Bad experience as a patient

[Haarlem]

I'm a senior nursing student and I had a bad experience being a patient last year. I went for a septoplasty & graft placement for my nose. I was under general anesthesia, which I had never had before. When waking up in the PACU, my mind was the first thing that turned back on (my head was still extremely heavy and I couldn't open my eyes yet). I was shivering heavily and I noticed that I felt that my heart rate was slowing down. My mind being foggy, I tried to count it but I didn't have any watch or clock to my disposal.

Suddenly, my RR slowed down so much that I felt I couldn't breathe anymore. My eyes sprung open and I yelled "help, I can't breathe, help!!" all over the unit. I had never had a panic attack before but it felt as if I was going to stop breathing – it's very frightening.

(Days past this incident I realized that this is the general feeling many patients get when they have a cardiovascular event, or asthma/COPD patients).

A nurse standing about 10 feet away from my bed was looking at me with a blank expression. After a 5 sec or so, another nurse ran over to me and helped calm me down to breathe normally. I couldn't believe I freaked out because I'm normally not a neurotic or anxious person. The nurse who was looking at me and doing nothing earlier slowly walked over. She told me she was my nurse. I asked her why she didn't come to help me. She said that she wasn't obligated to help me, and she thought I wasn't in real danger. There wasn't a flicker of sympathy or caring in her attitude and facial expression. In my foggy state of mind, I was like "OK.." I didn't understand.

In the rest of my stay in the PACU she let me to walk back and forth by myself to the bathroom, in which I basically wobbled the entire time.

Later when I came home I became furious. In a very vulnerable moment, in which I had no critical thinking abilities being post-anesthesia, this nurse hurt my feelings personally and my trust pretty badly. I can't believe someone like that is employed by a high ranking hospital. I sent a complaint to the hospital, and they said she was a float nurse and they could not find out what her name was.

I try to take this experience to the hospital I precept in. Whenever I feel a bit annoyed with a patient, I think of this incidence, which I wish on no-one, and turn my thoughts around. Patients are in one of their most vulnerable states in the hospital and they at the very least deserve quality care and a genuine smile.

[JKL33]

Quote from JKL33

On the other hand, if she said, "I have no obligation to help you" then maybe she actually is the worst nurse ever. I have never once heard any nurse say that to a patient in my entire career.

My point was that I don't think the nurse said that at all. She may have said something to the effect that 'everything's okay'/'you don't need me to do anything' or even "I don't need to do anything" along the lines of a situation that Muno described.

But she did not stand from afar and say that she wasn't "obligated" with regard to the OPs general care.

You were not there and do not know what she said.

None of us were; I thought it was fairly obvious that I was/am making a guess based on experience.

The OP is free to clarify.

[Haarlem, BSN, RN]

I don't think she was throwing my nurse under the bus, rather, she just told us the truth - that he was allowed in as soon as I woke up - why 'lie'? Other nurses were nearby and it may have confused them as to when family is allowed in. I wasn't a special case - I had a normal recovery aside from that little freakout. But this wasn't a big deal - just an added confusion.

[Haarlem, BSN, RN]

Yeah I would also observe for a second what's going on, but I wouldn't delay it so much so another nurse will actually step in. She definitely didn't seem very happy that this happened while she was doing something else, I remember now her making a comment on that 'this had to happen right when I was doing so-and-so'.

Having a family member at the bedside may actually help the patient remain comfortable.

[Haarlem, BSN, RN]

Sorry you experienced that, I also take this experience into my practice. It was actually hard to let this one go because I couldn't speak up for myself, that's probably why. But this topic has helped me gain insight in why certain things were said and done, and it's helping me move past it.

[Haarlem, BSN, RN]

It sounds so unbelievable when I read my own thread, but it is true. This is why I was stuck on this incident for so long. She definitely could've put things in different words, but the entire afternoon she had this attitude. I just realized she also said to me straight that 'this had to happen while doing so and so' (my panic attack). She either had a really bad day or she's missing a vital part of nursing - a little humanity. I also take this experience with me and always, always comfort my patients..

[Haarlem, BSN, RN]

Sorry about the replies not being addressed to the particular person - I'm pretty new & believed that "reply" would address it to the person I clicked reply for. I also can't edit them anymore.

That being said, I appreciate all of your responses. I believe I heard her correctly and there are really nurses who just don't care. This to me was also evidenced by her grumpy attitude and doing the bare minimum. As I woke up more, she was still just plain unfriendly - even my husband noticed who is always a ray of sunshine, lol. I opened this thread to shed light on the fact that there are nurses like these. But I also want to say that all nurses I have ever met (aside from this one) have been awesome, kind, caring and helpful.

[sugarmagnolia3]

I just had surgery and anesthesia and I thought the PACU nurses were uncaring, and kicked me out really fast. I asked my partner if they had, and he said absolutely not. I had received dilaudid for the first time in the PACU, and it really warped how I felt. I had the the most bizarre thoughts, bordering on hallucination for hours after anesthesia compared to 6 months before when I had surgery, and received fentanyl in the PACU and felt relatively clear-headed on the way home. I too, have had the feeling of breathing really slowly, and heard myself setting off the red alarm, but not really caring, and needing the verbal cue of being told to breathe. It's weird and bizzare. Sorry you went through that. It is possible that your perception of your nurses was not clear.

[Haarlem, BSN, RN]

I just had surgery and anesthesia and I thought the PACU nurses were uncaring, and kicked me out really fast. I asked my partner if they had, and he said absolutely not. I had received dilaudid for the first time in the PACU, and it really warped how I felt. I had the the most bizarre thoughts, bordering on hallucination for hours after anesthesia compared to 6 months before when I had surgery, and received fentanyl in the PACU and felt relatively clear-headed on the way home. I too, have had the feeling of breathing really slowly, and heard myself setting off the red alarm, but not really caring, and needing the verbal cue of being told to breathe. It's weird and bizzare. Sorry you went through that. It is possible that your perception of your nurses was not clear.

I definitely see how taking Fentanyl could warp your thoughts (I took it before going under, it felt like my head was spinning!), the thing is I had no pain at all in the PACU and did not take any pain med. I was just a bit drowsy from the anesthesia. The surgeon completely numbed up my nose locally. I still believe what was said was said, but maybe not with the attitude/demeanor that I perceived. It feels like a rock solid memory though, but I want to give her the benefit of the doubt.

[trytounderstand]

I don't understand why can't they go back? Shouldn't they be able to see their family member as soon as possible and as long as there are no difficulties be with at least one family member? Why should the family have to sit out and worry about how their spouse, child, mother, or father are being treated? As in the case by a nurse who felt they had no obligation to help? When you are patient you feel totally helpless and as long as the spokesperson is not in the way and is understanding there is no reason why they cannot see how their family is being treated. Whether they are being cared for and their dignity being respected. Or is it better to have them in the recovery area with their gown down to their waist with female nurses floating around talking about patients asking questions about when they can have sex again? or deciding it is okay to ignore someone who is frightened and needs reassurance and help? Or it is okay to leave a patient exposed whether they are behind a curtain or not. I would rather have my spouse than uncaring nurse.