Rough night at work...

Nurses General Nursing

Published

I did everything I could to help this man to not feel lonely. Everything was going fine until the patient found out we were out of Oreo cookies and regular sprite I even let him keep his gigantic suitcase laid out on the floor, a SECOND 32 inch TV and TV stand in the middle of the floor, and made sure I did not step on his "expensive laptop" that was on the floor as well!! I did acrobatic moves to draw blood from his arm because I was not "allowed" to touch anything. Next, he got mad because I did not wrap his arm correctly. After 15 minutes of trying to figure out what he was talking about, I figured out he was referring to a band-aid because it fell off after he came back from the restroom. Then he got mad because I would not stop drawing blood from another patient to assist him "RIGHT NOW". I kept asking what was wrong, is it hurt, is he bleeding, what can I do to make him more comfortable...NOTHING! He told me he wanted to get in bed on 3 different occasions. As soon as I say ok, he'll change his mind. It just went on and on and on and on and on. I had 8 other patients to take care of, one who was going downhill fast. He was THE most stable one...A&O, walkie-talkie, etc. Ugh! I guess with the time change and all,I just needed to vent...:uhoh3:

This is a hospital patient. Oh I got firm, and that's what he made him SOOOO upset. After I left, he bad-mouthed me to the next nurse all day long because after that point I only did for him what I was required to do. Rounding every 2 hours, meeting his basic needs, giving him medications, making sure he was still alive! I am not there to babysit a grown man who is in their right man. Read a book!

The last straw? I took his blood pressure, told him the name of his medicine, why he was getting it, and put it in a cup in front of his face. Right before he swallowed it, he said "I need to see the blister pack." I was like "Sir, I refuse to dig in a trashcan for you, so either take the medicine or not and I'll happily throw it away and we can end that problem right now!

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Specializes in LTC,Hospice/palliative care,acute care.
I........ Everything was going fine until the patient found out we were out of Oreo cookies and regular sprite.......... :

Dang-you have OREOS? Where is this spa/hospital? (just in case I need acute care)

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Specializes in Med/Surg, DSU, Ortho, Onc, Psych.

He's not lonely & he's not afraid. He is trying to manipulate you (perhaps unconsciosly). He's probly had people running around after him his whole life.

The more you give in to manipulator's demands, the more they will demand from you. Until you remain firm with these people, and control your shift, they will constantly get u to run around like a headless chook.

Tell him u have numerous other patients, and give him a time limit when ur in his room, for example: I can only stay in here 15 minutes (whatever) as I have 8 other patients & one needs a lot of care'. Set your boundaries for ur shift, or it will all go to hell in a handbasket.

I had an older guy who was always ringing staff to get into bed, then out of it, then in, etc. I put my foot down one day and said he must stay in his chair until the end of our shift. He surprisingly complied. I was not going to play his games of keeping people near him to manipulate, or so he just had company.

It's sad, but many times, we don't have time to keep people company as we just don't have the time - one thing I hate with my psych patients.

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Specializes in Intermediate care.

Those type of patients you will never make happy. You just need to realize it is them that is the problem, not you.

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Specializes in Critical Care.

Why would he need his own TV? I think I would mention germs and suggest not leaving a suitcase etc on the floor to collect who knows what germs. I don't know how it is where you work but I don't have confidence in the cleanliness of the hospitals these days and the last thing I would want is to have things on the floor from home.

If he was smart he would have brought some bleach wipes from home and wiped everything down. That is what I did when my family member was in a nursing home and we had no MRSA or Cdif issues.

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And the incident is NEVER ending! I only had the man one night and here it is Monday morning and he is STILL complaining about BS. He even called up the operator and got the house supervisor, pharmacy, PCC, DON involved. UGH! I'm just waiting on a phone call from my sup. This is a big mess...all for nothing. We were all like just forget it. We give up. No hope. Just do what you got to do and get out the room and if I'm not out in 5 minutes, page me! lol

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Specializes in ICU.

Don't worry about his dramatizing ass filing a complaint. You'll be told not to take him as a pt again and I bet they stock up on the oreos just to shut him up. BFD.

I would talk to the MD and let him know what a rudeass his pt is.

In the VA system the docs put guys who can't behave on a 1000 calorie diet and d/c their benzos and narcs. Crude but effective.

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Don't worry about his dramatizing ass filing a complaint. You'll be told not to take him as a pt again and I bet they stock up on the oreos just to shut him up. BFD.

I would talk to the MD and let him know what a rudeass his pt is.

In the VA system the docs put guys who can't behave on a 1000 calorie diet and d/c their benzos and narcs. Crude but effective.

I am DONE....so no more nice nurse to care for him. He's going to hate the nurse he's getting tonight...good luck lol

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