Re: Worst ER Experience...hugs back

[Guest guest]

Huggs Dodge,

Yes that's the way ER goes. The real druggies have used up all the ER Doc's

senses, so that when someones really in pain - really has a disease, gets the

run around., or the Toradol or a lil itsy bitsy 750 Vicodin that any body in

real serious pain would just scoff at. I believe there must be a course in

Doctor school on how to identify a druggie and who not to treat like a druggie.

( he must have missed that class ) There are a lot of Doctors out there who just

cannot believe someones pain. It's to bad when an awful flare-up happens to us, 

that a inch deep bleeding crevasse doesn't open up on our cheek so we can say 

see,  SEE  how bad I hurt. A visual is always a good kicker and then it would be

his idea " Get this Patient a shot of Morphine...STAT !  Another thing I find

offbeat is/was your blood pressure . Under that much pain it usually is high not

low. Did they get  their numbers mixed up ?. My advice is get yourself a caring

Doctor that you

can call day or night who is willing to aggressively bring you out of a

flare-up and treat your pain with dignity. Your comfort / care and the state of

your Mental Health should be at the top of your Doctor's list of  " Ways to keep

my Patients paying me. " Hon, I hope you find a Doctor who really cares and

address's your health needs. I know I would want you out there on the highway if

I was in an accident. Your a valuable asset to your community and they should

take care of you as such. As Cora says, Gentle Huggs - P.S. I read your 

Jumpthis blog's.Wow n Wow n Wow - Bless You.

                        Cherblue

From: Dodge <medicdodge@...>

Subject: [ ] Worst ER Experience...

" chronic_pain_assistance: "

<chronic_pain_assistance >, " cool_sters: "

<cool_sters >, " fibromyalgia_support_group: "

<fibromyalgia_support_group >, " LUPIES: "

<LUPIES >, " : "

< >, " revdrewjames: aol.com " <revdrewjames@...>

Date: Tuesday, August 12, 2008, 2:10 AM

Ok, for the past four days I've had a temp ranging from between 99.6 and 102

and my pain has been worse than normal. When my fever stayed at 102 for about

half the day, and when my pain spiraled out of control on Monday afternoon, my

partner Rod, also a medic like me, and the reason I get up in the morning,

encouraged me to go to ER and get checked out... Here's what happened...

Nightmare on Dodge Street.

Well, I hope this makes sense, as I'm a little bit sedated, no thanks to

the damn ER staff.

Here's what happen. We get there and get me right in to triage. Now I know,

being a medic, that I'm gonna have to wait a while. No biggy, we'll

wait as long as I get treated. So we go into triage and they take my vitals. BP

was 130 over 87. Pulse was 124. Oxygen saturation was 99. Temp was 102.

Now, the BP is a little high for me, the pulse about normal when my pain is bad

or when I'm anxious, and I was both in bad pain and very anxious...

So, they tell us we'll have to wait in the waiting room till a bed opens

up... So, we wait.

The longer we wait, the more Rod can see that I'm in real pain. Finally we

get in a room. The doc comes in and says he wants to order some labs. I say,

" I think this is a Lupus flare and I want some steroids. " Doc says,

" No problem, I'll give you your 'roids, something for pain and

something for

nausea. "

We think...Finally, I'm gonna get some relief. Well, that wasn't to be.

The nurse comes in and Rod asks what he's giving me. He says, " Well,

I'm going

to start an IV take some blood and give him Iso, (a steroid), and something for

nausea. " Aren't you going to give me anything for pain? " I asked.

" Oh,

the steroids are what you're getting for pain. "

Well, Rod and I look at each other in disbelief. So, they stick me about fifty

times, I lost count at 21, and finally, I say, " Just give me the damn

needle " and do it myself. They give me my meds and we wait and wait and

wait some more.

I then turn and say to Rod, " Rod, I'm in so much pain, I think I'm

going to black out. " So Rod flag down the doctor and rather scathingly ask

when these

steroids are suppose to start relieving my pain... He says in a few minutes.

Then, he proceeds to tell me that even if they don't work, he can't give

me anything for pain since my BP was 98 over 57. Now, I want to know just how

that can be since I only had my BP taken once and I know what it was...

They ask me if I will take a drug test and I say, " Sure. " They do the

drug screen and then finally, after I was literally hanging onto consciousness

by the thinnest of threads, come in and give me a teeny weeny bit of morphine

which only barely took the edge off and I wouldn't even go that far...

They get around to discharging us and give me my scripts. A pred pack, a med

for nausea and Norco... I was in so much pain once I got out to the

car that I passed out. Rod dosed me up on morphine from the drug box we carry

on our ambulance, regulations be damned, Harry our director said he could, and

now I'm at home and I'm going to try to

eat, but I might not as I don't have much of an appetite.

When I asked just what was causing my fever, I was told it was " a Lupus

thing " . Guys and gals, what is " a Lupus thing " ? I think I

missed that one in paramedic school.

So... That's how it went. I had good reason to be anxious.

