Horrific Story

[Teri]

True Story~
While I was in the hospital last month with my Pancreatitis, I would buzz the nurse about 15 minutes before my pain shot was due. I was getting 100mg's of demerol every 2 1/2 to 3 hours and almost every time I was given my shot in a timely manner. Since I worked with the public all of my life, I know that if you want something done, you gotta use alot, and I mean ALOT of honey......no matter how much you want to scream and hollar.

The girl in the bed next to me had had a hip replacement and infection set in. Originally she was being given 2mg of diaudid every 4 hours and afer an hour she would be crying in pain and she would cry for that 3 hours, buzzing the nurses over and over and over begging for more medication. She was mean, rude and using vulgar language so she was being ignored until a midnight nurse came on and believed there was a real problem with her and she had her dr re-check her and that's when the infection was confirmened and her meds were changed to 2mg dilaudid every 2 hours and they scheduled her for surgery.

Never in my life have I seen anything so repulsive as this. THe day time nurse AND her nursing student would actually walk by our room and turn their heads the other way (like I couldn't see them, duhhhhhhh) and completely ignore this poor lady because she was so much 'work'.......after her meds were change to 2 hours, it was a miracle if she'd gotten it before 4 hours. The nurse would come in and say "oh, I forgot you need to be flushed, I'll be right back" or "oh, I brought the wrong shot, I will be right back", I think you get the picture.

I have to stress that she was a very very difficult patient BUT, no human or even animal should be treated in such a manner and because I need to protect myself for my next attack (the same nurses work the same floor every time so when I have an attack I have the same nurses) so I can not complain about how she was treated without giving my name and the nurses will KNOW it was me and it puts me in total fear for my next attack.

This lady was so nasty that she didn't even have family members that came to visit her that could speak for her, it broke my heart. Even when she talked to her family on the phone, she was nasty and vulgar and it was sad, very very sad. But since I, and so many of us suffer from severe pain daily I could understand what could have made her such a person and all's I could do was pray for her.

I am ashamed that I put myself before her and kept my mouth shut but once you have had 2 attacks of Pancreatitis in 5 months it becomes a 'condition' and when you have an attack it is a MUST to be in the hospital 4-5 days for re-hydration and pain treatment......

I went home the day before her surgery and she asked me what I was going to do about my pain and I explained my bladder condition and that I did have strong meds at home and I promised her that I would pray for her.....

I took the cowards way out and I'm not proud.

I AM totally ****** that something like this deliberately goes on in hospitals, especially when someone is in such horrendous pain and it will be something that will haunt me for the rest of my life~these nurses are being pain excellent money to do their jobs and the fact that that nurse, WITH A STUDENT, was responsible for treating another human like that......

ALL'S I can hope for is that "what goes around comes around."

[rachelm]

Teri,

That is a scary story. It's so true about coating things with "honey", but that's sometimes hard to do when your blinded by the pain. I know that I was sometimes too weak from the pain to fight when I was last hospitalized for a severe UTI, pain, and dehydration. My fiance and mom were there most of the time to make sure that my dr.orders were carried out. The nurses on the urology floor knew nothing about I.C. except one who only worked 2 shifts the whole time I was there. I'm sure they thought I was being beligerent when I asked them to contact my dr. to verify my correct dosage of Elmiron and some other regular drugs. It would take them forever and I learned that if it was during office hours I could call the nurse at my dr. offie and request that an order be called in and I would have it within 30 min. The other frustrating thing during the stay is that I got labeled difficult because I got the wrong food and I asked for a plate following my diet restrictions. I had just gotten on solid foods after being nauseas and dehydrated for days. I met with the dietician and explained my limitations from acidic foods etc. She wrote orders with those in mind and gave me her number. At 6:30 that night when they finally brought me my plate it was speghetti and meatballs with iced tea and chocolate pudding. I was immediately frustrated and I'm sure I didn't handle it as diplomatic as I could have. I told them about my discusion and my diet restrictions and explained that they mush have gotten my plate mixed up. They came back a few min. later and said very condesending "I know it's hard when we don't get what we want" I wanted to slap her. I in fact actually love all of those foods and want has nothing to do with what I'm allowed to have on this I.C. diet especially amist a very bad flare. Anyway it didn't get straightend out until the next day but they brought me some jello later that night. I try to be diplomatic and respectful when I'm dealing with medical personell that care for me but sometimes it's difficult when your in a lot of pain. I went off on the receptionist that scheduled my procedure because the dr. told me he wanted to get me right in and then his assistant told me it would be the next week but in reality his schedual wouldn't allow it for another week. In my brain when she said Feb. 24 I felt like she said next Dec. I had it in my head that if I could hold out just a bit longer until the procedure, my flare would be under control and I could get back to work by this week. It turned out to really only be the difference of half a week until the surgery and only 1 additional week off work. I've been cooped up in the house for going on 4 weeks. I'm loosing it and I'm ready to be well enough to get my life back.

