Fess up! How are you as a patient!

Nurses General Nursing

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Hello everyone!

I was reading through some postings and was thinking, how are we as a patient and how would you rate you as a patient, "Excellent", "Good", "Fair", or "Poor".

Although I am not obnoxious and rude, but I do what to know the whens, whys, how longs, are you sure, type of information.

I have encounter rude or not so friendly staff members, which of course, includes nurses. What gets me most is when I am told by the nurse, " I will be right back!" and the patient "right back" is different form the nurses "right back", therefore, it would help ease a patient or to get them from "causing" an "up-roar", to give an estimate time or at least send someone in to tell the patient so and so has not forgotten them.

Other than this, I rate myself as a "Good/Fair" patient.

Come on now, how are you as a patient?

StephanysGetaway

OK where do I start?

Couple of months ago I developed left sided chest pain, a little cough but no sputum. like a good little girl went to GP for exam. result? a chest infection.

After two days became acutely short of breath with a severe pain in same spot. NOW "nurse know it all" decided that it was a PE as I have a very strong family history. Did I go back to GP or present myself NO WAY I wasn't going to be admitted!

SO :D I took myself to bed with aspirin and serious analegesia. 7 days later I still could not walk to bathroom with out sob. Eventually admitted with confirmed PE but the only reason I agreed was when the consultant told me I was extremely lucky and reckless as I could have ended up on my unit STROKE UNIT. DUH!

Whilst in as a pt I was very good even admitted myself, did all the documentation

My stay was horrific - I was in a nightinggale medical ward with several elderly ladies. Do you realise that we are conditioned to react when someone says "Nurse" No rest !

And do you realise that when you are sat there you critise fellow nurses working. The standards were awful and the waste of resources no wonder the NHS is in such a state. Did I tell the nurses NO but perhaps I should have , I was tooo anxious for discharge

Considering I am a professional who is intelegent I am still amazed that I did something sooo stupid as not act and go in earlier:imbar j

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Specializes in Community Health Nurse.

On the other hand...when one of my grandsons had his adenoids removed (he was 7 yrs. old at the time), I must have been a pain in the buttocks grandmother because his nurse kept giving me the "eye" everytime I said "Can't you give him something for the pain? Can't you see how much pain he is in? Do something, darn it! Stop letting my baby suffer." THEN...while holding my grandson, rocking him to and fro, kissing his tiny forehead, I said to him "Gramma's not going to let them hurt you, sweetie. Don't you worry. Everything's going to be alright. Shhhhhhh...." :rolleyes: Ohhhhhh brother...what a MAJOR PITA I was. When he was discharged to home that same day (several hours later), he was STILL mad at the nurse (he had kicked and swung at her right out of surgery...he wasn't aware of what he had done until he was fully awake and told how he had behaved by his mother). I apologized to the nurse - not only for my grandson, but for the way I had carried on...being Gramma and all. :chair: The :nurse: put her arms around me and gave me the warmest hug, and said "I totally understand. I'm a Gramma, too." :) The next day, my grandson asked me to call the nurse so he could tell her he was sorry for not being nice to her. Isn't that the sweetest thing. :kiss

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I try to be a good patient. But, I don't like to "bother" the nurses either. While in the hospital with viral pneumonia (one week post c/s), the doctor didn't want me to even go to the b/r. So, being the good patient I was, I would take my oxygen off and empty my own bedside commode, because I didn't want my nurses to have to. Needless to say, I got caught and chewed out for not calling a nurse.

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Specializes in Geri, psych, TCU, neuro--AKA LTC.

I haven't been an inpatient for 11 years.

I was in for a badly infected bug bite on my right ankle, foot swollen like a football, getting IV antibiotics, on total bedrest--NO BRPs, I hopped to the bathroom cuz I couldn't stand the thought of using the bed pan.

My nurse just couldn't get over what a quiet patient I was, never asked for anything (I got it myself). The one and only time I used the call-light was when my IV infiltrated and was running down my forearm. I couldn't fix that, LOL.

So after three days of antibiotics I got to go home. Boy was I glad. Now I'm spending time in the hospital voluntarily (on clinicals). I think I'd be just as independent now though. No whining here.

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i believe i'm an ideal patient...but when it comes to my loved ones i'm the matriarch of the family from hell... = )

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Crabby about wearin' that UUUUUUUUGGGGGGGLLLLYYYYYYY gown!!!! And I'm a big ol' needle chicken from hell....:D

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Originally posted by LasVegasRN

:chuckle - don't feel bad, Julie, I am guilty of similar. When my best friend was in the hospital I did the same thing. At one point, she was talking to me and I was distracted checking her pleuravac, she looked at my stomach area and shouted "MY BEST FRIEND, DEE! ARE YOU IN THERE? FIGHT THE NURSE! DON'T LET THE NURSE TAKE OVER! GO AWAY FROM THE CALL LIGHT! GO AWAY FROM THE CALL LIGHT!". :roll

OMG!!!!:chuckle :roll :rotfl: I ABOUT PEED MY PANTS AT THAT ONE!!! BAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!

