migraine faker at the ED!

LilRedRN1973 · Nov 15, 2003

I get migraines all the time, but would NEVER go the ED for them! But I can eat and drink when I have one....and the light doesn't always bother my eyes. Mine will get so bad, I end up puking in the toilet. My husband didn't take me seriously until shortly after we were married, he saw me throwing up and looked surprised when I said it was due to my headache! Men! :chuckle

CCU NRS · Nov 15, 2003

Always always always remember this comes right after wash your hands wahs your hands wash your hands

PAIN is subjective... as a nurse you can NEVER tell a Pt that He/she is not having Pain. The person feeling the pain is the only one that can say if they are or aren't... I see many Pts that are sitting up talking and laughing and visiting with family and when you ask them if they are hurting they say yes, sometimes these very people that are showing no outward signs of pain are the ones hurting the worst they have a certain control and even though they hurt they will not show it because showing it is weakness. Sometimes you know there are others that are not really hurting and they will tell you on the pain scale 0/10 I feel like 15 and they are working the system but as a nurse you can NEVER tell a Pt they are not hurting! You can however chart all S/S and make physicians aware that they are fine throughout the times between scheduled doses and that when they know its time for their dose they suddenly feel horrible and the S/S begin and end within minutes of time for med and giving med. Doctors will usually change orders if the nurse explains what they beleive to be faking. ED doctors however don't have time to deal with these Pts so it is write orders medicate and turf to floor where their primary can deal with what are usually long standing issues. Yes you will see some doctors have many pain/drug seeking Pts and this is because they coddle them and often the will just give them what they want because they don't want to deal with them on any other level.

sorry so long kinda go off on a rant as DM would say

z's playa · Nov 15, 2003

Yes I'm sure there are many people like yourself who can carry on relatively normal behaviour when experiencing a migraine. Lucky ducks.:)

If this was her case, I don't think she would have brought out the sunglasses and all that. I probably shouldn't have said anything but I couldn't help it.

LisaRN2B · Nov 15, 2003

Originally posted by RNnTraining1973
I get migraines all the time, but would NEVER go the ED for them! But I can eat and drink when I have one....and the light doesn't always bother my eyes. Mine will get so bad, I end up puking in the toilet. My husband didn't take me seriously until shortly after we were married, he saw me throwing up and looked surprised when I said it was due to my headache! Men! :chuckle

I had a migraine for two WEEKS one time (I kid you not). I went to the ED, no choice...I got no relief from the meds my Dr had prescribed. Had a stiff neck, too. Of course they did a lumbar puncture. Thankfully not meningitis. I was given morphine and I must say, it helped a lot.

Dependent upon the severity of the migraine, sometimes I can eat, sometimes no way. Personally I don't usually have much of an appetite when I get one, but everyone is different.

I know several men who can relate to migraines, though many will just look at you and wonder what all the fuss is about.

It does sound to me as if the woman in the ED may have been a drug seeker. BUT ya never know. I think I would have just made my observation and not said anything. :cool:

Traveler · Nov 15, 2003

My 8 year old daughter suffers from migraines probably resulting from a serious traumatic brain injury she had at 4 years old. Her neurosurgeon (who will always follow her) referred us to a ped. neurologist last year to see if there was something he could recommend trying.

When asked what I did for the migraines I told him sometimes benadryl, sometimes Phenergan and just rest and dark. He told me since they were only every several months it was the best thing.

Talking to my pharmacist one day (who is a comp. pharm) he recommended we as doc to write script for ketaprofen liquid. It's put on certain pressure points (one drop) depending on the migraine. I have have been very impressed. They don't always go away but aren't as severe and most do go away. Also she doesn't have the systemic side effects as with the oral meds.

I have great empathy for migraine sufferers. I see what my little girl goes through.

