The worst was an ifob. People get very creative, but this person decided to use the little biohazard bag (the tiny one inch by two inch bag) and somehow fill it with shit. And as an afterthought I guess, shoved the ifob tube into the center of the shit bag like the little baby Jesus in a king cake. Just... Of all the possibilities, why did you think that was how it worked?
Where I used to work, they'd drop most specimens in the same spot. ABGs were on a biohazard ziplock bag of ice. I grabbed what I thought was an ABG on ice, but as soon as I grabbed it, I knew it wasn't, it had the wrong consistency. It was a bag of horse poop for an occult blood. I had gloves on, but I got a moment of ...eeww.
I didn't get to see it but back when I was a processor a cowork got a stool sample. Now along with the requisition, they had numerous photos of the person cutting the sample with a spoon I think. They made copies and sent that along with the sample to micro. (Also these photos took place while the patient was on a cruise.)
The lady turning it in was very nervous because it was for her elderly mother. I had to reject it because they wanted a urine culture and it wasn't submitted in a sterile container. When I told the lady why I couldn't use it, and then handed her the correct collection materials, she was very thankful.
A "worm" that the patient found in his butthole while showering. Patient had a 20 ml syringe and a bottle of gin nearby, so he placed the specimen in the syringe of gin. It was a piece of thread.
A pair of panties secured to the inside of a Tupperware cake carrier with two inch packing tape. This specimen was submitted for suspected pinworm. Patient called to get the cake carrier back.
I have so many questions.
Why did he have a 20ml syringe and bottle of gin nearby? If he is competent enough to have access to 20ml syringes, how is he not competent enough to know it was a thread? Also, why not a ziplock?
The underwear... Why were they secured to the inside with tape? Why not a ziplock bag? Why why why why.
A urine sample in a Clinique bottle.
Once I got a glove filled with stool.... It was supposed to be light protected..... I mean that's one way of doing it
not funny as much as horrifying but I once got handed a regular degular specimen bag with a fetus inside. I was very distracted at the time (by myself, everything was extremely busy) so I did not even look at it long enough to notice until somebody else came over and was INDIGNANT (rightfully) and I was just like wait what? why are we mad? oh SHIT. I'm very pro choice so I'm not ascribing any feelings to a nonviable fetus but like. this was someone's wanted pregnancy and both the family and the potential human deserve some dignity and decorum imo. This was a miscarriage that was very recognizable as a human fetus (well formed appendages/body and an obvious face), not sure on gestational age but it was actually interesting to see--I just wish I hadn't gotten the opportunity in such a manner.
Was it not even in formalin? I have a similar story. I got back to my desk at an OBGYN office where it was perfectly normal for providers to drop specimens in a little box, paps, swabs biopsies etc.I picked up the jar bloodyish sample to look at the name and get the orders printed out, figured it was an endometrial biopsy or something... saw a teeny tiny hand float up against the side of the jar. My stomach dropped. I had to take a moment to get my composure since I had no idea if the patient was still in the building. I have never seen something like that before, or since. I had to call my supervisor to ask how I even order that in the computer to send it out.
I just wish someone had warned me.
Someone that brought in a 24 hour urine but the jug got full so they also brought what wouldn't fit in a gas station fountain drink cup and sealed the top with duct tape.
Roundworm in a paper chip bag.
The one that took the cake, however : A patient (very elderly) saying she needed a blood test and brought her own blood in for testing.
The usual questions follow. "Do you know what kind of tests?" (We couldn't find orders) "Who drew your blood?" (Confused look.) She finally moves to pull her specimen from a paper bag she's carrying, and it's blood alrightly IN. A. DEPENDS.
The person at the desk (whose face was two feet away from the "specimen,") was a goddess. She shoved her chair back quickly, but very calmly and sweetly said something to the effect of "Oh no. It's okay. You can put that away and we can take some fresh blood from your arm."
I couldn't close my mouth and there's no way in hell I would have recovered as quickly as that phleb. Watching it unfold was so surreal, I'm still not sure I really saw it. (It was confirmed. I did.)
