I hope this is in the right thread. Sorry if its not! Anyway, I'm still a nursing student in my first year, so I don't know much about Neglect or Abuse, but I'm pretty sure I just witnessed it at my husbands doctor appointment yesterday? I'll just quick a quick pt history.
He has had diabetes since he was a kid (but in good health with a normal BMI), and now at the age of 26 he is having nerve pain and decreased sensation in his right foot. His primary doctor sent him to a specialist a few months ago who put him on steroids for a month while he waited for approval from our insurance for an MRI. Well, the insurance won't cover it so we decided to just pay out of pocket because his pain is getting unbearable (he has an addictive personality and he refuses to take Vicodin due to substance abuse in his teenage years - hes three years older than me - and says once he feels the euphoria he wants to take more, so we keep it away from him).
Now, here comes my question. The doctor was very polite, however his nurse must have been having a bad day since she started to get lippy from the beginning - after he told her about refusing the vicodin prescription. He also stated he couldn't afford a full back and foot MRI, that he could only pay for the foot. They exchanged some words after her protest of "just the foot", and I just put in some input to help ease the situation (we're paying for my school tuition, we can't afford a $2,000+ test, etc..). Well, then she decided that the MRI he needed wasn't urgent since he wasn't willing to get everything done (even though his pain is almost a constant 9/10) and told the MRI agency it could put "put off" - she scheduled it for 3 months away. I pulled the doctor aside and explained what happened, and she said she would reschedule the MRI for as soon as possible and call us when she got word of a sooner opening.
So is that nurse abuse, or standard practice of "subjective data" i.e., he doesn't want both so it can't be that necessary or urgent? Would just like some feedback from other nurses on the process. I'm not worried about reporting the nurse or anything since his doctor fixed it and thats all we really wanted, and he still has to go back for another appointment to go over the MRI results and he doesn't want to be "that patient" that is dreaded at the office
I'm a diabetic, and from a completely diabetic to diabetic standpoint... why the MRI? Diabetic Neuro is generally a nerve conduction test (if that, sometimes just meeting the dx criteria)? Why the pricey test, if you don't mind me asking? And, I got news, if you don't want narco relief for neuro pain your option is the gab. That's about it. The gab and good sugar control. The nurse may have been rude, but not abusive our neglectful in the slightest.
No, it was not abuse. Doctors order the tests. Your husband said he can't afford what the dr. Ordered, and now you want to blame the NURSE, accuse her of ABUSE and NEGLECT simply because you didn't like her tone when she was in the midst of trying to appease you people? ! Oh, this is rich. I'm sure, that with all your intuitive thoughts and nursey aptitude, you will be sooooo much better than her when you're done with school!!!!
Please clarify what you mean by "you people". You sound just like the kinda nurse I would want as my health provider You obviously didn't read anything I wrote. Take your negativity elsewhere, you obviously cant handle a discussion without letting your mouth open to spew disrespect when you disagree. I don't care about her tone, I used it for background image to give the full picture - never said an attitude was "abuse" or "neglect" - I stated the question of whether she PUSHED the test out for 3 months when the doctor clearly stated she wanted it performed as soon as possible to help figure out what is wrong, was neglect or abuse. Geez.
Please clarify what you mean by "you people". You sound just like the kinda nurse I would want as my health provider You obviously didn't read anything I wrote. Take your negativity elsewhere, you obviously cant handle a discussion without letting your mouth open to spew disrespect when you disagree. I don't care about her tone, I used it for background image to give the full picture - never said an attitude was "abuse" or "neglect" - I stated the question of whether she PUSHED the test out for 3 months when the doctor clearly stated she wanted it performed as soon as possible to help figure out what is wrong, was neglect or abuse. Geez.
Oh, so you were just painting a completely fair and unbiased picture of the scenario for us. Please state how you just KNOW that "lippy" nurse pushed a diagnostic test out 3 months from now, just so we can be sure that you are an honest, fair-minded person. By the way, you might do better to worry about your own attitude!