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:nono: I am not so great of a pt. I refuse pain meds since I feel the side effects are worse than the relief for me, but hey it's different for my pt's. I also am horrible for follow up appointments with the doctor wehter it is really necessary or not, I think only my dentist really follows up on me and all of his patients.I am also reluctant complainer. Had trouble breathing before one of my Operations, and I was laying on the table trying to say excuse me to the nurse couldn't get it out loud enough, so taped her arm. Actually appologized for botherig her Thankfully it's rare that I am a patient now.

Have a good one

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Specializes in Med-Surg Nursing.

I myself have NEVER been a pt. Don't have any kids or such never had any surgery since I had my wisdom teeth removed back in 1988. I think I'd be a good pt though as I know what I have to deal with at work.

When my Dad had a total knee replacement back in 2000 at the same hospital at which I was working at the time, I stayed in his room with him until he had woken up a bit. Being the nice person that I am, I wrote his post-op VS on the flowsheet for the nursing assistant and he gave me a look like what in the he!! was I doing? I politely explained to him that I was an RN at this hospital but I work on a different floor. All he said was "oh". No thank you or anything! I watched his IV and it was about to run dry when I went up to his nurse and asked if I could get another bag. She was all "no, I'll do it, you can't touch that". So, I explained to her that I was an RN and worked on a different unit. I know you're busy and I'll hang the new bag of LR for you. This woman was being a total bytch! I was trying to help her and being as I work there in that same hospital, I didn't think she'd have a prob with it. So after that, I went back to my father's room and the IV bag was completely dry by then so I clamped it off. Nancy Nurse comes in and is all "I told you not to touch that, why did you clamp it off". I was like duh, can't you see that the bag is dry?" So, from that point on, I decided NOT to try to help and rang my dad's light for any little thing. I try to help you and you treat me like a dummy? I DON'T THINK SO!!!

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Just had 2 surgeries and I was a super patient both times...never bugged the nurse, did everything for myself. Well, except.....

I did get a little assertive the first hospitalization though. They only had a semiprivate room (no privates) and they put me in with an elderly woman with...you guessed it...dementia. She hallucinated and called out all night. I finally called the nurse and said,"Look, either knock her out or knock ME out...something has to give here"

She gave me a sleeper and her a Haldol and I managed to get a little sleep...which was all I asked for. :) I also made the point that this was a medsurg floor and there HAD to be another LOL with dementia here somewhere to pair up...why put a young postop in here?

So I guess that wasn't being good, eh? ;)

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OBNURSEHEATHER - ok, I made a mental note....HAHAHA That was a good one.

I am the nurse-mother from hell, both with my own children and with the summer campers whom I have to accompany to the er when injured. I always make suggestions for pain relief, treatment options, etc.

I am not sure it is always appreciated !!!!!!!!!!!!

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Hi,

Most of the time I try to keep it from the staff that I am a nurse but usually when they start to do the H&P and med list it becomes a dead giveaway that I have some knowledge. I usually end up spelling a lot of things for them, also.

I have been in the hospital 11 times in the last 7 years for various thinfs but almost all involving terrible pain. I try to be kind but it really feels like forever when you ask for a pain med and 30 minutes later it still hasn't arrived.

I unplug my IV pump, disconnect the pulse oximeter, and somehow make it to the bathroom without asking for permission or help. I hate bedpans and bedside commodes. Never fails all the roomates or my visitors show up when all you want to do is get some relief, ALONE!!!

I hate when nurses assume you know everything sbout everything. It's been ages since I've done any med-surg or any kind of nursing for adults- approx 28 yrs so I don't know adult meds very well.

For the most part the nursing staff is always very nice and I feel a camaraderie and they make a lot of exceptions and concessions. The best nursing care I ever received was at The Clinical Center at the National Institutes of Health on the Neuroscience floor. They have an absolutely fabulous staff. The amount of respect they show to patients is phenominal!

EXCEPTION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Don't mess with the mother lioness RN when it comes to her beautiful first grandson, or her 4 children. LOOK OUT. HERE SHE COMES!!! What is with that horrible sense of "I'll get you if you don't take care of them right?" What a powerful instinct. It's almost scary.

Warm regards,

PappyRN

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