Internet Slams Husband 'Sexting' Nurse After Surgery: 'Betrayal'

The internet has slammed a man who was caught by his wife sexting his nurse after surgery.

Posted on Wednesday on Reddit's popular subreddit r/TrueOffMyChest, the woman shared the story which has now received more than 9,000 upvotes and over 1,000 comments.

Throwra990379 wrote: "My husband was admitted to the hospital for his pre-existing medical condition. He spent a week there and had to undergo a minor surgery. He was being sort of flirty with this nurse who handled his care, but I thought nothing of it as there was some medication and anesthesia involved so I thought his mind wasn't really there."

But days after her husband was discharged, the woman was shocked to discover that her husband had been sexting with the nurse from the hospital. Sexting is a slang term combining sex and texting, involving sending sexual text messages which often involve nude or seminude photos and explicit videos.

"It's the same nurse. I even have her contact information," wrote the Redditor. "He even told her how warm she was to him in that cold hospital room. I was absolutely in shock... I didn't know what to say or do."

She revealed that her husband is still in recovery and spending most of the day in bed, but that she hadn't yet confronted him about the discovery.

"I feel so horrible and want to confront him, but I was worried that starting a fight would worsen his condition," she wrote. "I have been doing my best to care for him. Completely shattered inside and feel so betrayed. I can't talk or vent to anyone because I know they would make endless excuses for him."

Famously referred to as the Florence Nightingale Effect, cases of caregivers falling in love with their patients have been recorded for many years. Named after English nurse Florence Nightingale, the syndrome borrows her name because of her compassion and tenderness for patients. The term was popularized in 1985 after the release of Back to the Future where Lorraine Baines develops a crush on a strange boy who has been injured outside their home. In the movie, Dr. Emmett Brown says that the crush is a result of the Florence Nightingale Effect.

In an article published in the American Nurse journal, the authors state that nurses are obligated to keep relationships with patients strictly professional for both legal and ethical reasons.

Reddit users were left in shock at the story, overwhelmingly siding with the wife. One commenter said: "I'm sorry. If he's healthy enough to sext his nurse then he's healthy enough to face the music. Also, this is completely unethical on the nurse's part. Petty or not I'd call the hospital and let them know too."

Another Reddit user wrote: "Illness is not an excuse for betrayal," and another commenter said: "If he does this to you while he's in this condition and you're caring for him, I couldn't trust that he hadn't done this when he was feeling healthy."

Another commenter who said they were a nurse said: "For one, giving personal info out as a nurse can be really stupid and dangerous (stalker potential) and her entertaining your husband's advances is not only grossly unprofessional, it furthers the 'sexy nurse' idea and keeps other nurses vulnerable to sexual harassment."

This week, another woman was urged to dump her husband after sharing the story of her husband's "flirty" texting.