Biogirl4

Thanks everyone for your advice and well wishes. Just an update. I found out that one big part of my pain was damage to the perineal branch of my sciatic nerve which can happen if someone inadvertantly leans on your leg during surgery (while it is strung up oddly in the stirrups for a lady partsl hysterectomy). I am still taking Tramadol because that pain is still hanging around, but I have recovered ok since then. Finally after week 5 I started to be able to void on my own - around the time the sciatic pain began to decrease. My surgeon said that he must have deinnervated my bladder. I now have some great nursing insight about having to self-cath for long periods of time. I also have a good idea of what it is like to go home with a catheter leg bag too. I am taking my time to write letters to make sure they are well written. My hope in all of this is NOT to get anyone in trouble, but to bring AWARENESS that nobody at the hospital was truely invested in my care and that their was lack of patient ownership. I just feel so much better hearing from you all that I really did have every right to ask for pain medications and that it WAS bizarre that they told me I shouldn't be asking.

My doctor didn't get there till day two and by then I was told my meds were taken care of. He didn't really react to my recount of events except to say he was sorry. Crazier still, both residents wrote orders for meds, the nurse threw one set out when she saw it and sent me home with meds that didn't work. By then the surgeon was on vacation and his emergency number wasn't working. Kind of a crazy experience, I ended up with an impaction to boot. I've just been crying all day and recounting all that has happened and vowing as a nurse to never let someone go through what I have. I still hurt, I still can't pee - ha ha. Not really funny, but I'm just sad. I have to start classes again in a week and I don't feel ready to go back. I see the surgeon for the first time tomorrow since the surgery. He will get an earful. I just felt like posting. Because for goodness sakes, where were my nurses?? We are the front line, the patient advocates! :) At least that's what I hope we are. I just keep wondering why they didn't do a better assessment?

I am a first year nursing student who just finished a class about pain management. We were taught, that everyone has an individual pain tolerance and it should be treated if the patient expresses their pain. Fine. I was afraid when I was going into my lady partsl hysterectomy, cystecele repair, rectocele repair combo surgery about pain managment. Everyone assurred me that the hospital would take care of it. The morning after my late afternoon surgery, I was told that I 'shouldn't be in so much pain', "I must have a low pain tolerance", the nurses told me there were no orders for anything but advil and oral diladid. I begged for pain medicine. The 'doctors' (who I found out later were 4th year residents) told me "some women have different pain thresholds and that mine must be low". Every single one of these people looked for my incisions on my abdomen when they did their brief assessment. By the end of that day, the residents and nurses finally realized that I had a lady partsl hysterectomy with as one put it 'wow you had a lot of extra work done - we must have gotten behind on your pain medicine'. Finally they put me back on IV diladid. But wait - the nurses were so busy that they didn't stay up on my pain schedule. I waited three hours past the time for my meds and I was sobbing when my husband came in. Can ANYONE explain to me how this can happen? Apparently my surgeon wasn't able to follow up with me that morning because of a snow storm. Not one nurse assessed my pain, not one nurse asked where I hurt, what the pain was like. Everyone just kept looking at me like I had a third head. And get this, when I asked the nurses and the resident to check my catheter because it hurt really bad - no one did. Finally, I lost my mind and yelled and insisted. The resident literally came over and said something about 'pain tolerance' and jerked on my catheter - which sent me through the roof and he said 'see that shouldn't have hurt - you must have a low pain tolerance'. It has now been three weeks since surgery and guess what - I still can not void on my own. That's right. I have severe pain down my left leg, and left perineal area. And I still can't pee. I am in nursing school and I can think of many things a nurse could have done for intervention. Much of what happened can also be placed on the ridiculous actions of the residents, but couldn't the nurses have been more proactive????? Any comments?

Wow! I just started a MSRN program. Before I started I and preached to my hubby for 6 months about what he would be doing while I was studying. And darned if my first week didn't come around and I was cooking supper, doing dishes, helping the kids with homework :E So we had a TALK and thankfully he listened as is helping. His standards for a clean house aren't the same as mine but at least he's trying. So my advice, sit him down and just tell him what you need. Lay it out there - you need to study and he HAS to help you. Period. I haven't read the other posted replies yet, but going into this did he have any idea what you needed? With a six month old baby in the picture? If he didn't you have to lay it out there and tell him what you need. That teenager too!!!!! Good luck - you can do it.

