Take the IV out... yourself.

[Kaileeia]

So, I spent some time in the emergency room. Turns out I strep throat, so that's why my fever was being cruddy and throat getting worse. I never honestly get sick and the one time I do... it's not so pretty.

Funny thing is, I am also a nursing student so I attempted to keep a keen eye and just watch. However, I never told the nurses I was a nursing student, when they asked what I did for a living I told them I was a Mom and smiled.

When it came time for them to discharge me, the nurse came in and started to take my IV out. Another nurse came to ask her for something while she was in the middle of doing it. Focused on talking to her. I ignored it, but wished she would hurry up and just take the dang IV out. I wanted to go home and go to bed. I was tired and feeling like crap, plus I missed my son. Then she turns to me and says the unbelievable...

"Here take it out yourself."

She walks out and NEVER comes back. At this point I am fuming. So I start picking the rest of the tape off my arm and as I finish taking the tape off, another nurse walks in to see me getting ready to carefully pull my IV out. She asked what I was doing it and why I was doing it. All I could think of and manage to say was to "ask the ***** nurse that told me to do it myself." Thankfully the other nurse helped me take it out. I've never been told to do it on my own and honestly the woman should have just finished taking the IV out without leaving me hanging...

Oh and what she left me for... was to go get blankets for another patient.

[Kaileeia]

Also, I would like to add... I am glad I am not the only one who has been in this situation.

The nurse that helped me take it out, was absolutely sweet. She felt bad that the other nurse had done that.

Lesson learned for me however; If you're in the middle of doing something, don't just run off to get another patient a blanket because one person cannot find them. Finish taking out the IV first! Once you start on something... DO IT!

[Miss Mab]

Yeah they did. So I signed it after the other nurse had taken the IV out.

Admit I'm still a little confused...

'They' brought the papers and had you sign them?

Who? BlankieRN or the nicer one who helped?

You had the IV for A/B?

Blech, no fun all around, huh?

[Kaileeia]

Admit I'm still a little confused...

'They' brought the papers and had you sign them?

Who? BlankieRN or the nicer one who helped?

You had the IV for A/B?

Blech, no fun all around, huh?

lol, it's okay. :] I signed the papers after the nice one helped me. :] I never saw "BlankieRN" again. :]

I had the IV for being really dehydrated.

No, fun, but such is life, hey? I am just glad I rarely get sick!

My son on the other hand... it seems like he is always getting ear infections. He is 4 and I remember somewhat, at his age having to get tubes in my ears for it. :/ Best part of all... My lovely Grandfather... get this... One fell out on its own and after awhile of waiting, he took tweezers and pulled the other out! LOL Got to love Grandparent logic... If you can do it yourself then do it yourself! Which reminds me of another time I had 9 stitches in my leg from swinging on a tree and one of the branches going through my leg... After it healed up, instead of taking me back to have the doctor remove the stitches, it was another DIY! He cut the stitches and pulled them out. :] Oh how I love my Poppa!

[Miss Mab]

I was just trying to get a better understanding of what could have happened here.

I read it as NiceNurse is the one who brought your papers in and so was going to do the D/C paperwork and the IV for the other RN who was seemingly needed somewhere else in a hurry. Look, it happens......

For a blanket? Who knows.... not something I've seen much of .....but I do believe you think that's what it was. I also truly believe that you're sure of what you heard the 1st RN say to you......

BUT, gotta say just based on my own experience and ER intuitions, that maybe you were actually acting a tad too impatient and really shouldn't have starting futzing w/the IV in the first place.

You clearly hadn't been D/C'ed yet and you even say that sometime before 'NEVER" arrived apparently, another RN came into the room and asked why you were doing that before she 'helped' you take it out and then got your discharge paperwork completed.

Whatever..I'm not picking on you and I'm sorry you were sick. It's just things have a certain rythym @ a job you've done for so long and my version of the choreography here just seems more plausible.

And I asked about the IV meds because I wondered if you had some pain med on board that had might've altered things a bit.

'Cause yeah----step generally isn't treated in the ER so already it starts down the road of 'things aren't what they seem' y'know?

I really am sorry you had to be there----hope you're doing better! And regardless, you bet your behind you will never try to repeat that day from the other side! :)