Every Nurse Should Give Birth

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My prayer is that every doctor, every nurse, every anyone who stands in judgment of others when it comes to things like pain would experience exactly what their patient is experiencing.

There used to be a popular saying back when nurses were mostly female - "Every nurse should give birth" to know how excruciating childbirth can be. And for doctors, who were mostly male, you used to hear, "Every doctor should have a kidney stone".

Well, my cousin is experiencing severe pain issues lately and has seen, to almost no avail, chiropractor, internist, surgeon, neurologist, and now a Pain Management doctor. He is on Percocet, which gives maybe 3 hours of relief. He is allowed 2 Percocet per day. Huh? Isn't this serious underdosing? What is he supposed to do the other 18 hours per day? He had to request the Percocet, too; doctor did not bring up the issue of pain med and was content to give only injections of steroid/'caine, which did only a little good - and only the first shot helped. Subsequent shots have been worthless.

Now, Cuz is on oxycontin and only after requesting, at my suggestion, pain relief that would be more steady. Had I not coached him on this, he would not have known to ask for it. Do you think anyone at the pain clinic has talked to him about constipation as a side effect of narcotics? No. Cousin Vito brought up that he needs to increase water and fiber. Also avoid driving and knives, lawnmowers, etc. when under the influence of these powerful meds. The nurse also did no teaching about this.

The doctor did not talk about the fact that there is a lag of between 3 and 7 days for the oxycontin to reach a therapeutic level and that Cuz should continue the Percocet BID PRN for the first few days. In fact, doctor Torture lowered the Percocet to one per day PRN. To me, this is not merely incompetence, it is cruel. I guess he thought maybe the shot would help more than it did, therefore the Percocet could be decreased. Cuz was very scared, thinking that the doctor would not help him with the pain, should the current regimen be inadequate.

When the doctor told him that he found him unbelievable, that he thought he was exaggerating the pain in order to evoke sympathy from the doctor, that was the last straw. Cuz has severe, unbearable pain with certain movements and these cause him to grunt or scream sometimes. Other times, he is, thankfully, pretty much ok. While arising from the table after the shots, he screamed twice. The idiot doctor apparently forgot that such pain is diagnostic of Cuz's condition. At least, that's what he told him originally - that, with his particular condition, pain upon rising is the worst. Also, Cuz is having killer muscle cramps, which can also be very, very awful, as any of you athletes out there know. To not be believed was really an insult - and the doubter is supposed to be someone who specializes in this specialty.

I really feel like filing a complaint with the licensing Board, the specialty Board, JCAHO, the facility Administrator and Risk Manager, and anyone else who will listen. This doctor sounds like a real jerk. There are other issues - he has kept Cuz waiting an hour or more for every appointment. He is not available after hours. No one covers for him on holidays, weekends, vacations and he does not answer his pager. There is no other contact way, per the nurse.

Cuz has begun seeing a physical therapist who is skilled in trigger point therapy and primal reflex release technique or something like that. She has done more for him, he says, than all the others combined. Naturally, his insurance doesn't cover her.

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My prayer is that every doctor, every nurse, every anyone who stands in judgment of others when it comes to things like pain would experience exactly what their patient is experiencing.

There used to be a popular saying back when nurses were mostly female - "Every nurse should give birth" to know how excruciating childbirth can be. And for doctors, who were mostly male, you used to hear, "Every doctor should have a kidney stone".

Well, my cousin is experiencing severe pain issues lately and has seen, to almost no avail, chiropractor, internist, surgeon, neurologist, and now a Pain Management doctor. He is on Percocet, which gives maybe 3 hours of relief. He is allowed 2 Percocet per day. Huh? Isn't this serious underdosing? What is he supposed to do the other 18 hours per day? He had to request the Percocet, too; doctor did not bring up the issue of pain med and was content to give only injections of steroid/'caine, which did only a little good - and only the first shot helped. Subsequent shots have been worthless.

Now, Cuz is on oxycontin and only after requesting, at my suggestion, pain relief that would be more steady. Had I not coached him on this, he would not have known to ask for it. Do you think anyone at the pain clinic has talked to him about constipation as a side effect of narcotics? No. Cousin Vito brought up that he needs to increase water and fiber. Also avoid driving and knives, lawnmowers, etc. when under the influence of these powerful meds. The nurse also did no teaching about this.

