Diaper Argument

My most annoying encounter with a patient yesterday was at the beginning of the shift when I went in to introduce myself. Day shift had once again waited until the end of their shift to give a laxative suppository and the patient needed a bedpan. I lifted up the sheets and found a heavy, wet diaper. Not saying a word about it, I unfastened it and slid a bedpan under him.

A few minutes later, he used his call light. I came in the room and asked if he was done. With fire in his eyes, he said, "I was not wearing a diaper."

I had never mentioned the diaper and didn't know why this was an issue. Unsure of how to proceed, I started to answer that he was wearing a diaper.

Cutting me off in mid-sentence, he barked, "I was not wearing a diaper."

This time I said, "Okay."

He went into a long, drawn-out rant regarding why I was mistaken that he was wearing a diaper. Each time he paused, I said, "Okay." There was no point in arguing with him, it would have just added fuel to the fire. After about a dozen "okays", he was done and I left. But he was still on the bedpan.

After awhile, I went back in and asked if he was done with the bedpan. He said that he didn't know and that I would have to look. I looked and there was something in there, but how was I supposed to know if he was done? I was not going to look in his rectum and see if there was more in there. I decided to tell him that he was done and took him off the bedpan. After I did that, he asked, "Was I wearing a diaper?"

Was this a trap? I held my breath and said, "Yes."

He said, "Okay."

I asked if I could put a clean one on him. He said, "Okay."

This is where I wanted to start screaming and run from the room. What the hell was that all about?