I love people who start abusing the help when they don't get the exact answer they were hoping to hear. ESPECIALLY when they've just joined. Welcome, feel free to abuse us some more please!
Oh brother, I think if a lot more healthcare providers had to deal with their own or a loved ones health concerns there would be a lot more compassion and empathy in our profession.
I'm a diabetic, and from a completely diabetic to diabetic standpoint... why the MRI? Diabetic Neuro is generally a nerve conduction test (if that, sometimes just meeting the dx criteria)? Why the pricey test, if you don't mind me asking? And, I got news, if you don't want narco relief for neuro pain your option is the gab. That's about it. The gab and good sugar control. The nurse may have been rude, but not abusive our neglectful in the slightest.
Its no problem - he had an X-ray on his foot after his first appointment with her and she noticed something "off" about his achilles tendon. She wanted to order the MRI so she could get a better picture of what was going on. And yeah, he pretty much knows his options are limited without pain meds - but his doctor doesn't believe the pain itself is nerve related, but related to the decreased nerve sensation causing him to harm his tendon.
We are both in good health, so his numbers are pretty good. When I met him, we were in track together in high school and we still run marathons to this day and eat healthy. I think he tore his tendon during the last Tough Mudder we attended. About 2 weeks before the event, he noticed some slight tingling in the heel of his foot in the mornings and called our primary doctor. The doc said it was to be expected with his diabetes (he has Type 1 since he was a kid) but was given the o.k. to attend the tough mudder since it wasn't that bad, and to follow up with the referred specialist. It wasn't until after the event that the pain started, and continued to get worse. I think thats why the specialist doctor was so vigourous in treating it, since running is a large part of his life - and hey, whats living life worth without "living"?
Hey, can I ask what gab means?
*Let me also make this clear, "again" since its going past some peoples heads: I do NOT have it out for this woman. I do not plan on taking action, if there even is action to take, nor do I plan on taking any steps towards her behavior OTHER than to use it as a discussion point for this conversation (its pretty clear in my original post I was asking what defines abuse/neglect and if this type of nurses example of abusing power is one of them). I am not out to get nurses, I'm not out to cause anyone their job, I'm not out to report anyone, I stated we are ON health workers side and not protesting every poor judgement made by someone (hence the "she may have had a bad day"). I'm pretty sure I tried to make that clear a few times, but I guess you can lead a horse to water, but can't make it drink.
Its no problem - he had an X-ray on his foot after his first appointment with her and she noticed something "off" about his achilles tendon. She wanted to order the MRI so she could get a better picture of what was going on. And yeah, he pretty much knows his options are limited without pain meds - but his doctor doesn't believe the pain itself is nerve related, but related to the decreased nerve sensation causing him to harm his tendon.
We are both in good health, so his numbers are pretty good. When I met him, we were in track together in high school and we still run marathons to this day and eat healthy. I think he tore his tendon during the last Tough Mudder we attended. About 2 weeks before the event, he noticed some slight tingling in the heel of his foot in the mornings and called our primary doctor. The doc said it was to be expected with his diabetes (he has Type 1 since he was a kid) but was given the o.k. to attend the tough mudder since it wasn't that bad, and to follow up with the referred specialist. It wasn't until after the event that the pain started, and continued to get worse. I think thats why the specialist doctor was so vigourous in treating it, since running is a large part of his life - and hey, whats living life worth without "living"?
Hey, can I ask what gab means?
*Let me also make this clear, "again" since its going past some peoples heads: I do NOT have it out for this woman. I do not plan on taking action, if there even is action to take, nor do I plan on taking any steps towards her behavior OTHER than to use it as a discussion point for this conversation (its pretty clear in my original post I was asking what defines abuse/neglect and if this type of nurses example of abusing power is one of them). I am not out to get nurses, I'm not out to cause anyone their job, I'm not out to report anyone, I stated we are ON health workers side and not protesting every poor judgement made by someone (hence the "she may have had a bad day"). I'm pretty sure I tried to make that clear a few times, but I guess you can lead a horse to water, but can't make it drink.