--

Dodge

An optimist thinks that this is the best possible world.

A pessimist fears that this is true.

Read my blog at:

http://jumpthis.wordpress.com

------------------------------------

[Guest guest]

Dodge,

OMG! What a horrible experience! What is going on with that nurse?

If the doctor really believed your BP dropped like that why is he

not wondering why? I know that you and Rod know exactly how many

times your BP was taken.

Have they seen too many druggies to not respond to other medical

emergencies? My father died from carcinogenic meningitis and was not

diagnosed until the day before he died, so that was when he got

something stronger than his 2 percoset every 3 hrs. I kept telling

them he was suffering and a nurse made the mistake of telling me

that he was overly sedated from those 2 little pills, so she tied

him to the bed. This was only 4 days before he died. His kidneys had

already shut down! I made sure that she never darkened his door

again.

Thank God you have Rod. What do people do without someone to

advocate for them??????

Please, please get better real soon and let us know how you are

doing. Hang in one more time, we need you! You have my prayers Honey.

Shirley

>

> From: Dodge <medicdodge@...>

> Subject: [ ] Worst ER Experience...

> " chronic_pain_assistance: "

<chronic_pain_assistance >, " cool_sters:

"

<cool_sters >, " fibromyalgia_support_group:

"

<fibromyalgia_support_group >, " LUPIES:

" <LUPIES >, " :

" < >, " revdrewjames:

aol.com " <revdrewjames@...>

> Date: Tuesday, August 12, 2008, 2:10 AM

>

> Ok, for the past four days I've had a temp ranging from between

99.6 and 102

> and my pain has been worse than normal. When my fever stayed at

102 for about

> half the day, and when my pain spiraled out of control on Monday

afternoon, my

> partner Rod, also a medic like me, and the reason I get up in the

morning,

> encouraged me to go to ER and get checked out... Here's what

happened...

> Nightmare on Dodge Street.

>

> Well, I hope this makes sense, as I'm a little bit sedated, no

thanks to

> the damn ER staff.

>

> Here's what happen. We get there and get me right in to triage.

Now I know,

> being a medic, that I'm gonna have to wait a while. No biggy, we'll

> wait as long as I get treated. So we go into triage and they take

my vitals. BP

> was 130 over 87. Pulse was 124. Oxygen saturation was 99. Temp was

102.

> Now, the BP is a little high for me, the pulse about normal when

my pain is bad

> or when I'm anxious, and I was both in bad pain and very anxious...

> So, they tell us we'll have to wait in the waiting room till a bed

opens

> up... So, we wait.

>

> The longer we wait, the more Rod can see that I'm in real pain.

Finally we

> get in a room. The doc comes in and says he wants to order some

labs. I say,

> " I think this is a Lupus flare and I want some steroids. " Doc says,

> " No problem, I'll give you your 'roids, something for pain and

> something for

> nausea. "

>

> We think...Finally, I'm gonna get some relief. Well, that wasn't

to be.

> The nurse comes in and Rod asks what he's giving me. He

says, " Well,

> I'm going

> to start an IV take some blood and give him Iso, (a steroid), and

something for

> nausea. " Aren't you going to give me anything for pain? " I asked.

> " Oh,

> the steroids are what you're getting for pain. "

>

> Well, Rod and I look at each other in disbelief. So, they stick me

about fifty

> times, I lost count at 21, and finally, I say, " Just give me the

damn

> needle " and do it myself. They give me my meds and we wait and

wait and

> wait some more.

>

> I then turn and say to Rod, " Rod, I'm in so much pain, I think I'm

> going to black out. " So Rod flag down the doctor and rather

scathingly ask

> when these

> steroids are suppose to start relieving my pain... He says in a

few minutes.

> Then, he proceeds to tell me that even if they don't work, he

can't give

> me anything for pain since my BP was 98 over 57. Now, I want to

know just how

> that can be since I only had my BP taken once and I know what it

was...

>

> They ask me if I will take a drug test and I say, " Sure. " They do

the

> drug screen and then finally, after I was literally hanging onto

consciousness

> by the thinnest of threads, come in and give me a teeny weeny bit

of morphine

> which only barely took the edge off and I wouldn't even go that

far...

>

> They get around to discharging us and give me my scripts. A pred

pack, a med

> for nausea and Norco... I was in so much pain once I got out to the

> car that I passed out. Rod dosed me up on morphine from the drug

box we carry

> on our ambulance, regulations be damned, Harry our director said

he could, and

> now I'm at home and I'm going to try to

> eat, but I might not as I don't have much of an appetite.

>

> When I asked just what was causing my fever, I was told it was " a

Lupus

> thing " . Guys and gals, what is " a Lupus thing " ? I think I

> missed that one in paramedic school.

>

> So... That's how it went. I had good reason to be anxious.

>

> --

> Dodge

>

> An optimist thinks that this is the best possible world.

> A pessimist fears that this is true.

>

> Read my blog at:

> http://jumpthis.wordpress.com

>

> ------------------------------------

>

>