Is this acceptable behavior from a nurse?

[luvmy3kids]

Hi everyone, I hope you had a good week. Me... not so much. Last Friday night I started having horrible abdominal pains as well as back aches like you wouldn't believe. I figured I was "constipated" as they have said in the past, and just tried to drink my Metamucil and massage my tummy, take some pain meds and hope to get through it.

Well, by Sunday morning, I couldn't take it anymore. I went to urgent care, just hoping for something stronger to relieve the pain. I got checked in and everyone was extremely nice and helpful, totally understanding and compassionate. They said I was dehydrated so they gave me some IV fluids, morphine for the pain, and ran blood work and did an X-ray. My white count was elevated (slightly) and I had a mild temp, like 99.9. The X-ray didn't show much, other than, yes, I was a bit constipated. The Dr. insisted that I go to the hospital for a CT as she was perplexed and didn't want me to go home without it. I had my children's Christmas program at church at 4pm and it was now 1pm.

I agreed to go to the ER next door which was not affiliated with the urgent care I was at. They sent my lab work and X-rays with me though so that sped things up.

Fast forward to the ER. I checked in and sat down, well, laid down. My back was facing the desk (my mom was with me too). When they called my name, we got up and walked over to the desk where I checked in. No one was looking at us or even facing us. We just stood there for a minute or two before the nurse yelled, "COME SIT OVER HERE". Like I was suppose to know it was her that called me as she never even looked my way.

So, I'm sitting in the chair, doubled over in pain by now. I was very sad because I knew I wasn't going to make my children's program. The triage nurse is facing away from me, about 5 feet away, hunched over writing on a counter. She asks me all the general questions. ((BTW, I am NOT in a private room. I am in an OPEN area where EVERYONE in the waiting room can see and hear me perfectly clear.)) She asks, "WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU HAD A BM??" Rather embarrassed, I reply, last Wed. or Thurs. Then she asked me something else, I can't remember what it was... I shook my head no. She asks me again, I shook my head no. I was in so much pain it hurt to talk. She proceeds to tell me, "I can't hear you when you shake your head like that." So I answered her. Then she said it will be a few minutes and told us to go sit down. I couldn't get up. My mom offered to help me up but I couldn't get up. The nurse said, "You can go get a wheel chair if you'd like." I was like, if I could walk the 25 yards over to get a wheel chair myself, do you honestly think I would really need one? I just said I'll walk by myself.

Now, I understand that the ER is a difficult place to work. And I'm sure she thought I was wasting her time. It turned out I had a infected gall bladder with gall stones that had to be removed Monday night. The ER doc that did the ultrasounds comment on my gall stones was "HOLY COW" and the tech that did the ultrasound for measurements said it was the worst infected gb she'd ever seen.

So I wasn't in there trying to take up anyones time. I was in serious pain and this nurse didn't give me one ounce of compassion. I'm not asking for much, just a little privacy and maybe a little understanding.

I guess this is more a vent. I was just curious if this is what I'm going to turn into one day??? : (

[sharlynn]

Some hospitals give or mail a form to you after discharge for comments about you hospital stay. If this one didn't, I'd seriously think about a letter to the DON and/or CEO if I were you. This kind of treatment gives all nurses a black eye!