Re: adhesion pain in the ER: a nurse's opinion

From: Tami Dana (tami_dana@hotmail.com)
Mon Jul 2 14:10:05 2001


At Sun, 1 Jul 2001, Ginny Halpern wrote: >

Ginny, Tanks SO much hun *Hugs* I wasn't sure how anyne would react to what I had said... like I said before, I am NOT proud of what I did and I beat myself up mentally for it for quite a while (maybe I am still beating myself up?), I am glad that you understand..and like we both said, if we could go into the ER and be treated like decent human beings then we wouldn't feel the need to lie about our illness. Thanks again Ginny =) *Hugs*

>Tami Darlin'
>
>What a bright idea1 If that is what it takes (within reason) to receive
>adequate medical attention, free from verbal and psychological abuse,
>get strong enough pain meds to cover the ARD pain and receive sevrral
>additional days worth of pain meds then I feel it's a matter of doing
>whatever you must do.
>
>I don't condone misrepresentation of ailments or false pretenses, but
>let's call it as we see it..... admitting to having ARD in the ER is
>like admitting we're bored, out of beer at home and need something to
>make us feel good and high. That's the way most doctors and nurses act
>when any one of a zillion of us walks into the ER with ARD.
>
>I guess we all do what we have to do, and you needn't be ashamed for
>telling a fib in order to receive proper care. But what a shame we're
>reduced to that.
>
>If this infamous anonymous nurse who has ruffled more than a few
>feathers over the last several weeks thought about all of the true drug
>seeking con artists who have entered her ER complaining that they fell
>off a curb or that they bumped down a flight of stairs, the way she and
>her doctors administered morphine, gave prescriptions for Percocet and
>stroked the junkie's sweaty little forehead as a sign of compassion
>versus taking a verbal dump on those of us who are legit. I'll bet
>she'd think twice.
>Or maybe she doesn't have the mental capacity to think twice.
>
>hugs
>
>ginny
>
>t Sat, 30 Jun 2001, Tami Dana wrote:
>>
>>At Tue, 19 Jun 2001, anonymous wrote:
>>>
>>>I found this site by accident and have read so many stories of
>>>"mistreatment" by nurses and doctors in ERs when you come to us in pain.
>>>I want you to think of it in our terms.
>>>
>>>You wander in day and night, most of you walking on your own, in no
>>>apparent acute distress.
>>>You register and wait, telling everyone in the busy waiting area that
>>>you MUST be seen immediately, "because you hurt so badly."
>>>You take up valuable space in busy trauma and emergency medicine
>>>departments complaining of terrible pain in your abdomen, and you tell
>>>us you must get pain meds for the pain.
>>>
>>>One a pain assessment scale of 1-10, virtually all of you cite between
>>>an 8 and a ten. But you aren't perspiring, crying, vomiting, bloated,
>>>or acting like you are acutely ill.
>>>
>>>Many of you refuse to have x-rays, scans and other diagnostic studies
>>>because you say "all those tests have been done a million times and they
>>>are always negative" but you demand pain medication!!
>>>You tell us you have adhesions but adhesions are nothing more than
>>>layers of scarring that have no nerve endings. How can this cause pain?
>>>
>>>I am told "I need 100 mg of Demerol, IM " by someone who refuses to
>>>allow us to examine them, and when we refuse to give you narcotics you
>>>become upset.
>>>
>>>What do you want from us? If every drug addict walked into my ER and did
>>>what many of you do, they'd be booted out by Security but for some
>>>reason, you feel we are treating you unfairly??
>>>
>>>Maybe instead of asking for pain medication, you might benefit from
>>>talking to a therapist who can help you deal with your "pain"?
>>>
>>>If we do an MRI or flat plate and see something suspicious., of course
>>>you'll be treated aggressively, and receive sympathy and medication.
>>>Otherwise, please understand, we are not a narcotic dispensing
>>>department for everyone with indigestion or cramps.
>>
>>I KNOW that so many of you have replied and I am also replying a bit
>>late, and it is probably pointless to reply..but I am going to do it
>>anyway!
>>I have SO much to say about this and I am SO angry right now, I don't
>>know where to start =*(
>>I wish I had a quarter for everytime I was told by someone in the
>>medical "Profession" (I use the term profession loosely) that adhesions
>>DO NOT hurt, if I did, I would have enough money to buy a car!! What I
>>am about to say might sound terrible, I am sorry if it does..but it is
>>the truth and I think that I need to say it... Before I found my PCP
>>and before I had insurance, when I would have a severe pain flair-up, I
>>would have to go to the ER, after going there a few times and being
>>treated like a junkie looking to get high (they treated me this way when
>>I told them of my ARD and ovarian, hernia, and MANY surgery that I had),
>>they would KILL me with the pelvic exams, vaginal ultrasounds, poking
>>and prodding me..then give me a shot of Toradol and send me home, so
>>basically I would go home feeling even WORSE than when I got to the ER.
>>Anyway, after going through this a few times... I went to the ER one
>>night at about 2am in excruciating pain from ARD and my other problems
>>and I was close to just ending it all and commiting suicide.. my
