[pooh54]

Hey there, I am on ssri's for disthymia (sp?) and have chosen to keep quiet about it d/t the judgements I hear everyday re: nurse with bipolar disorder that we all work with. I have to say that we as a profession are the worst about supporting those with mental disorders o matter how highly functioning we may be. Had a previous manager call me the "psycho" nurse and that I neede to be put on more meds. The nurse with bipolar disorder had enormous issues when her MD changed her meds. Just remember that under th US's ADA, mental illness is a recognized disability, so u have some protection under the rules, but in my experience,if they want to get rid of u, they'll find a way!

[sharona97]

Originally Posted by satis17

I did have that similiar experience also, I went to the ER for chest pain, though I had already rationalized at my age 32, with no cardiac history, I was 99% sure in wasn't a MI BUT it was something. Of course you say chest pain and you re dragged back quickly, I even told the doc, I didn't think it was cardiac, Due to terminology he found out I was a nurse and suddenly again, I knew nothing, It wasn't cardiac, and he told me panic and anxiety to which I replied I had thought of that nd already tried relaxing, after 4 mg of ativan the pain was no better. A chest X-ray showed bilateral pneumonia and a P.E. THEN he had the nerve to tell well your a nurse you should have told me your trouble breathing was significant. MY SAO2 was 84%, I thought spoke for itself. Being a nurse make you either inconvientantly competent or convientantly incompetent, which ever seems to serve the purpose at the time.

Thank for your reply

I call them jerk doctors!

[Alois Wolf]

I think he was saying that just to have something to say. One of those off-handed remarks we hardly ever think about before saying it.... but it still shows you what he's really thinking about when he talks to nurses.

[woody62]

I suffered my firsyt depressive epsiode in 1966, while a junior in nursing school. I was misdiagnosed. I suffered my second depressive episode in 1973 and saw a shrink for three years. I was finally referred to a shrink who diagnosed me as Bipolar and started treating me properly. I went off lithium in 1981 without any problems. In 1990 I suffer from a deep depression and was hospitalized on a psych unit. I was hospitalized there, for months at a time, for the next five years. The nursing staff treated me as someone who knew what she had to do to get better and refused to do it. Two nurses became my friends and realized I was just like any other patient and treated me so. I was also transferred to the care of a psych N.P.

By 1981 I realized that hiding my bipolar was not helping me. I started sharing with a few select peers. I now do not care who knows about my history. I have lived too long to worry about what others may think of me, including my peers. We all have to make our own decisions about our sharing.

Woody

[zoeboboey]

Originally Posted by woody62

I suffered my firsyt depressive epsiode in 1966, while a junior in nursing school. I was misdiagnosed. I suffered my second depressive episode in 1973 and saw a shrink for three years. I was finally referred to a shrink who diagnosed me as Bipolar and started treating me properly. I went off lithium in 1981 without any problems. In 1990 I suffer from a deep depression and was hospitalized on a psych unit. I was hospitalized there, for months at a time, for the next five years. The nursing staff treated me as someone who knew what she had to do to get better and refused to do it. Two nurses became my friends and realized I was just like any other patient and treated me so. I was also transferred to the care of a psych N.P.

By 1981 I realized that hiding my bipolar was not helping me. I started sharing with a few select peers. I now do not care who knows about my history. I have lived too long to worry about what others may think of me, including my peers. We all have to make our own decisions about our sharing.

Woody

Thanks Woody

[Mimi 48]

I have had a expereince much different than yours I was sick for one year everone told me it was all in my head . You see I could not have a bowel movement and they told that was impossible that I would die if I could not do that but I was not eating but because I was over weight that was not seen of course I was losing weight but not at a rapid amount to make them happy enough to do any thing about it so I suffer for a year they sent me to a phsychyictrist 6 times, can you beleive that and he said the same thing every time there was nothing wrong mentallly. Well one year and six months later I ended up in the ER throwing up voilently and they could not stop it with coffe ground emesis and guess what my whole entire large intentines had died. Just thing if they had listen to this crazy women maybe she would not be in the prediment she is in. Heh! Thanks for Listening.!

[zoeboboey]

Originally Posted by Mimi 48

I have had a expereince much different than yours I was sick for one year everone told me it was all in my head . You see I could not have a bowel movement and they told that was impossible that I would die if I could not do that but I was not eating but because I was over weight that was not seen of course I was losing weight but not at a rapid amount to make them happy enough to do any thing about it so I suffer for a year they sent me to a phsychyictrist 6 times, can you beleive that and he said the same thing every time there was nothing wrong mentallly. Well one year and six months later I ended up in the ER throwing up voilently and they could not stop it with coffe ground emesis and guess what my whole entire large intentines had died. Just thing if they had listen to this crazy women maybe she would not be in the prediment she is in. Heh! Thanks for Listening.!

Oh mimi how incredibly sad! So what did they do? I am glad you survived!

[P_RN]

I've not had the horror stories you folks have written here, but oh my heart hurts for you. Last August my family called EMS because I had a seizure out of nowhere. At the time the emts were so nice, I got a nice ride to the hospital I'd just had my surgery at the week before. Then I "overheard" one tell the triage nurse that they didn't start an IV because they really didn't think I needed one and I was just "on" something. Hmmmmm

Long, long story follows but nevermind.
Short story is my daughter God bless her stood by my side in the observation room and called out to the nurse tht my heart wasn't beating for long stretches.

Of course I don't rmember this because no heart beat means no brain perfusion. I had runs of up to 9 seconds of asystole several times an hour. Well I got scooted over to the cards room, ext pacer (those things HURT) upstairs to CCU, heart cath, and a pacemaker the next day.

Portion of the long story is I too take SSRIs and have for over a decade. That is what the emt must have based his "DIAGNOSIS" on. I'm depressed at times, mostly not. I'm disabled not because of my mind but because I have a terrible nurses back and a floppy left leg. Nurses can get sick, believe it or not PUBLIC.....NURSES are truly people with all the people things the general population has. I am so sorry that you were not believed while you were on the psych unit. That is unconscionable. At that time you were a Patient-whose out of the unit job happened to be NURSE. Bless every one of you.

I knew someone who was treated with ect and has lost all her nursing knowledge. It's out there in the public domain so you might want to read about her.

http://www.ect.org/south-carolina-wo...ns-shock-suit/

[zoeboboey]

Originally Posted by P_RN

Nurses can get sick, believe it or not PUBLIC.....NURSES are truly people with all the people things the general population has. I am so sorry that you were not believed while you were on the psych unit. That is unconscionable. At that time you were a Patient-whose out of the unit job happened to be NURSE. Bless every one of you.

I knew someone who was treated with ect and has lost all her nursing knowledge. It's out there in the public domain so you might want to read about her.

P You have quite the horror story yourself! WOW! You could be "not here" - either dead or brain injured due to 02 deprivation! Thing is I know as a nurse I said and thought judgemental things about my patients sometimes - yet when I was a patient I got a good taste of it.
It's almost like they hear "nurse" and they think "hypochondriac" or "wacko".

Ok, well on average maybe most nurses ARE nuts (to do the job in the first place ha ha) but that's beside the point!

I'm glad you are all right!!

As to the ECT - they WANTED to treat me with ECT and I said no - I knew that I only had half a brain left after all the chemicals I've had to take for my bipolar - I sure was not gonna let them kill the REST of it!