Patients Waiting for Pain & Nausea Meds

[Doglover]

I have read many different postings on various boards here where nurses seem to think it is OK for patients to wait for hours for pain and nausea medication. Well, it is NOT OK. Just because some other patient has a "life-threatening" ailment does not in the least justify having someone in agonizing pain and/or nausea lying in misery for hours. Many of these so-called "emergencies" that get triaged to the top are lifestyle-induced from obesity, smoking, drinking, drug abuse, and reckless driving. On the other hand, certain other illnesses in which the patient suffers severe pain are NOT due to lifestyle factors; they are random misfortunes that the patient did not create.

Nurses and other health care workers (excluding those who are solely private pay) are obligated to serve the public, and that means patients and their families and visitors.

I have read that one of the jobs of nurses is to "educate" patients about their disease and to provide emotional support and counseling about managing their illness. Funny thing, but when my loved one was in the hospital they received zero support or information from the nurses. All of the information was from the DOCTORS and the Internet.

[caroladybelle, BSN, RN]

Originally posted by Doglover

>

It is CRUEL to imply that a "trip to the doctor's office....would have proved faster relief" but yet another example of the lack of compassion and lack of medical knowledge among the nurses we encountered.

Then I would also say that you have some problems with your doctor.

When seeing my MDs during treatment for cancer, If I had had the problems that describe, I would have either been given IV fluids/meds in the office, and if relief was not obtained within a day or so, the MD would hospitalized me as a direct admit, rather than have me end up in the ER, especially on a weekend.

Also, chances are he or his partners would have seen me in the ER, ordered the appropriate meds/treatments, and seen that they were given (or given them themselves) in a timely manner. Because they take their jobs seriously (one is head of the local HMO board, and still calls me back personally to answer questions.

If an MD treated me like yours did, I would probably change doctors.

[TweetiePieRN]

Originally posted by Doglover

>

This is a cruel insult. My family member got sick over the weekend, and I called the doctor on call who phoned in pain meds to the pharmacy, and I rushed out to pick them up. The pain persisted, so first thing Monday morning we showed up at the doctor's office and he prescribed anticonvulsants (trigeminal neuralgia pain is said to be WORSE than cancer pain). Still no relief, so back to the doctor on Wednesday who prescribed yet another medication. Things continued downhill so on Thursday evening after seeing two doctors in person earlier in the week, calling the on-call doc over the weekend, and trying various prescriptions my family member asked to be taken to the hospital. They were there for 4 days because they were so debilitated and dehydrated they needed IV's. They were also close to bedridden with pain for weeks afterwards.

It is CRUEL to imply that a "trip to the doctor's office....would have proved faster relief" but yet another example of the lack of compassion and lack of medical knowledge among the nurses we encountered.

WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU???????

[warrior woman]

I second that emotion.

[Rustyhammer]

Ok,

I'm locking the thread.

PM me if there are any problems with this.

-Russell

[jadednurse]

:)