When you are the patient. Do you get nervous about it? - Page 2

what a timely question. i've spent the last few months in and out of hospitals, clinics and procedure rooms and i'm always terrified! i haven't had any big errors that i know of, no lapses in care that i can discern. everyone has been very professional and organized. haven't had to wait for pain pills, and i've had no complications of the procedures. my husband has been at my side every step of the way, and that has made me feel very safe. he saw to it that i had a prescription for ativan early on in this cancer marathon, and knows me well enough to tell me when i need to take one. (because somehow i feel it's "cheating" if i take something to help me through some of the big scarey situations like the 27 mammograms the morning of surgery to place localization wires, or the 3.5 hour mri with biopsies (10 gauge, 14 inch needles through my boobs guided by mri. now that was a trip.

i have no complaints about my care, about the nurses or x-ray techs or doctors who took care of me. even the man with the big long needles was calm, caring and made me feel as safe as possible. (and gave me a whopping dose of seroquel.) but still, i'll admit to being frightened every time i walk into the hospital as a patient.

I was really scared. I remember coming out of surgery and the first thing I did when I woke up in the PACU was check the bedside monitor for my rhythm & sats. I was pretty much the worst pt ever post op. I was having really bad chest pain that I didn't expect and it freaked me out big time, I was in tears and embarrased that I was crying so I hid my face under my blankets so my parents wouldn't see me.

Some of the nurses were neglectful and not nice. I could tell they didn't enjoy caring for patients. Disappointing experience overall but it made me realize I'm a good nurse and that certain hospitals are overrated big time.

I've been reading all the replies too. Maybe I should add that the reason I'm not scared of hospitals is that I've never been an inpatient in one. I think I'd be OK if I was A&O x3 and totally in control of my care. Being operated on or somehow having AMS would probably be terrifying for me as well.

I found it interesting that because I was so calm anesthesia decided I didn't need any versed prior to going to the OR, until we got there I could have agreed with them but rolling into that room with lots of scary equipment, 6 or so people all working on their own things who don't even look up as the patient rolls in and then having my arms strapped down and the anesthesia mask placed over my face prior to getting ANY other drugs, that kind of freaked me out. Luckily those drugs work fast but I can still remember that

I don't get scared because a) I never let my guard down and b) I've been a patient longer than I've been a nurse. I was diagnosed with a large brain tumor when I was a senior in high school so I've been playing the patient game for 10 1/2 years and I've only been a nurse for 5.

I've had more than my share of situations where providers could have messed up big time if I didn't challenge them! In 2010, I had many medical challenges and was ultimately diagnosed with diabetes insipidus and renal tubular acidosis. The first nephrologist I saw thought I was crazy. I specifically remember the appointment I had in his office where he basically said "I strongly suspect a psych component to all of this" and I said, "I don't" and then he actually bothered to LOOK at my labs (which he was clear he hadn't before he came to this conclusion) and was like, "uhhhh you're right." I recently had my dermatologist tell me that she thought she should prescribe spironolactone for me... now, since when do we think it's a good idea to put someone who's deficient in antidiuretic hormone and dependent on synthetic antidiuretics on a diuretic? Sheesh.

No, I don't get nervous... I get borderline hysterical.

I know too much, I call it the curse of the nurse.

I have been to the ER twice for atrial fibrillation. Thankfully , I finally diagnosed it myself. It was caused by sleep apnea and was easily treated by CPAP.

Being helpless, with an irregular heartbeat beat in the 130's , will cause any health care professional to panic.
I asked for something for anxiety, that slowed my heart rate and calmed me down enough ... to diagnose myself.

Emergency rooms and hospitals are a dangerous place to be.

I woke up kicking and fighting everyone around me! I managed to get my poor nurse (who was a sweetheart by the way and I really liked her and apologized later) as well as tried to pull my a-line out. Apparently I don't handle anesthesia well!

(I also constantly tried to see my monitor but it was too high above my head, behind me, super annoying)