Gab is gabapentin, brand name neurontin. Sorry, I am involved a lot in the DOC (diabetes online community) and most shorten it to gab, so force of habit :)
And, upon further explanation, I totally get the MRI. Although, regardless of control, just so you know, neuropathy can show up. I just ran a huge race two weeks ago, am training for another in August and trying to do yet another in November. I still have neuropathy. My A1C is 5.4, I'm just trying for it not to get worse, ya know? I also get that any jacking up of the feet in diabetes is scary, and that lots of times health care folks don't get the fear that diabetics experience in those types of situations. So perhaps the original nurse doesn't feel your urgency, because she just sees a hurt foot, that he doesn't want meds for. Not super urgent in her view, plus, she gives you time to pay for the rest by scheduling it way out. And perhaps her demeanor related to a bad day (we all have them). Maybe she meant nothing by it. Maybe she was just a grump. Again, I don't see abuse or neglect.
Good luck to your husband, I feel for him on the type one front, and the runner front. Any foot injury is scary. I wish him a speedy recovery.
@alisonisayoshi - Thanks for the insight. I appreciate the constructive criticism and non-attacks. It's near *impossible* to get your message across without rubbing someone the wrong way due to lack of body language and tone on online forms, so I appreciate you understanding my demeanor.
I am not here to attack nurses, or this one in particular, yet the vibe I get from some people is that they really believe there are *no* bad nurses out there There are always a few bad apples in every bunch, and coming here for support and insight, I expected a bit more professionalism and maturity from one of the highest held public professions. I don't have many others to turn too for advice (I'm a military wife - fiancee actually, but after 8 years you're pretty much married! - and we move a lot). So I do appreciate the ones who still take their nurse ethics with them and apply them outside of work. Thanks everyone
Chances are, she was a MA, not a nurse, unless you saw her title. My MD's office only has MA's and they are called "nurses" by the staff, my PCP included.
I don't consider this abuse or neglect.....sounds like she was trying to assess how urgent the need for the MRI was. Out here, waiting 2-3 months for a MRI isn't unheard of....whether it can be scheduled out or not.
I agree with what most of the other posters have said. If she purposefully and spitefully delayed the MRI scheduling by 3 months for the sole reason that she wanted to punish your fiance by getting him where it hurt, literally, then that would be highly unethical. If that were truly the case and could be reasonably proven, she probably should be fired.
Though I still wouldn't use the term abuse or neglect, by the definition you posted, because she alone did not have the power to deny your fiance the MRI - as evidenced by the fact that he was able to call the MD and get the MRI scheduled sooner. She was just the scheduler, and her decision was quickly overruled at that.
I also agree with other posters that just because the MD said "she's my nurse" does not mean she is an RN or LPN. Lots of docs misuse the title just like laypeople do. I don't think we are harping on that point because we want to insist that no nurse would ever commit such an spiteful act. Of course, there are horrible and cruel nurses out there. I think it's just a point of annoyance with many of us, where office staff such as MA's commonly identify and present themselves as nurses.
Anyway, I'm still a nursing student in my first year, so I don't know much about Neglect or Abuse, but I'm pretty sure I just witnessed it at my husbands doctor appointment yesterday? I'll just quick a quick pt history.
You obviously didn't read anything I wrote. Take your negativity elsewhere, you obviously cant handle a discussion without letting your mouth open to spew disrespect when you disagree. I don't care about her tone, I used it for background image to give the full picture - never said an attitude was "abuse" or "neglect" - I stated the question of whether she PUSHED the test out for 3 months when the doctor clearly stated she wanted it performed as soon as possible to help figure out what is wrong, was neglect or abuse. Geez.
There are always a few bad apples in every bunch, and coming here for support and insight, I expected a bit more professionalism and maturity from one of the highest held public professions. I don't have many others to turn too for advice (I'm a military wife - fiancee actually, but after 8 years you're pretty much married! - and we move a lot). So I do appreciate the ones who still take their nurse ethics with them and apply them outside of work. Thanks everyone 
morte, LPN, LVN
7,015 Posts
he couldn't afford the whole deal, did you miss that part??