Ann

athomas91 · Nov 21, 2003

migraines are horrid - i get them very INFREQUENTLY - thank God!! mine are occular migraines -

as for subjective pain...... yeah, yeah, yeah - I have given up to 8mg of dilaudid to a patient - to have to shake them awake when in a slurred voice they still rate their pain 10/10 - bull$*#^!!

i have had surgery that I had to endure w/o pain meds due to reactions I have to them - and let me tell you - IF you can fall asleep - it is not a 10/10 !! yeah we treat 'em - but it is the kind you initially spoke of that ruins the empathy that ED nurses feel!!

harry Krishna · Dec 11, 2003

Originally posted by RNnTraining1973
I get migraines all the time, but would NEVER go the ED for them! But I can eat and drink when I have one....and the light doesn't always bother my eyes. Mine will get so bad, I end up puking in the toilet. My husband didn't take me seriously until shortly after we were married, he saw me throwing up and looked surprised when I said it was due to my headache! Men! :chuckle

nice comment about men there sweetie!!!!! Also I like the pearl necklace in your foto!!!!!!

a_crftyldy · Dec 11, 2003

Different people tolerate pain differently. Some people can rate their pain at a 2/10 and be screaming and crying, others can rate their pain 10/10 and either be joking and laughing or snoring their heads off. Just because someone is joking, laughing, or sleeping doesn't mean they aren't feeling pain. I for one am the type of person who can tolerate pain very well. I once sat in the ED with a broken arm and yet was able to joke and laugh. I had all the classic symptoms of a break too, swelling, bruising, pain, and tenderness. Even the x-ray showed an incomplete fracture. True, there are a few out there who fake pain in order to get narcotic painkillers and unfortunately it's these people who make it hard on those of us who have legitimate pain.

Just this past Saturday I went to our local walk-in clinic because I had injured my back changing a flat tire just two days before and was still in severe pain (I was actually crying from this pain so you can imagine how bad it must have been). The Dr. tells me I probably tore some ligaments in my lower back, yet as he's writing me up a Rx for Vicodin, Robaxin, and Anaprox he gives me the "we don't give refills here in the clinic" speech making me feel like I'm just drug seeking. Hello! I've only been to that clinic one other time, a year ago, for strep throat. I know that drug seekers do not go in complaining of sore throats just to get pain meds. By the way, my BP on Saturday at the clinic was 130/110, which is high for me because usually it's around 117/70. That alone should indicate I was in pain.

So please don't assume someone isn't having pain just because they're not screaming or crying.

fab4fan · Dec 11, 2003

Originally posted by athomas91
migraines are horrid - i get them very INFREQUENTLY - thank God!! mine are occular migraines -

as for subjective pain...... yeah, yeah, yeah - I have given up to 8mg of dilaudid to a patient - to have to shake them awake when in a slurred voice they still rate their pain 10/10 - bull$*#^!!

i have had surgery that I had to endure w/o pain meds due to reactions I have to them - and let me tell you - IF you can fall asleep - it is not a 10/10 !! yeah we treat 'em - but it is the kind you initially spoke of that ruins the empathy that ED nurses feel!!

Sedation does not equal pain relief, contrary to popular opinion. Do a little research and you will see that reputable pain mgmt. authorities will say the same thing.

Please don't perpetuate myths/inaccurate info.

Tweety, BSN, RN · Dec 11, 2003

"I say" YOU have a migraine and you can EAT and DRINK? Isn't the light bothering your eyes? You do NOT have a migraine and you know it!"

All issues aside, it takes a lot of guts to say something like that to a patient. I guess though in Canada things are different. Here in the S.E. US statements like that could get you fired. I understand you don't work there, and was only waiting, so you could get away with it. When you become a nurse I hope you never talk like that to a patient.

z's playa · Dec 12, 2003

Tweety; No, I realize I can get in huge trouble. Had to get it out of my system this one time. I swore to myself and to my fiancee to never do that again. I don't know how on earth you all manage to keep your true feelings towards certain pts to yourselves. I will manage also, but it will be tough! Thanks for the heads up!