Anyway, I'm sorry I've run on here. Thanks for sharing your story. Don't be too hard on yourself. When your in that kind of situation its only natural to protect yourself. You know that it's important to have a good repore with the nursing staff that cares for you when you most need it. It's a good reminder to all of us to try to make our caregivers our friends so that we will be treated well. It's also helpful I think to have family or friends to stick up for you when something needs to be addressed. My mom takes the tiger approach to protect her cub. My fiance takes the approach of making them his friends and being diplomatic so they don't feel attacked or used. I think the later is probably the most effective. Thanks again for the story. It's sad that patients can be so mistreated.

Rachel

[lotsofgirls]

Teri,

Thank you for sharing that story. I had an experience like that with my first childbirth. I was very young and I had a long hard labour, with no meds. I got obnoxious and the nursing staff left me in pain, and I learned my lesson. However, they also missed some important things that were going on that caused the pain and I ended up with a high forceps delivery. I am not an advocate of law suits (how very Canadian of me eek ) but when pain is inflicted on purpose I think it would be a good time to give the hospital a wake up call.

I hope that woman's condition came under control and her pain settled down. And my friend, you have nothing to be ashamed of, you are a compassionate loving person, and your prayers were the most you could do for her without risking your own future treatment. I am proud to know you and how sympathetic you are to others, when you yourself are lying there in the hospital so sick. You think of others all the time even when you should be the one on the recieving end of compassion and prayers.

I am hoping this pancreatitis heals Teri, I hate it that you are so sick with it, on top of everything else.

Take care,
sending love,
Cath

grouphug angel

[dandy8]

Teri,
That sounds horrible! But, I too have been in a similar situation.

The last time I was hospitalized my roomate was an older woman that just had a hysterectomy.
She was in agony all the time, crying, hollering etc....

Every 1-2 hours she would ring for the nurse and they would seldome come. SO, she would holler at me and say "YOU! over there! push your dam* button I WANT my pain medicine NOW!" It got sooooo bad that at night I couldn't sleep because she was hollering at me. The nurses started snapping at ME for ringing the bell for her. But I explained to the nurses that I was not getting ANY sleep because she was hurting so badly.
This woman would also get out of her bed repeatadly after being told not to. She would fall against my bed and my commode. Well of course I was going to ring the nurses! The woman could barely walk and I knew she was going to fall down!
Finally the nurses moved me into a different room.

I felt so sad for this lady. But, I do know you have to be NICE to the nurses or they will be rude to you.

It's so very sad! I don't know what to tell you!!

[dminton]

I would file a complaint with the administration if you think it's necessary.

[tigger_gal]

Teri,
thanks for sharing that horrible story..
I have noticed that when I am in pain I am not very nice and feel so bad afterwards.. I wonder if its just me? I don't think that you should bite the hand that holds your pain meds either... Hope that you never have another pancris attack and have to go back, because they sure don't seem to be very good nurses on that floor, and, your right you can't complain, becasue they will make your stay a living nightmare..
hugs
Brat

[Dixiefireball]