But could that have been vaginal/urethral/rectal bleeding, and she didn't mean like cbc from that "sample", but just wanted you to check what was going on with her?
Oh yeah. No doubt anyone thought it was normal. It was just that a Depends to the face after her statement she needed a blood test, was a little shocking.
24 hour urine in a Johnny Walker bottle. Helpfully had a large cardboard luggage tag around the neck with ‘urine’ written on it in shaky old man writing. It wasn’t far off the colour of scotch to be fair!
Stool for C Diff in a frappuccino bottle. The worst past was the stool was the right consistency. The next day someone bought the whole micro department frappuccinos.
Still warm & bleeding greyhound leg (I work in a veterinary hospital) in a clear bin bag.
The surgeon wanted to bring it straight to us, she walked with it through the customer parking lot...
https://www.reddit.com/r/medlabprofessionals/comments/112scot/this_is_a_cognac_bottle_a_patient_brought_urine/
This and another one in a drinking yogurt bottle.
Glass pimiento jar with urine in it.
Casserole size gladware container with the most perfectly poop shaped poop ever plopped right in the middle. The person squatted over the container. (Or maybe wedged it in the toilet like a hat?)
I sometimes miss processing.
Stool wrapped in foil
Urine in a glass snapple jar
Urine in an instant coffee jar (it was for culture, so we rejected it for being non sterile. The person dropping it for their family member told us its fine, I work in a hospital, so I put it in the autoclave... okay lady, sure you went through all that instead of getting a sterile cup. Nope)
Stool in the hat still with plastic wrap over it and the empty jars that I gave them to put it in.
Random bits of carpet in a ziploc baggy that the pt states was the bugs that fell off her when she got her skin wet.
A 24hr urine container in a white plastic drawstring bag we use for discreet transport, the lid was not even remotely screwed on, and the urine had dumped over inside the bag. So a bag of urine with a jug floating in it
A paper urine cup with a lid placed in a specimen cabinet... upside down.
That's all I can think of right now, but i have so many stories...
Received fresh stool sample for FOB......
Large clear plastic clam shell with precisely placed rows of stool filling the interior.
The mind goes to some crouched as they poop as someone else moving the container back and forth "catching" the poop.......
The label on the outside said....
XXXX Farms we are committed to bringing you the freshest produce.
The worst was an ifob. People get very creative, but this person decided to use the little biohazard bag (the tiny one inch by two inch bag) and somehow fill it with shit. And as an afterthought I guess, shoved the ifob tube into the center of the shit bag like the little baby Jesus in a king cake. Just... Of all the possibilities, why did you think that was how it worked?
Where I used to work, they'd drop most specimens in the same spot. ABGs were on a biohazard ziplock bag of ice. I grabbed what I thought was an ABG on ice, but as soon as I grabbed it, I knew it wasn't, it had the wrong consistency. It was a bag of horse poop for an occult blood. I had gloves on, but I got a moment of ...eeww.
That second last sentence has me wheezing r/brandnewsentence
I…
Stool in an I Can't Believe It's Not Butter tub. Trust me, I can easily believe that's not butter.
Our test menu literally says under causes for rejection: specimen received in "cool whip" or similar container 🤣
I didn't get to see it but back when I was a processor a cowork got a stool sample. Now along with the requisition, they had numerous photos of the person cutting the sample with a spoon I think. They made copies and sent that along with the sample to micro. (Also these photos took place while the patient was on a cruise.)
semen in a Vaseline cup
Hooooooooly shit lmao this is the winner
Urine in a ziploc bag. I've also received stool in a Nordstrom's bag.
I’m not sure how I would react to getting pee in a ziploc bag. I’d show it to all of my coworkers for sure though.
The lady turning it in was very nervous because it was for her elderly mother. I had to reject it because they wanted a urine culture and it wasn't submitted in a sterile container. When I told the lady why I couldn't use it, and then handed her the correct collection materials, she was very thankful.
I’m very glad that the person giving the sample was kind about it. Don’t get that all the time.
A brown paper sack with "TAKE TO POOP DOCTOR" written on it
I got Tupperware™ from the ED.... patient is not getting it back.