>>husband was a wreck and didn't know what to do, he wanted to call the
>>squad and I said NO! But finally, I couldn't take the pain so agreed to
>>go to the ER... this is the part that I am sure I will hear about from
>>a few people, but, here goes. When I got to the ER, I told them that I
>>had fallen down the stairs on the way to the restroom.. I told them
>>that I hurt my hip and my butt... and guess what?
>>They treated me SUPER, they gave me a pain shot before sending me for
>>x-rays, then sent me home with strong pain meds and muscle relaxers...
>>When I got home, although I did feel better and the pain was tolerable,
>>I began to cry, and cry, and cry... It was awful! =*( I was SO guilt
>>ridden for what I had just done, I almost contemplated going back to the
>>ER and telling them and then screaming at them that it was horrible that
>>I had to lie to them just to have them treat me like a human being and
>>not a junkie! At the time that this happened, I had no insurance, no
>>doctor because I couldn't afford to pay out of pocket, and I was
>>desperate for SOME kind of relief and some sleep, sleep is a luxury to
>>me, it was then and still is now... but anyway... I think that we live
>>in a SORRY ass (pardon my mouth) country when someone has to lie to get
>>proper care, treated like a human being, and to get a little compassion
>>from the ER. I have never done that except that one time, there was NO
>>way I could, even though I felt that I HAD to do it in order to get
>>care, the guilt was horrible and I KNOW I wouldn't be able to live with
>>myself if I did it again. Luckily I got insurance shortly after that
>>happened and found my current PCP, he is wonderful and has bent over
>>backwards to help me... BUT there are still times when I have to go to
>>the ER because my pain meds aren't working and then I get scared that
>>maybe something ruptured inside me or I have another blockage or
>>impacted again.. so reluctently I go..and you know what?? Nothing has
>>changed. They STILL treat me like snot and like I am searching for a
>>"high", they still give me a HARSH pelvic exam when they don't have to..
>>and they still tell me adhesions do NOT hurt and I need to go talk to my
>>doctor about it. Nothing changes and nothing will change until more
>>doctors and nurses educate themselves on ARD, we will keep being accused
>>of "drug seeking" or it just being in our heads... it makes me sick =*(
>>We do not live in a primative country, but when it comes to health care
>>for ARD sufferers, we might as well live in a third world country.
>>I guess what I am trying to say is this.. because of that time I had to
>>lie to get help from the ER, and now that I found this site and see that
>>I am not the only one going through this pain and bullcrap..I am also
>>kinda sure that I am not the only that has ever went to the ER and lied
>>just to get relief from this agonizing pain. So, maybe when the ER
>>nurses and doctors see someone coming to the ER alot or maybe not even
>>alot but they have been there a couple times with complaints of pain due
>>to ARD, and the docs and nurses can't SEE anything wrong, they
>>automatically lable them as a "drug seeker" and if you go back to the ER
>>with the same complaints of pain...they won't help you. BUT if you go
>>in for something else..they will, that is NOT right and there is NO
>>reason why anyone should have to lie to get some help! ARD is as REAL as
>>any other disease that causes pain, it is as real as cancer... if you
>>go to the ER for pain caused by cancer, the nurses and doctors bend over
>>backwards to take care of you and kill the pain, but go there for ARD
>>and they treat you like you are a junkie coming in for a "fix", it is
>>NOT fair! It isn't fair that I had to lie to get help, and it isn't fair
>>that right now as you read this, someone is at the ER dying in pain from
>>ARD and they HAVE to make up a story just to get relief, or they just
>>don't get any help at all, they get examined, poked, more pain put upon
>>them and then get told nothing is wrong and sent home. I don't know
>>about anyone else's experiences at the ER, but that is how it always
>>goes for me..and like I said, since I know now that I am not alone with
>>ARD, I know other people are out there going through the same thing as I
>>did (and still do). When is this ever going to stop?
>>I made the decision that I am never going back to the ER again... if my
>>pain meds aren't working, then I will call my doctor..I told my husband
>>my decision and he is NOT happy but he is also not happy about the
>>treatment I always recieve from the ER whenever I have been there, so
>>although he worries about me, he respects my decision... and I mean it
>>100%, I would rather die than to go to the ER 1 more time and get put in
>>more pain then accused and treated like a junkie.
>>Thanks everyone for listening to me.. I wrote a whole lot more than I
>>had planned on...sorry =*( I also apologize to anyone that I may have
>>offended by telling my story... I only wanted to let little miss
>>anonymous know that because of the treatment her and ALOT of medical
>>people give to us, this is ONE of the things we have to resort to just
>>to get a little relief and help...
>>*Hugs*
>>
>>--
>>With love and understanding,
>>Tami Dana
>>

--
With love and understanding,
Tami Dana

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