If you really like nursing, you will find a way to make it happen. If you have a good support system to help with your little one it will be easier. My advice - do what works for YOU. Everyone does things differently so take advice with a grain of salt and throw their criticism to the wind. I wish you the very best of luck and am rooting for you to succeed!!

"Talking to her is like trying to nail jello to the wall. May seem to stick at first, but then it will all be gone after a min" That's a hysterical analogy:yeah:. It is crazy to think that everyone we are going to work with will be rational. Why do so many seem to get put into management (just kidding - kind of)

I'm not even a nurse ---yet, but the idea of using a bar code scanner was a godsend in my former job. We had to count thousands of toys everyday and record what was wrong with them. We had a sheet of barcodes that represented the problem, and all of the toys had a bar code. Beep Beep and it was logged. Reports were run later at the office. Of course it would cost money, and you would have to work out the software piece (generic packages are available). But if you are really strapped to do this, a scanner might not be a bad thing to look into and it is likely cheaper than a pixys.

Another thought. I am an engineer with a QA background going for my Master in Nursing as a second degree. I see administration making decions all the time based on 'numbers' and the 'bottom line'. My first instinct would be to present the DON with some type of report, research, or list of examples about why more than 5 patients isn't efficient or safe in your department. Depending on the type of personality this DON is, you may be able to strike up a discussion about how patient ratios are determined, what level of RISK they are willing to take, how much of the decision is completely in her hands, is she strapped with any level of 'maximum nurse hours (budget perspective), etc. Maybe I'm naive but if someone came to me and gave me their concerns and could provide clear examples, I would be inclined to listen. I'm sure there are some seasoned nursing laughing at me right now, but I thought I'd throw it out there.

I start my nursing program this fall 10'. I am currently working as a part time cna in a nursing home on a dementia floor. One night we had 27 patitients with one nurse and one cna. I don't know what nursing things differ from just a nursing home to a hospital, but just as a cna there was no way possible to keep my patients turned and changed as needed through the night. Our nurse was pulled from our floor a few times in the night to assist on another floor. Does this seem crazy to anyone? Are the regulations different for nursing homes versus ER, Crit Care, General Hospital?

:) I agree and think the post was GREAT - we can all admit that that at some point someone just gets on our last nerve in one or all of the ways she described - OR - realized at one time or another that we offended someone with one of the annoying behaviors/situations. What she wrote was totally true and we can all take something positive away from it. The post was truly directed to those who might not know have experienced it yet. She found humor and frustration in her experiences and many of us who have also been there appreciated it. For those of you who suggested she was whining... well whatever. KUDOS Beefree

:) Unfortunately I fall into the category of a know-it all but funny enough I have to study constantly and I hate the people who seem to sleep on their books and by osmosis (I'm convinced of it) they 'just get it'. I really appreciated what you had to say because I am someone who LOVES to learn and SHARE - not because I think I'm great, but honestly because I like talking about what we are learning. But, I can totally see how I'd be the know-it-all, and I didn't realize that it could be annoying. Thanks for the heads up - and maybe I will know better in the future so I don't annoy people and instead find friends and study partners.

I really do understand what you mean because that is my attitude normally. I am just dumbfounded with what I encountered on my job this week that I can't imagine keeping up. The problem is very systemic in the nursing home I'm working in and I'm not sure management gets it. But you are right, it really does help to go in with a positive attitude. I really did want the orginal poster of this thread to know that she wasn't alone though. Thanks for the pep talk :)

It was third shift overnight - which you would think would be easy. But all of the residents were dementia and totally dependent and all had to be changed every two hours (or when we could get to them). It was never ending and really hard. It just doesn't seem normal or safe to assign one CNA 30 patients.

"....I think maybe its your attitude towards your job.Can you maybe try to get to know your residents a little better,take the time to listen to them and maybe this will help.I know CNAs have lots of duties and little time but I think if everyone has a sunny outlook about having an opportunity to touch these people lives in a positive way ......." This is all sunny and roses but I've worked three days in a nursing home (first time on the job) and I shadowed a CNA who had 30 fully dependent patients assigned to her!! If I am assigned this floor by myself after three weeks training there is no way I can give proper care let alone try to 'get to know them'. I had to change the bed of a 400lb woman who couldn't help move herself at all and she had dementia. There was no one to help me. I can see how CNA's can burn out easily in this kind of setting.