Questionable Nurse... Was RE: Re: Frustrations when dealing with medical needs

[Guest guest]

Boy can I relate to this! A couple of years ago, I was having chest pains so

bad.I felt like my chest was on fire and in a vice, I couldn't take a deep

breath without crying, I was faint and sick to my stomach.

My husband and daughter insisted on taking me to the ER, since they always say

with chest pain, go get checked out. I went to the ER, they moved me to the

back and the nurse came in and put me on the machine that does the lines for the

heart beat (EKG? EEG?). She let it run a few minutes, then GLARED at me and

ripped the patches off and left the room, announcing at the top of her lungs so

that everyone could hear, " She's just looking for pain meds! She's

faking.her EKG(?) is fine.let's just get her out of here.. " .

I was mortified.the doctor, bless him, went up to her, took her arm and said to

her, " That could be, but do you mind if I actually examine her and run some

tests before you send her home? " The nurse was furious and told the doctor he

was wasting his time, that other patients were " really sick and not just a

druggie " .

I almost got up and left, but the doctor told me that he wanted to run a few

tests to eliminate the possibility of my heart being involved. Now, bear in

mind, I have an enlarged heart, and a

prolapsed mitro valve. I had a heart catherization done a few months

before this because my doctor freaked out about how big my heart was. The

Cardiologist noted that my heart was " rerouting " itself. something he'd never

seen in an adult. He advised me to watch my heart closely in the future to make

sure nothing else " weird was happening " (Yes, that was the CARDIOLOGIST's exact

words LOL).

The nurse was ordered to put in an IV, and she did so , it was one of the most

painful IVs I've ever had. She literally PUSHED on the needle in my hand and

smiled at me as she said, does that feel like it's in?

Anyway, the doctor did several tests and found that while my heartbeat was

slightly abnormal (I was dropping something, can't recall what it was), he felt

the main source of my pain was " chest wall pain " . He ordered two medications,

a pain killer and something else.

The nurse came in to put the medication in my hand and she was pushing it hard

into the IV port, and I told her it was hurting. She shrugged and kept going.

By this time, my hand was on fire, I could SEE it swelling, and I told her,

there was something WRONG with the port. My DAUGHTER told her that there was

something wrong because

she could SEE the medication going into the vein and the hand and wrist were

swelling and bruising before her eyes. The nurse said, " So you don't want this

medication? FINE. and jerked the needle out of the port, ALMOST pulling the IV

out in the process. I was in agony and my family was LIVID.

Another nurse, who refused to look at me, came in and had me sign papers to

discharge me..and the next day I couldn't even MOVE my hand or fingers. My hand

was swollen almost three times normal size and the entire back of the hand was

BLACK.

I went to my personal doctor and he began treating me with heat and

medication..and I went to the hospital and filed a formal

complaint. My doctor told me that if I hadn't come in to him immediately, I

might have lost my hand, because of what she did.

The hospital ordered her to " sensitivity training " and to write me a formal

letter of apology, but she refused, so they fired her. She accosted me in

Wal-Mart later that month and SCREAMED at me that I'd cost her the job AND

career. I had to call the cops to have her escorted away.. IT was horrible and

terrifying. This DAY, I don't go to the ER unless I can't avoid it..and I've

never gone for chest pain again. I won't go through that again for anything.

Marta

> Tami wrote:

> I am sure plenty of us have nightmare experiences to share.