Why do OB/GYNs not believe pregnant pts??

CoffeeRTC, BSN, RN · Feb 21, 2004

I had severe hyperemesis/anorexia with both my pregnancies. I kept telling my OBs that I was sick (I am a nurse) and no one ever believed me--they told me to try crackers. When I finally got severe, they asked for a urine specimen----considering I hadn't pee'd in 2 days, I told them it just wasn't possible. I had to go to the ER to get any help. In my second pregnancy I couldn't get any help before I got to the point where I needed hospitalization again. My problem was I was hospitalized by my 8th week both times. I told them I had weight loss-they just waved me off saying my weight was fine---Yeah, its fine now-but I was fat before! After discharge, I even had to lie to them to get them to refill the most wonderful drug on the face of the planet---Reglan. It was horrible. I couldn't work..I layed on my grandmothers couch for 4 months. I once told my OB/GYN that I just felt "debiliated." She told me that pregnancy is not a disability.
I am an ER nurse I see it all the time. Women come in ill, dehydrated and they just brush it off and say that they are just in need of a phych consult. The fact that I have given them 3 liters and they haven't pee'd yet doesn't even phase them. The fact that they have no urinalysis to confirm or deny doens't seem to matter either. And it isn't just one doctor--its a lot of them. I've seen them do the same to pregnant women that come in complianing of pain. RUQ pain---oh she just has heart burn. Well, have you done anything to check out her gallbladder---no.
Can any of you OB nurses help me understand? What do they know that I don't?

Not sure what the answer is for this one.. It took me a couple of weeks, WT loss and a lot of begging to get a script for Phenergan for me... I had severe MS (prob borderline hyper emesis) with baby #1. With this preggo #3 I have been having severe pain in the lower areas that I've just put myself on bedrest since I can't even walk or pee at times. At the start of this pregnancy my doc wasn't too alarmed that I had urinary retention either (I finally had to self cath a few times...had to take supplies from work) and said you will go eventually...HELLO?? As far as the heartburn vs gallbladder mistreatment... my hormone induced little medical knowledge brain has been wandering if I have gall bladder or just gas/heartburn for the last week or so.

Funny thing is sometimes I get the brush off for these complaints, but the doc never forgets to asks me "Do you want another C section this time?"

loriLPN · Feb 23, 2004

when i was first pregnant (i just KNEW...i know my body very well) i called my doc to see if the blood test would confirm it at only 4 days of gestation. i knew that early. the doc said there was no way i was preggo because i had started my period on the 4th and i was calling him on the 12th. he told me to keep taking by birth control, which i did until the 28th when i took a test from the CVS which confirmed it... so i go to my doc to get the prenatal care going and the urine test came back negative. so he comes in to the room and i am swearing up and down to him that i am pregnant. he puts his hand on my knee and gently says "are you sure that you just don't WANT to be pregnant?" like i was some psych patient!!!! i said, "NO! i am not ready to be pregnant yet, but i AM!" the blood test came back positive.

i think doctors need to be more sensitive to the fact that the patient knows their body and not to brush off what we say. especially when their pt. is a nurse who DOES have SOME medical background! HHMPH!

L&D_RN_OH · Feb 23, 2004

I obviously can't speak for eveyone, but I know at our facility, most pg pts come through L&D, unless they have a non OB complaint. And we have many pts with hyperemesis admitted to the floor for hydration.

Maybe the majority of the docs in your area, think along the same lines. That is unfortunate.

kate930 · Feb 23, 2004

Boy, I can remember being so sick with my last pregnancy that I would carry a plastic shopping bag with me when I was driving. I got so good at driving and throwing up at the same time! LOL You should have seen the looks from other drivers when I'm throwing up at a stoplight!

I was so sick, I was admitted three times for dehydration. I was giving Zofran IV while admitted, and sent home on ZOFRAN pills. However, after a few days of the pills, I was throwing up continuously again.

I finally was able to get over this 24-hour sickness at 16 weeks.... and 36 pound weight loss.

Thankfully, with my last pregnancy, I had a very concerned OB who had experienced similiar problems with her own pregnancies.

Dave ARNP · Feb 23, 2004

I think my wife's patients have it easy. She's had two pregnancies from he** and therefore she really understands HOW BAD it can get.

Shame what ya have to go through for a miracle!

-Dave

colleen10 · Feb 24, 2004

I think that is absolute horrid treatment at the expense of YOUR HEALTH and YOUR BABIES HEALTH. Your story really steams me up!

I think these people need to read their Maternity Nursing books again. Mine clearly states that weight GAIN in pregnancy is extremely important and that even if a woman is overweight, she still needs to GAIN weight. It's all relative to the woman's pre-pregnancy weight, not the normal weight standards for non-pregnant women.

Also, pregnancy is recognized as a DISABILITY by health insurance companies and the federal government.

Maybe you should post a flyer or article about Hypermemisis Gravidarum where all can see.

callacodebrown · Feb 25, 2004

I just want to thank everyone for their responses. It is something that just infuriates me. That I, as a health professional, was treated so poorly-not once but by 2 different ob/gyn groups. I think it is reasonable to expect some discomforts during pregnancy--but it should not be dibilitating.

Sometimes I think that some physicians---if they don't have the evidence--the urine, the DOCUMENTED weight loss--they just don't believe the pt and just think they are crazy. Yes, I was extremely emotional when I was pregnant--but I wasn't lying! Or delusional!

I see it as well when they think somebody is drug seeking. They mark off someone's pain as pretend because just because the prilimary tests come back negative--- like this person ALWAYS comes to our hospital--for their doctors, for their deliveries and for other minor ER visits such as stiches...now they are year--they haven't been to our ER in over 2 years and eveyother visit has been completely founded--yet, NOW they are pretending. It's easy to pick up a mental case--its when they have been to the ER in 17 times in the last year!

I frequently find that sometimes when I am a pt--or when my husband is that Doctors don['t like me because I know we have options...And I don't think they like that.

For example, my husband has depression. We went to see somebody because he was no longer getting out of bed to go to work in the morning. I knew he was having problems before that--but it was only after it got to that point that he sought help. The physciatrist said that he wasn't depressed and we were in need of marriage counciling because we had only been married for 6 months. WHAT?!?!?!? Even if we did need counciling-he still wasn't getting out of bed==that's not normal!