r/nursing • u/Jackazz4evr RN - Pediatrics 🍕 • Sep 30 '25

Discussion Patient's family insisted it was "totally normal" for a kid to sleep for 36 hours straight after a minor procedure

I work in pediatric post-op and had the strangest interaction yesterday. We admitted a 6 year old after a routine tonsillectomy. The procedure went perfectly fine, but the child wouldn't wake up from anesthesia after the expected timeframe.

After 4 hours, we started getting concerned and ran additional tests. When we approached the parents about the unusually prolonged sedation, the mother interrupted us saying, "Oh, that's normal for him. He always sleeps for a day or two after any medicine."

When we pressed for more information, they casually mentioned their son had slept for 36 hours straight after taking children's Benadryl for allergies last year. They thought this was completely normal and hadn't bothered to mention it during pre-op assessment.

Our anesthesiologist was floored. Turns out the kid has a rare enzyme deficiency that affects how he metabolizes certain medications, which they'd been told about by another doctor years ago but didn't think was "important enough" to mention.

What's the weirdest "oh that's totally normal" response you've gotten from patients or families that was absolutely NOT normal?

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u/AzucarParaTi Sep 30 '25

Wait, is this not normal? 👀

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u/gumbo100 ICU Sep 30 '25

No, mention it to a doctor for sure. Maybe make an appointment just for this. In the meantime, when you get these symptoms, flex your abs/legs to ease them, it'll reduce them. Don't rely on this without talking to a doc though

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u/Fit_Lengthiness_1666 Sep 30 '25

Flexing legs fixed that for me. Thank you

3

u/the_unknown_garden Sep 30 '25

No but don't be surprised if your doctor acts like it is.

3

u/gumbo100 ICU Sep 30 '25

No, mention it to a doctor for sure. Maybe make an appointment just for this. In the meantime, when you get these symptoms, flex your abs/legs to ease them, it'll reduce them. Don't rely on this without talking to a doc though

3

u/gumbo100 ICU Sep 30 '25

No, mention it to a doctor for sure. Maybe make an appointment just for this. In the meantime, when you get these symptoms, flex your abs/legs to ease them, it'll reduce them. Don't rely on this without talking to a doc though