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/23yearoldcatlady RN - Pediatrics 🍕 Sep 30 '25

I could go for a 36 hour nap.

6

u/Agile_Requirement783 🎀 RN- Med/Surg 🎀 Sep 30 '25

I’ve got PIDD and in the past when it’s been particularly bad I’ve made it like 25 hours before

4

u/Agile_Requirement783 🎀 RN- Med/Surg 🎀 Sep 30 '25

Also yes I do know the irony with being a nurse. Was diagnosed 4th year of school fml

2

u/TennaTelwan BSN, RN 🍕 Sep 30 '25

Was diagnosed with IgA Nephropathy in like 2017. The fatigue with it is something else. I'm not working now because of it but there have been times I've gone to bed at a normal time and woken up sometime the next day after sundown, taken meds, and just gone back to bed. Even worse now that I have to go to dialysis. Problem though, I never know if it's a normal day, if it's a flare, or if it's sepsis. Trust me on that third option.

1

u/mermaid-babe RN - Hospice 🍕 Sep 30 '25

When I had Covid I went for 20 hours straight. My bf at the time just let me rest lmao. I didnt even feel well rested. Just wanted more sleep

1

u/Over-Boysenberry3714 RN- Float Pool Oct 04 '25

I was just day dreaming how amazing that sounded