Saturday, October 15, 2016

*tap tap* Is this thing on?

Wow, it's been quite some time since I posted. Sheesh.

I think Facebook is becoming the slow death of blogging. Though I do filter and censor myself a lot on the Book of Face. On my blog is the only place I can just spew out whatever crazy shit crosses my mind.

For example, I had to tell a patient to simmer down and let us do our jobs. Without going into too much detail, she knew she was sick and called 911 and was brought to our ED and then admitted.

After which she proceeded to bitch and complain about EVERYthing.

"Why do you have to put the bed alarm on...I feel like I'm in a nursing home!"
"ANOTHER blood draw? I feel like a pin cushion!" (These are just a few, and you have to understand that once you went into her room, you ended up being in there for at least half an hour, if not longer. She was like a psychic vampire, draining me of my will to live.)

She battled with us over every intervention, procedure, medication...you name it and she either refused or required half and hour of education or cajoling...sometimes repeatedly about the same issue!

I totally understand that nobody wants to be in the hospital. We try to make every patient's stay as pleasant and hassle-free as we can, but it's not a hotel or resort!

After I explained for at least the fifth time why we needed to have the bed alarm on, at least at night, and why she needed to call for assistance before getting out of bed, etc., she said she had had enough, that she didn't want to be there, and she was going to leave in the morning, no matter what.

I looked at her and said, "Ms. White, YOU were the one who called 911 and came to the hospital, because you knew you were sick and that it was very serious. LET US DO OUR JOBS. The way you feel right now, the condition you're in...do you really think you're ok to take care of yourself at home?"

She replied, "That's not fair!"

You're in your sixties, and you're only figuring this out now?!

No, I didn't say anything to that effect to her! Even though I really wanted to...

Anyway, this post totally turned out different than I expected. Sorry about that...but that means I can blog more, yay!

8 comments:

Old NFO said...

Didn't get her ass kissed like she expected is what you're sayin... Sigh...

doubletrouble said...

Sixties! Wow, that's OLD.
(Amirite Jim?)

Always On Watch said...

I'm not one who wants to go to the hospital. Hell, who does?

But when I do have to go -- never via the ED so far, thank God! -- I try not to complain or even ring for the nurse. I'm too sick to do much of either.

Christina RN LMT said...

Pretty much. The drive towards "Patient Satisfaction" as the be-all-end-all of healthcare has a lot to answer for.

Christina RN LMT said...

Hey, now! I wasn't implying that sixties is OLD! I was pointing out that if you haven't figured out that life is not fair by the time you reach your sixties, your world view is seriously skewed. ..

Christina RN LMT said...

Ringing if you need assistance is completely appropriate. That's what we're there for, after all!

Mike W. said...

"She was like a psychic vampire, draining me of my will to live"

I was once close to a woman like this, only I didn't know she was like this at first. Man did that suck. She was like a tiny, menacing ball of negativity, hatred, hostility and rage. Once I became "the hated" she decided to direct all of that at me.

I hope your exposure to this woman was short.

Christina RN LMT said...

Mike, you have my sympathies!

Yeah, the I only had her the one night, thank heavens!