(this from last night)
What genius invented the "pain management" technique of just not giving any pain meds until you're begging for them? This afternoon a nurse gave me a huge motherfucker of an attitude and said, "So... I hear you are asking for round the clock tylenol?"
"Yes. I would also like a pony."
*failure of nurse to laugh*
"Is that correct? You feel that he needs [wait for it] round the clock tylenol?"
"Is it too much to ask that we not wait till he's in horrible pain and then I have to find a nurse and persuade them to maybe remember to come give him something 40 minutes later? The day after surgery?"
I don't get it... it's plain tylenol, not tylenol codeine... what's the big fucking deal? I'm going to yell at the doctor about it big time when I see him next - they need to write post-surgery instructio to give some level of automatic meds.
It's hard to keep asking for stuff! The most basic of stuff. I realize they're all overworked and stressed . . . and maybe there's some giant emergency in the room next door. . . but if so they can tell me that. Finally, the dude tonight showed me where the linen closet is. Fancy that - how useful. If I could also get my own popsicles, think how much easier life would be.
Oh, also? Fuck the bitch who lectured me about wasting the other half of the popsicles... repeatedly... I hope she does it again because I'm ready to kick her ass now for bugging me about dumb shit. Hey bitch, how about I give you a nickel and a tiny 1.5 ounce bag of colored sugar water so you can feel thrifty? Like this hospital is some kind of exemplar of Not Wasting Things? So next time you gently suggest that I ring for you to come back and get the other half of the popsicle to re-freeze it with Moomin's name on it, I'm going to suggest you CRAM IT.
Look, when you're in big pain, the LAST thing you want to do is wait until the pain meds wear off before taking more. It can sensitize you to the pain and make the pain worse, which would be Bad.
(Told to me by my relation the nurse and by my friend the (surgical) nurse. I can give you their phone numbers if you'd like to discuss it with them. Really. They won't mind. It's good to have nurses in the family.)
Posted by: bibliofile | July 13, 2006 at 12:46 AM
Oh, JEEZ. I want to come help kick the nurse's ass, to tell the truth. Both of them, I guess, but the one being impossible about pain meds most.
Pain management is a totally fucked up area of medicine; doctors and nurses tend to be ignorant about the harmful effects of failure to adequately manage pain, PLUS they're afraid of the DEA if they prescribe too many triplicate-RX drugs.
Hoping things are getting better.
Posted by: Lisa Hirsch | July 13, 2006 at 06:32 AM
Fuck them. Is there always an employee in the room? Can you feed him tylenol you bring in? And (of course!) make sure you check his chart for the doses they give him so he does not get a double dose.
Posted by: Robin | July 13, 2006 at 08:50 AM
That is their bullshit pain managment strategy in every case. When my grandma was completely out of it on a ventilator and sedatives, with a giant hole in her abdomen such that you could see all her organs, they would ask her every few hours if she was in pain and then assume that since she didn't respond she was fine. SO FUCKING RIDICULOUS! The woman was on sedatives (to keep the ventilator in) and a small amount of painkillers already, and couldn't wake up to tell them she was in pain! But it wouldn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that she needed a fuckload of painkillers, being in her position. Her brow would furrow and she looked just miserable. I begged them to add a timed drip for her, even complained to the ombudsman, and it took me about 4 days to finally get it taken care of. M is lucky to have such a vigilant mommy to make sure the hospital doesn't get away with this sort of crazy crap strategy.
Posted by: cher | July 13, 2006 at 09:27 AM
Can't wait until you're home. I hated staying in the hospital after having the kids. It's so much better recovering at home.
I've got the kids tomorrow, but if you need me to pick some stuff up (like... POPSICLES!!!) at the store and bring them by, just let me know. I don't know how helpful it would be if we hung out but I'm more than willing to run some errands or bring you a meal. Email me!
Posted by: Mary Tsao | July 13, 2006 at 02:22 PM
considering that popsicles are an excellent way to keep hydrated I don't know what their problem is...that's probably why my mother always brought stuff like that in...idiots
Posted by: Heather | July 15, 2006 at 09:25 PM
Hello!! Guys!!!
Posted by: DiDog | February 18, 2007 at 12:10 PM