was wearing new jeans and the dye rubbed off on them
breeainaa , SharpBake4500 Report
I sneezed while driving and dislocated my shoulder
orgz40 , freepik Report
I had the absolute worst flu of my life I finally called my doctor to make an appointment but dialed the wrong number by 1 digit and I called the cemetery instead. I freaked out even more and had to go to urgent care lol
ki_ki569 , Scott Rodgerson Report
I caused ligament damage and bruising on my knee by moving my couch cushion with my knee..Not moving my couch, moving my couch CUSHION
faetria_ , Getty Images Report
I never went to the hospital but one time I woke up facing the wall and started screaming because I thought I went blind
Abby Kali Report
I stretched in a way I’ve done daily my entire life and my hip fell out. like full anterior dislocation. won’t do that again
jennie.c4 , Getty Images Report
I had a radical hysterectomy. I thought I was having fevers and was worried about infection. Hot flashes. I was having hot flashes. You know from the menopause.
hilary_anderson_racing , Getty Images Report
thought i was leaking amniotic fluid at 3 mo pregnant. nope, just peeing myself.
just jess , gpointstudio Report
I had a slight headache and convinced myself I had bacterial meningitis- I was diagnosed with severe ocd!
brand_yy24 , Curated Lifestyle Report
when i was 4 i put a rock in my nose. i told my dad but he didn’t believe me; later i was returned to my mom and she was tucking me in to bed and i said “but what about the rock in my nose?” and we went to the rural ER at 9pm
artemiias , Odd-Pepper-4083 Report
i went to the er because i thought i was poisoned since my arms down to my wrist were extremely purple (idk, i think of the worst). the nurse wiped my arm and it came right off. i had worn a new jacket that day and the dye transferred to my skin- it was a black jacket
madiplemons , lizziebonexo Report
Bruised and dislocated my kneecap by slipping on a banana peel
Brookeeeee , axelbueckert Report
I had to go because there was a moth in my ear and I couldn’t get it out
Marian , asdfmengfff Report
My drunk friend thought it was a good idea to ride our e scooter with 5 people. Let me tell you. We all fell after 4 minutes but this one friend fell into a garbage can on the side of the street and he got stuck. I will never forget the face of the fire fighters.
who_is.lea , Getty Images Report
Not me but I worked in emerg and someone came in via ambulance for chapped lips.
rembee07 , big_nazik Report
I had a pierogi explode in my face and got second degree burns
eraerakuh , Eugene Kucheruk Report
One time I went to urgent care and they told me my appendix ruptured and I needed to go to the ER immediately.. so I go and they tell me it’s an ovarian cyst and the pain wasn’t even on the same side as my appendix
dev40663 , Pixabay Report
I had intense pain in my abdomen. Thought it was appendicitis turns out I was just pregnant.
sajabran , Curated Lifestyle Report
the dumbest reason was bc i ate glow stick by accident
levi.crimesion , Isaac Weatherly Report
I went to the er, cuz I sat down wrong and somehow my knee cracked and it started swelling. On the x-ray they also found out I have bone cysts
loubertsky , prostooleh Report
My parents thought my eyes were caving into the back of my head and I was going blind. Turns out I just have allergies.
lalawastintime , Andrey Soldatov Report
I thought I was having a heart attack it was in fact a fart
anocean.e , Getty Images Report
not me, but my wife was prepping for a colonoscopy when she found out she’s allergic to miralax after about 8 doses in
revandrewmaggs , David Valenzuela Report
I passed out on my mom’s birthday at a restaurant so they called 911 and I ended up in the er waiting room lobby for 8 hours sleep deprived. I had the flu and my blood pressure dropped so I passed out
lahkthelimited Report
I had the worst stomach pain and cramping of my life, like completely unbearable. I was almost in tears and basically passed out. Woke up still in the lobby and had a crazy powerful fart and then was totally fine.
stockusernameboi , Getty Images Report
I tried opening a can of chicken with a knife and my thumb…I went to the ER and had five stitches. Same thumb that I cut a year earlier trying cooking. Now I buy pre-cut veggies.
norskie1814 , olhasolodenko Report
I swallowed a quarter. I was 13.
multi.xedits0 Report
The health visitor rushed me to a&e and said my son was having infantile seizures. Turns out it was autism
natalie23tk , freepik Report
My kid’s plan was to slide across the frozen puddle & say “I’m slick!”. Their head bounced 2ft off the ice. After, at dinner, they kept wondering who was eating their dumplings. It was them.
Jennifer Painter , Kateryna Hliznitsova Report
Went to the ER with severe abdomen pain, was there for a total of 11h. Had ALL the tests under the sun (lost my insurance because of this one single day), was prepped for surgery to “look for the problem”…turned out I had…gas.
kika_smaili Report
I ate a whole pomelo and went to bed right after.. The wait for getting checked out by a doctor at the er was so long that my stomach eventually just absorbed the gas? Idk though just my guess hahah, pain went away fully the next day. Doctor just took blood tests and examined my stomach. It was hella awkward… ”I can’t fart”
Darya , Kostiantyn Vierkieiev Report
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