Patients who "really" are allergic to NSAID's A story

[GeriatricSunshine]

This is a story I think all ER nurses need to hear. I do work in healthcare. I have aspirin sensitive asthma and I cannot take ANY NSAID's. I went to the ER with a migraine.I was diagnosed with them about 5 years ago.Thankfully I have had very few.

I went into the ER throwing up, sensitive to light and basically almost going crazy from the pain. When the nurse came in I told her and she gave me an ice pack and walked away.

The doctor was in the hall and I heard the nurse and him talking.I clearly stated I could not take NSAIDS. I heard the nurse say I was "another migrainer allergic to NSAID's" I didn't hear anything else.

The nurse came in and hooked up an IV she said that she was giving me something for pain and nausea.I thought, ok she knows what she is doing.

30 Minutes later I "came to" I had had an anaphylactic reaction to Toradol. I turned blue, my throat closed up and I blacked out.

I suggest that nurses never "assume", I almost died because someone didn't believe me.

[smk1, LPN]

The key is accurate documentation of a persons allergies. We tend to hurry and just write down what the patient says they are allergic to and go no further. We really should be documenting what a persons specific reaction is. Take the original posters case, more than likely this was not done and NSAIDs was all that was documented. Pretty vauge if you ask me. Personally I would have asked what drugs specificly are you allergic to and what kind of reaction have you had. To go further we need to teach the patients the same- that if the nurse or doctor does not ask you refuse medicatons until it is done.

Rj

This is so true, because they could really mean that they have an allergy to aspirin, so the drugs you need to be concerned about would then be those with salicylates, and acetaminophen and ibuprofen could be fine.

[GeriatricSunshine]

Its funny, I have had dentists tell me I can take Toradol because it is not a "true" NSAID. Every asthmatic should reallly watch out for allergies such as these.

[Jamesdotter]

Early in my nursing career, I had a patient who stated he was allergic to salicylates. That was before a lot of the NSAIDS were developed; in fact, I'm not sure if anyone even used the term. A colleague of mine gave the patient Emperin Compound #3 (anyone remember that stuff? It had aspirin, codeine and ? in it). Fortunately, his reaction didn't progress to anaphylactic shock. She knew or should have known that aspirin is a salicylate. The Stuff hit the fan, of course.

[RANCH GIRL]

This is an incredibly interesting post! I have family members who are allergic to Motrin and developed hives and had difficulty breathing.

[Martibear]

I love ER nurses. I am a recurrent patient in many areas of a hospital. I had been to the ER of my (as i like to call it) hospital. I was going for some checkup (dont remember what) and an ER nurse who was going toward the ER said "O you are not coming here are you?" she was really conserned. Another time i WAS in the ER she was getting off shift and when walking past a room saw either me or my name on a chart or something...she came in and stayed with me while i was there.

Also this scares me that this would happen. As a patient and someone alergic to pain meds that is given after surgery for pain (thank god for new meds) this is scary. I only get a rash but it could be worse and if it was then i would not be happy if this was me.

Thanks Meg -

I just feel that any nurse who values her license & has any moral would never do this. I just don't understand why ED nurses always are made out to be such bad, inconsiderate, thoughtless, heartless nurses! I've seen many floor nurses just as nasty as some ED nurses. Guess I'm alittle defensive! LOL!