i have two storys to tell after i gave birth to my oldest son brandon when he was two weeks old i ended back up in the hosp at the time the hosp had only a few private rooms now they are all private thank the Lord but i was in with an older lady she was half blind and all she did was hollar all night long i was in the hosp for a week but she buzz the rn so much they wouldnt even come to help her to the bathroom she would use the bath room in her bed OH HOW IT SMELLED blah they would let her lay in it for hours i would have to get up and drag my iv pole with me to the desk and tell them i couldnt stay in that room until they got the smell out of it it made me so sick the poor little old lady had bed sores where they wouldnt even trun her and everytime she would hit the button for her pain medicine if they even bring it half the time they was bring it to me it was my medicine so they would leave the room to go get hers and not show back up until she hit the button or tried to get out of the room and fall on the floor in the hall it was awful. even the day i left the hosp she was waiting on a room at the nurseing home. she was crying for me not to leave her she tought i was the only friend she had. i was only 17 and scared to dealth of her but yet i did try to help. later on the week after i got home ask the nurse called me to see how my stay was and i told them what had happen and they was saying how awful but i dont know if she ever got better or not. but i will never forget it.
the second story. I had a private room at this time round in the hosp i already had ic but i was very new to it and didnt know what was going on with my body well they thought it was my appinax (sp?) so they put me in the hosp for surgery i got there at 4pm had surgery that night at 8pm at midnight when i was taking back to my room i asked for pain meds they wouldnt give me no pain meds because of the sleeping medicine they had gave me oh how i cried but i didnt show my butt around one pm i decided i had to go to the bathroom i tried and tried to get up the rn came to my room to help me but she left me once i got at the egde of my bed to go get me pain medicine i fell and threw up in the floor :o i couldnt get back up couldnt get help no way then guess what she helps me back to the bed and didnt even want to help me clean up and no one was there with me to help me i finally got up again after about 30 mins trying got a wash cloth cleaned my self up the best i could and got another gown on. when she finally brung my pain medicine in it was only a lortab 5 Hello i just had surgery i'm in pain please call the doctor i didnt get anything for pain until the next day when the cleaning lady was in my room seen me crying asked me what was wrong she went up to the desk raised hell and they finally brung me in a demrol shot i was so thankful and i told the lady that my rn name and i will never forget it was susan smith the reason i will never forget it was because years ago a lady killed her children in our area and it was all over the t.v. but that is another story some of you may know it but that rn told the doctor i was doing great to send me home. so only 12 hour after having surgery i still couldnt walk without help they sent me home with only 20 lortab 5 i had to call the doctor back five times just for him to call me in tylocs needless to say i never seen that doctor again and i tried to sue him but couldnt because i didnt have the money come to find out after that surgery they was nothing wrong with my appiax (sp?) they took them out before lab test was back so i had surgery for nothing when only thing was wrong with me my ic was flareing and my hunners uclers was peed off and i had a uti doctor and rn most of them dont care they are only after the money so lets be thankful for the ones that REALLY cares for us as a human in real pain not another dollar sign. kissing

[Pain_Man]

Here's the problem with the lead post on this thread.

First, I can understand you literally fear for your own health and safety. That's not trivial and I will not mock you for it. My Dad's Mother died of necrotizing hemorrahgic pancreatitis, which is a rather Latinate way of saying her pancreas at itself. Her death is described as agonizing.

It was so bad they wouldn't let me (5) see her.

But here's the problem:

If these two "nurses" (and I use the term loosely) are willing to do this in front of a WITNESS, what are they prepared to do when there isn't anyone watching?

As much as I understand your own fears you could very well be endangering your own life by not getting these two boneheads off the floor.

You MUST speak to the Night Nurse and the Attending physician (whoever it was who caught the woman's infection) and urge THEM to report it to the State Nursing Board or appropriate agency in your state.

If this person is elderly, and it sounds to me as if she might be, then the Night Nurse and Doctor, if they've not reported it already, may be in violation of the law in several states.

This woman would have died had her infection not been caught.

Not to sound mercenary, but such a death would inevitably lead to a huge settlement in her family's favor (however nasty someone is, there's usually somebody who loved them and will want an answer). And if this is a "county" or public hospital, that means you and I, the wallets they jokingly call citizens, will pay.

To reiterate, in my opinion, you MUST report this behavior to the Chief of Nursing and your relevant authorities. This is clear malpractice and the hospital and that doctor are guilty of contributory negiligence if they're aware of the situation and have done nothing.

Nothing is exactly what YOU cannot do. You have to find someway to report this. Perhaps you can do it anonymously. If we can have our doors kicked in on the mere word of a invisible junkie scumbag that we're dealers, then they should certainly be able to accept an anonymous tip.

PLEASE, for the sake of everyone who has and who will come under the power of these two delinquints, REPORT THIS SOMEWAY SOMEHOW NOW!

I intended no personal attack and apologize if I gave offense. But I've worked in a hospital and I understand difficult patients. I have also the victim of a bad doctor. Lacking witnesses to the misconduct, I was helpless.

Your case is different. If they subpoena you or question you, you'll be bound by law to tell the truth. That would make harder, if nothing's done, for them to punish you. After all, you can say, I had to or I'd go to jail, right?

But this must be stopped. If it isn't, someone could die.

And, again, please don't take this the wrong way. I don't mean to impugn your integrity or attack you, merely urge you to do something about this.

If you are fortunate enough to be affluent, perhaps you send your lawyer, anonymously, to the hospital management to make them aware of the situation so that at least someone could monitor it to find out if it's just this one case or if there is a pattern of illegal acts. And I seriously doubt it was just one grouchy patient. Until sidelined by IC, I dealt mostly in public contact, whether inside or outside the company, so I too understand that honey works better.

But I would be thinking, if this were me, over and over again,


"What do they do when no one's around to watch?"