The doctor did not talk about the fact that there is a lag of between 3 and 7 days for the oxycontin to reach a therapeutic level and that Cuz should continue the Percocet BID PRN for the first few days. In fact, doctor Torture lowered the Percocet to one per day PRN. To me, this is not merely incompetence, it is cruel. I guess he thought maybe the shot would help more than it did, therefore the Percocet could be decreased. Cuz was very scared, thinking that the doctor would not help him with the pain, should the current regimen be inadequate.

When the doctor told him that he found him unbelievable, that he thought he was exaggerating the pain in order to evoke sympathy from the doctor, that was the last straw. Cuz has severe, unbearable pain with certain movements and these cause him to grunt or scream sometimes. Other times, he is, thankfully, pretty much ok. While arising from the table after the shots, he screamed twice. The idiot doctor apparently forgot that such pain is diagnostic of Cuz's condition. At least, that's what he told him originally - that, with his particular condition, pain upon rising is the worst. Also, Cuz is having killer muscle cramps, which can also be very, very awful, as any of you athletes out there know. To not be believed was really an insult - and the doubter is supposed to be someone who specializes in this specialty.

I really feel like filing a complaint with the licensing Board, the specialty Board, JCAHO, the facility Administrator and Risk Manager, and anyone else who will listen. This doctor sounds like a real jerk. There are other issues - he has kept Cuz waiting an hour or more for every appointment. He is not available after hours. No one covers for him on holidays, weekends, vacations and he does not answer his pager. There is no other contact way, per the nurse.

Cuz has begun seeing a physical therapist who is skilled in trigger point therapy and primal reflex release technique or something like that. She has done more for him, he says, than all the others combined. Naturally, his insurance doesn't cover her.

I'm not in agreement with your post. I don't like for people to put everyone in the same category. To experience or not the pain of a patient does not make one a better or worse professional. I have no interest in working in OB-GYn, nor witnessing anyone's childbirth.

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Specializes in CVICU, Burns, Trauma, BMT, Infection control.

I'm sorry that your cousin is going through this Vito,pain control is not very well handled in health care these days(a large understatement) being that if you actually complain of pain and ask for drugs by name that "you must be a drug seeker",which is of course Bull****. My 84 year old mother can complain of bursitis in her shoulder and get 100 Vicodin,what's up with that?

I broke my back in '94 and have had no significant pain from that until recently where it is beginning to impact my life negatively. I am in almost constant pain but no one will prescribe anything for me and I have gotten tired of fighting for it. I even had a NP say that" um...but your blood pressure is OK" meaning that if I was in true pain it would be higher. When I initially broke my back and was in so much pain I was screaming my b/p was only 130/98.

I had positive CT for kidney stones on top of that and she was still wondering IF I was in actual pain. Needless to say I'm changing doctors.

Please ask your cousin to change doctors and find one who treats his pain appropriately and compassionately,they are out there. I am going to be looking too. I know it's little consolation that your cousin has lots of company though.:cry:

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Specializes in LTC, MDS, Education.

Hey there Vito! Sorry your cuz is having pain issues. He needs to find another doctor ASAP! Not to be giving "medical advice" but quinine does wonders for leg cramps..worth a try....Btw I understand what you are saying about having to experience pain....but no childbirth for me!! When I worked in labor and delivery I dreamed that I was on the table pushing, and gave birth to 3 kittens!! (I'm a cat lover). However, I have had bad pain from gastroenteritis and gallbladder, so I am the first to offer and encourage pain meds. :nurse:

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Crap. I guess I could join the military.

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Specializes in Maternal - Child Health.

Vito,

I'm sorry for your cousin's condition and his care. I won't pretend to offer clinical advice, since I don't know nuttin 'bout grown-ups, but I have dealt with unacceptable medical practice, and found assistance in an unlikely place...my insurance company.

I realized that they were paying mega bucks for every ineffective visit I made to various specialists who didn't take my concerns seriously or address them adequately. I decided to call their customer service help line, and persistently navigated the phone tree until I got a care (case?) manager who listened to my story. It helped that I worked at a local hospital and knew who was good in that area and who wasn't. Within a few short days, I was authorized to see a "non-participating" physician with full coverage. Let them know that there is no off-hours coverage. That violates the typical contract between physician and insurance company and angers most insurance companies because it virtually guarantees expensive ER visits when a timely office visit would suffice.