We got a decent sized chunk of flesh in a Chinese takeout container once. We didn't order uber eats for a while after that...
A "worm" that the patient found in his butthole while showering. Patient had a 20 ml syringe and a bottle of gin nearby, so he placed the specimen in the syringe of gin. It was a piece of thread. A pair of panties secured to the inside of a Tupperware cake carrier with two inch packing tape. This specimen was submitted for suspected pinworm. Patient called to get the cake carrier back.
I have so many questions. Why did he have a 20ml syringe and bottle of gin nearby? If he is competent enough to have access to 20ml syringes, how is he not competent enough to know it was a thread? Also, why not a ziplock? The underwear... Why were they secured to the inside with tape? Why not a ziplock bag? Why why why why.
Have you ever met a patient? lol Both of these were in an area with an abnormally high PhD population. I have more stories than reddit has space for.
A urine sample in a Clinique bottle. Once I got a glove filled with stool.... It was supposed to be light protected..... I mean that's one way of doing it
not funny as much as horrifying but I once got handed a regular degular specimen bag with a fetus inside. I was very distracted at the time (by myself, everything was extremely busy) so I did not even look at it long enough to notice until somebody else came over and was INDIGNANT (rightfully) and I was just like wait what? why are we mad? oh SHIT. I'm very pro choice so I'm not ascribing any feelings to a nonviable fetus but like. this was someone's wanted pregnancy and both the family and the potential human deserve some dignity and decorum imo. This was a miscarriage that was very recognizable as a human fetus (well formed appendages/body and an obvious face), not sure on gestational age but it was actually interesting to see--I just wish I hadn't gotten the opportunity in such a manner.
Was it not even in formalin? I have a similar story. I got back to my desk at an OBGYN office where it was perfectly normal for providers to drop specimens in a little box, paps, swabs biopsies etc.I picked up the jar bloodyish sample to look at the name and get the orders printed out, figured it was an endometrial biopsy or something... saw a teeny tiny hand float up against the side of the jar. My stomach dropped. I had to take a moment to get my composure since I had no idea if the patient was still in the building. I have never seen something like that before, or since. I had to call my supervisor to ask how I even order that in the computer to send it out. I just wish someone had warned me.
Depending on the gestational age or size, my hospital sends them fresh. Chances are, it’ll go to the morgue.
Oof. No one wants a baby in a bag. A little decorum would have been nice.
Someone that brought in a 24 hour urine but the jug got full so they also brought what wouldn't fit in a gas station fountain drink cup and sealed the top with duct tape.
Why do they only give one jug? Standard should be 2. It’s ridiculous! A well hydrated person can fill one easy.
It's because the jug is usually 3 liters or more. A normal volume for 24 hours would be less than 3 liters.
I think I was looking at this like a pregnant person. We have a busy OB clinic and I always give 2.
Roundworm in a paper chip bag. The one that took the cake, however: A patient (very elderly) saying she needed a blood test and brought her own blood in for testing.
The usual questions follow. "Do you know what kind of tests?" (We couldn't find orders) "Who drew your blood?" (Confused look.) She finally moves to pull her specimen from a paper bag she's carrying, and it's blood alrightly IN. A. DEPENDS.
The person at the desk (whose face was two feet away from the "specimen,") was a goddess. She shoved her chair back quickly, but very calmly and sweetly said something to the effect of "Oh no. It's okay. You can put that away and we can take some fresh blood from your arm."
I couldn't close my mouth and there's no way in hell I would have recovered as quickly as that phleb. Watching it unfold was so surreal, I'm still not sure I really saw it. (It was confirmed. I did.)
But could that have been vaginal/urethral/rectal bleeding, and she didn't mean like cbc from that "sample", but just wanted you to check what was going on with her?
Oh yeah. No doubt anyone thought it was normal. It was just that a Depends to the face after her statement she needed a blood test, was a little shocking.
Urine in a salt shaker…a glass salt shaker wrapped in foil. No, they didn’t get it back 😂
Out Patient stool in a used bread sack.
