Sick at work, AND disappointed!

Nurses General Nursing

Published

I was at work last night (12hr nightshift)

and all night people were telling me that I didnt look well,pale, diaphoretic etc, I had a bit of a headache to start and I just assumed it was because of the record high temperatures here that made me feel gross. Well as my shift went on I got progressively worse, I vomited three times and the incharge said she was worried cuz at one point it looked like I was going to pass out.

I am hardly ever sick like this so it really walloped me, anyway long story made short I got sent down to our emerg at 0500 hrs (hospital policy is that if you get sick while at work on nights you have to be checked out at the ER - on days Occupational health will do just fine)

so I go down there and there are only three other patients in the waiting room, so I go to triage , explain what happened and she writes down on my chart that I'm complaining of weakness, well we all know that weakness is a low low priority in the ER, she doesnt document that I have been vomiting and that I have just done so in a k basin at her triage desk, I'm just weak apparently.

so I sit down in the waiting room, running to the washroom every 5-10 minutes to throw up, she comes up to me and says "if you feel faint again just wave at me and I'll come over and help you" uhhh yeah thanks I'll do just that, "hello I'm fainting now miss miss I'm fainting now!"

im stuck 2 hours in the waiting room , people are being taken in before me for things like a sunburn and a swollen ankle, Is it just me or could someone at my workplace just snuck me in a back room, gave me a shot of gravol in the A$$ and sent me packing ? I didnt need an emerg bed, I've never worked in a place that wouldnt see their own staff quickly and promptly, so i finally get a room in sub acute and start retching while im in there, my room was right near the nursing station so I know they all heard me , and no one even came in for another hour and a half!

I know emerg is busy and I dont think I am special or anything but the whole thing just made me feel sicker. I know why ppl get frustrated with being in emerg, I am a huge supporter of the nurses who work in emerg cuz they are so bogged down, but really what if I had been someone elderly or something and I had passed out? no one would have noticed.......

I called Occ health at 0830 hrs tired of waiting and having not been seen by the MD yet and she hightailed it up to emerg, stating that what happened with me wasnt acceptable and gave me a taxi voucher to get home, waited with me etc and said that she would check things out as to why they couldnt see "one of their own" a little sooner.

I'm not silly enough to expect priority in a busy emerg dept , but could they not have snuck me in before the guy with the sunburn or the swollen ankle at least? I mean really ,dude with the sunburn was in ZERO distress sitting outside smoking and cavorting with the nursing staff out there and the guy with the swollen ankle seemed okay enough to be pacing around on his ankle and kicking the vending machine!

I think my workplace should change their policy about making us go to emerg for treatment in non life threatening situations,because the whole thing was a waste of time for everyone involved, for them because I took up space and time , for the nurse who got stuck with me having to do my vitals for no good reason q hourly ,and most of all a waste of my time

I can puke just fine in the comfort of my own home thank you , minus the audience of onlookers too

anyway this whiny brat is going to have some yummy crackers now . mmmmmmmmmmmm crackers

Specializes in Geriatrics, LTC.

I'm so sorry your sick, n/v is the absolute worst! Sounds like you had a miserable morning. (((HUGS)))

Those m*t&_+ #@$kers who wouldn't come around to see how you were will get theirs one day. People like that usually do, because they harbor the type of life you wouldn't wish on a dog. Pity them Wendy, and go out of your way to thank them sincerely.

Hey - what caused you to throw up? Since you are at a hospital, would they run a culture right away and zero (your virus or attacking organism} quick? I feel like shuck a idiot myself not being able to help people because I don't know stool :-)

At least you didn't get fired or written up while being sick @ ER. You could have been targeted as easy prey from the RN's there.

Today I finally heard another nurse lamenting about how staff members can act so aloof and ignoring her. I just listened, and then I chimed in, in real life, how she was being eaten and didn't know if. Another nurse came by and was listening to the other RN go on about being ignored, then I chimed in again how RN's will kill their young. The truth is, some RN's will kill outright, sometimes just for the sake of making a kill.

Don't be killed emotionally by this, like me, at times.

I am more concerned with yur stomach and GI tract. You sound like you swallowed helicobaxter Pilori and it went under some fission somewhere in you. You know thats a guess. Your probably gloming bon-bon's and beef jerky wicha diet coke :-)

My thoughts and sincerest prayers are to you.

May Happy Wendy always remember this moment and always know love, gaining even greater power when the darkness of zombie people surround her during illness/vomitting.

In Happy Wendy's name I pray. Happy Wendy

vomit.gif

mario my friend you make me laugh and that hurts my tummy which already hurts from retching :)

baaaaaaad baaaaaaaaaad boy!

I dont eat beef jerky though so there goes that theory! I'm going to my family dr if I dont feel better today , prolly just some viral thing going around , nurse from occ health said a few nurses have been out with a stomach bug for awhile .....

I dont make a habit out of enlightening my fellow nurses about my GI tract but my experience just rubbed me the wrong way!!!!!!

love happiness and health etc

Wendy

oh I like that regurgitating guy in the pic you enclosed... maybe he is my MR right hehe

It's not a guy! It's you :-) And why do you say "bug?" Have you been swallowing insects? By Bug, do you mean organism or virus? Both?

Happiness and health and wealth and stelth pray friend sorry

its not me!

he's bald and doesnt have boobies!

I think its viral myself but I'm not

dr hapeweendy I'm just a regular patient :)

Awwwww,Wendy...I am so sorry this happened to you...really pisses me off actually...I guess they (in the ER) were under the impression of "she's staff,she can take care of herself" ...

Have seen this happen before to co-workers and have raised pure - t Hell about the lack of concern shown to "one of our own". Was even treated like that myself once, but I filed a complaint with administration and got a haf assed letter of apology from the offensive egotistical PA who was very unprofessional and insulting to me as a human being...

I hope you have felt better today and have rested and taken in plenty of fluids...there has been a severe GI virus attacking the staff at the facility where I work also...

I would like to add that I have also been treated very well at other ER's in facilities where I have worked...

I wish I could wiggle my nose and have that entire ER staff succumb to dysentery...

Originally posted by suzannasue

I wish I could wiggle my nose and have that entire ER staff succumb to dysentery...

Sussannasue. Forget about wiggling your nose, just thinking it can make it happen. Learn to tap the invisable magnetic energy spectums and harvest more control of life!:roll :roll 900089703.jpg 66936824

Wendy, so sorry to hear of your awful experience in ER. I have had a few waits there in the past also, and it wasn't pleasant. Hope your feeling better soon. take care of #1.

:roll

Mario...ty, I shall capture the energies and light the fire under my cauldron...would draw down the moon,but it's not in the appropriate phase now and my athame and bolline are being engraved...Blessed Be.

Have not felt well since that house fell on my sister!!!!;)

wendy,

my, oh my.............

rest, fluids, medicine if needed, more fluids and more rest.............

not feeling very philosophical tonight, but micro is out there

and does care.......

micro

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxxoxoxoox

Wendy -- you were ALLOWED to go home? Couldn't you just have put a bucket around your neck to throw up in for the rest of the shift? Honestly, what some staff won't do to go home. Seriously, again, it looks like nurses are low priority. When our staff goes to the ER, we call the nursing supervisor for the hospital & ask her to meet the person down in the ER to make certain that they are taken care of in a quick/fair manner. Obviously, not before a much more serious patient -- but take care of our own. Has worked so far.

Take care and hope you're feeling better.

Sue

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