I was gratified several months later when we were issued a new "approved physician list" with most of the Bozos removed and replaced with docs that I had requested.

Also, perhaps a detailed letter from the PT outlining the treatment, relief it provides and benefits over standard treatment may persuade the insurance company to cover it. I have had patients get "non-covered" treatments covered when they can demonstrate a financial benefit to doing so.

Best of luck!

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Specializes in Psychiatry.
I'm not in agreement with your post. I don't like for people to put everyone in the same category. To experience or not the pain of a patient does not make one a better or worse professional. I have no interest in working in OB-GYn, nor witnessing anyone's childbirth.

and I have no interest in having children........ I also disagree with the original post.

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I'm not in agreement with your post. I don't like for people to put everyone in the same category. To experience or not the pain of a patient does not make one a better or worse professional. I have no interest in working in OB-GYn, nor witnessing anyone's childbirth.

My point was that it seems that some people do not understand or care about the pain of other people until they have personally experienced such pain.

The issue is not at all that you should or should not work in OBGyn or witness someone's childbirth.

And I think that experiencing pain definitely can make a professional more accepting to the fact that other people are having real pain, even if they don't look like it, even if the professional might have a higher pain tolerance than the patient has, even if the patient's VS are normal, etc. Some pros are very unforgiving when it comes to pain. They expect all patients to be as stoic as they are themselves. Or maybe some pros have just never gone through anything as painful as their patients have/are. That is the whole point of what I wrote.

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I'm sorry that your cousin is going through this Vito,pain control is not very well handled in health care these days(a large understatement) being that if you actually complain of pain and ask for drugs by name that "you must be a drug seeker",which is of course Bull****. My 84 year old mother can complain of bursitis in her shoulder and get 100 Vicodin,what's up with that?

I broke my back in '94 and have had no significant pain from that until recently where it is beginning to impact my life negatively. I am in almost constant pain but no one will prescribe anything for me and I have gotten tired of fighting for it. I even had a NP say that" um...but your blood pressure is OK" meaning that if I was in true pain it would be higher. When I initially broke my back and was in so much pain I was screaming my b/p was only 130/98.

I had positive CT for kidney stones on top of that and she was still wondering IF I was in actual pain. Needless to say I'm changing doctors.

Please ask your cousin to change doctors and find one who treats his pain appropriately and compassionately,they are out there. I am going to be looking too. I know it's little consolation that your cousin has lots of company though.:cry:

Hang in there, friend, and keep fighting the good fight. Your NP and MD sound like idiots. As for little old ladies - well, they don't fit the stereotypical sketch of what we think of as drug dealers.

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Specializes in PICU.

The point is more that physicians and nurses should be more empathetic to the reported pain of others.

Vito, I'm sorry to hear about your cuz's pain and I hope he's able to find someone to provide real help.

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Vito,

I'm sorry for your cousin's condition and his care. I won't pretend to offer clinical advice, since I don't know nuttin 'bout grown-ups, but I have dealt with unacceptable medical practice, and found assistance in an unlikely place...my insurance company.

I realized that they were paying mega bucks for every ineffective visit I made to various specialists who didn't take my concerns seriously or address them adequately. I decided to call their customer service help line, and persistently navigated the phone tree until I got a care (case?) manager who listened to my story. It helped that I worked at a local hospital and knew who was good in that area and who wasn't. Within a few short days, I was authorized to see a "non-participating" physician with full coverage. Let them know that there is no off-hours coverage. That violates the typical contract between physician and insurance company and angers most insurance companies because it virtually guarantees expensive ER visits when a timely office visit would suffice.

I was gratified several months later when we were issued a new "approved physician list" with most of the Bozos removed and replaced with docs that I had requested.

Also, perhaps a detailed letter from the PT outlining the treatment, relief it provides and benefits over standard treatment may persuade the insurance company to cover it. I have had patients get "non-covered" treatments covered when they can demonstrate a financial benefit to doing so.

Best of luck!

Jolie, as usual, you have some great ideas. I will talk to Cuz ASAP and see if we can't get things improved by involving his insurer. THANKS!

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Specializes in LTC, MDS, Education.

It seems to me that a couple of people didn't read Vito's entire post. Obviously he didn't REALLY mean that all nurses should give birth (what about male nurse?) I think it had more to do with empathy for suffering. JMHO......:smokin:

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