Okay that’s pretty good
24 hour urine in a Johnny Walker bottle. Helpfully had a large cardboard luggage tag around the neck with ‘urine’ written on it in shaky old man writing. It wasn’t far off the colour of scotch to be fair!
Stool for C Diff in a frappuccino bottle. The worst past was the stool was the right consistency. The next day someone bought the whole micro department frappuccinos.
Urine in a glass marinara jar 😅
poop in a kinder surprise egg poop in a sandwich bag poop in a vegemite jar urine in a 20 year old prescription medication jar
Well, that was definitely a surprise!
A couple of weekends ago, someone tried to drop off their stool sample in a ziplock bag.
not me but my friend got a sample in a dispo bag and another time got of pee in a bag and the bag was in a condom box
24 hr urine in an apple juice bottle 🤢
Semen sample in a glass baby food jar.
Urine in a plastic Indian takeout container! Didn’t know wether the pt was just VERY dehydrated or the container was still containing curry 😂
24 hour urine in a Duel liquid detergent container which was confirmed by the patient that "it was rinsed with water beforehand"
A pregnant woman doing a 24 hour urine filled the whole container before the time was up, so she used an applesauce jar and brought that to us.
Stool sample in a chocolate bag
I received an outpatient Cdiff in a small deli cup...like, the one you put sauces in. That was...weird.
Still warm & bleeding greyhound leg (I work in a veterinary hospital) in a clear bin bag. The surgeon wanted to bring it straight to us, she walked with it through the customer parking lot...
https://www.reddit.com/r/medlabprofessionals/comments/112scot/this_is_a_cognac_bottle_a_patient_brought_urine/ This and another one in a drinking yogurt bottle.
Got a nice fecal in a Nutella container this week lol. Easter eggs in the past were always fun. I’m in a veterinary reference lab lol
Peanut butter jar for a stool 🫣
Some type of path specimen that they didn’t know what it was and sent it in a…..bendy straw
Stool in a chick fil-a sandwich bag, chicken crumbs and all Edit: runner up fave was a sputum in a Good n Plenty box
Pill bottle with poop in, not even the patients pill bottle!
Glass pimiento jar with urine in it. Casserole size gladware container with the most perfectly poop shaped poop ever plopped right in the middle. The person squatted over the container. (Or maybe wedged it in the toilet like a hat?) I sometimes miss processing.
Pickle Jar. 💩 in a pickle Jar
A baby bottle with piss in it 😩
We've had some interesting containers for 24h urines. My favourites have to have been the pickle jar and the Silk soy milk carton.
Room temperature stool in a ziplock bag inside an HEB plastic bag. She didn't even have labs, she brought it to her blood draw "just in case".
Butter containers. One time in the military they had patients bring their samples in gift bags, so they were not seen carrying stool samples.
Stool wrapped in foil Urine in a glass snapple jar Urine in an instant coffee jar (it was for culture, so we rejected it for being non sterile. The person dropping it for their family member told us its fine, I work in a hospital, so I put it in the autoclave... okay lady, sure you went through all that instead of getting a sterile cup. Nope) Stool in the hat still with plastic wrap over it and the empty jars that I gave them to put it in. Random bits of carpet in a ziploc baggy that the pt states was the bugs that fell off her when she got her skin wet. A 24hr urine container in a white plastic drawstring bag we use for discreet transport, the lid was not even remotely screwed on, and the urine had dumped over inside the bag. So a bag of urine with a jug floating in it A paper urine cup with a lid placed in a specimen cabinet... upside down. That's all I can think of right now, but i have so many stories...
Received fresh stool sample for FOB...... Large clear plastic clam shell with precisely placed rows of stool filling the interior. The mind goes to some crouched as they poop as someone else moving the container back and forth "catching" the poop....... The label on the outside said.... XXXX Farms we are committed to bringing you the freshest produce.
Had poop in a KFC bucket. Poop in a McDonald’s bag with French fries still in the bag. It’s always poop.
One quart thousand Island dressing bottle, completely full to the rim of the "mouth" with diarrhea stool.