It's not the nicotine patch!!!

Nurses General Nursing

Published

This is the second time in the past 3 weeks that we've had a family that was just adamant that the nicotine patch we have put on their family member was the source of all their problems. 1st patient was a young (30's) severe drug/ETOH abuser that had drank and drugged himself into MVR and a pacemaker and was now on a vent. Nooooo, it couldn't be drug/ETOH withdrawl, it had to be the freaking nicotine patch. His mother SWORE he only smoked a couple of cigarettes a day and that there was no need for that patch. 2nd pt is a middle aged deaf/mute drug & ETOH'er who decided it was a good idea to get absolutely tore the ***** up and drive a car. So, now on top of all the issues she had before let's add a closed head injury! BUT do you want to know why she's really so squirrly now??? According to her family, it has got to be that @#$%% nicotine patch. I spent about a half hour trying to reason with the daughter that this nicotine patch was the LEAST of her mother's problems. Daughter's reasoning was that "Momma don't even remember the wreck, I doubt she remembers that she smoked." I tried to explain that her body remembers and that we were slowly weaning her off the nicotine. She wouldn't hear of it and wanted the patch removed IMMEDIATELY. Whatever. I took it off, charted it and put a note for the dr on the chart. It said..."Patient's family insistant that nicotine patch be removed. They are confident that this is the source of all her problems. I removed it at 2154. PLEASE call me if this fixed her." Dr actually got to the chart before I left that morning and nearly peed her pants when she read it. There was a comedian a while back that would do a joke about stupid people. He said life would be so much easier if stupid people just had a sign on their forehead so we could identify them and not even bother. He said it would be like "You see, this is how it's done...Oh, my bad. I didn't see your sign. Nevermind." I'm all for it. I think this would save me a lot of time. :bugeyes:

Specializes in Tele, ED/Pediatrics, CCU/MICU.

I had a patient the other day who had an H&H of 7.4 and 22 and he actually fought with me about going out to smoke. My answer was "I could lose my license if I stand you up outside to smoke in the cold, and you fall, and I cannot get you back in the department. ....and this is a non-smoking facility."

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Specializes in Cardiac.
In both situations, the family members are probably so deeply in denial about their loved one's substance abuse that the nicotine patch is a convenient scapegoat that allows them to remain in denial.

It's sad, really. As frustrating as it is to deal with people like this, I don't think that making fun of them for being stupid contributes anything positive to the situation.

Here's the thing...the familiy's denial is now costing the patient their nicotine. So now they get to start to withdraw from nicotine because the family is too stupid to educate.

Is it sad that people are in denial, or addicted to drugs and alcohol? Sure. But is it sad that we blow off steam by commenting about them? Not at all.

We'd go insane if we had to be perfect people all the time. That's what this board is for.

I've had family ask me really, really, downright stupid questions. Do I laugh at them and point my finger at them? No, I try to educate and re-educate them. But there is nothing wrong with starting up a thread and discussing it either.

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Specializes in Cardiac Telemetry, ED.

Unlike ETOH, withdrawing from nicotine never killed anybody.

I can understand venting. But I do feel sad when I read about how "stupid" these people in a sad and horrible situation are. Maybe they *are* stupid. But it still makes me sad. Maybe I have a soft spot for the dysfunctional.

Do you see me telling anyone that they must be a horrible nurse for thinking such things and that if this is how they feel, then they shouldn't be a nurse? No. I understand we have a tough and often frustrating job and that we need a safe place to vent where we can be human beings and have negative feelings.

It just makes me sad. That's all.

You know, I once made the mistake of venting on a non-nursing forum. The replies I received basically were to the effect that I am a sick and twisted individual who has no business being a nurse. They just did not understand that nurses are human beings with human feelings. I think most non-medical people would be shocked if they came here and read some of the things we post.

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Unlike ETOH, withdrawing from nicotine never killed anybody.

I can understand venting. But I do feel sad when I read about how "stupid" these people in a sad and horrible situation are. Maybe they *are* stupid. But it still makes me sad. Maybe I have a soft spot for the dysfunctional.

Do you see me telling anyone that they must be a horrible nurse for thinking such things and that if this is how they feel, then they shouldn't be a nurse? No. I understand we have a tough and often frustrating job and that we need a safe place to vent where we can be human beings and have negative feelings.

It just makes me sad. That's all.

You know, I once made the mistake of venting on a non-nursing forum. The replies I received basically were to the effect that I am a sick and twisted individual who has no business being a nurse. They just did not understand that nurses are human beings with human feelings. I think most non-medical people would be shocked if they came here and read some of the things we post.

ok, dear. First off, to a certian degree, it takes a sick twisited individual to even be a nurse. To deal with what we deal with day in and day out. I'm here to tell you, if I let it all make me feel *sad* there wouldn't be enough anti-depressants in the world to stop me from jumping off a freaking bridge somewhere. I LOVE my job. I LOVE what I do. I LOVE all my patients and their families (even the stupid ones). I do however have to have an outlet to release some of my frustrations so I won't be the crazy lady you read about in the sunday paper that just plowed her car through a shopping mall for no apparent reason. (some people just don't know how to handle their stress. *sad* isn't it?)

Second off, I'm sure most non-healthcare people would be mortified at some of the posts here, but I would also hope that they might learn a thing or two about being a patient or a patient family member in the healthcare system.

As far as venting on a non-healthcare site...I wouldn't dream of it. For the general public what we do is un-imaginable. It's kind of like that movie A Few Good Men when Jack Nicholson says "The truth? You can't handle the truth!"

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Specializes in Education, FP, LNC, Forensics, ED, OB.

Closed for staff review.

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