To be a squeaky wheel in hospital?

[SoThisIsHowYouNameChange]

I am in hospital with broken arm, and had surgery today.

I am a bad patient. Fretful, impatient. Demanding . I am never rude or abusive. I speak respectfully, maybe apologetically. But I cannot sit quietly in discomfort. I also feel claustrophobic and anxious when tied to a bunch of tubes, drips, etc, and all tangled up because they push things around. Like they take blood pressure and so shove bedside table away to pull machine up. Then rush off and leave table with phone and drinking water out of reach. I have to buzz for help with everything. I can't use my right hand. I feel like I am annoying ten. I'd like to be a patient person who can accept nurses are stretched too far. But I get thirsty and then frustrated that I am helpless or whatever.

I just need e everything set up right. Arms reach, nothing crossed or tangled. Tidy. Then I can ask for specific help. I feel bad about it.

Agh pfj, exactly what I meant.

It's possible that abscesses are associated with drug abuse. And unless you've got a cut glass accent and double barrel surname, we all look low class in these gowns with poorly complexions and greasy hair .
The truly scamming drug seeking junkies will not hesitate to use theatrics and hyperbole. Those of us who are reasonable sound like we are maybe just a bit sore.

The nurse just came, asked if I were sure it was sore, and looked at me doubtfully. Fuck it. I went to 11.

Tell me about it.... plus before you get the surgery you say in a low growly 'I'm-not-going-to-get-angry' voice - PLEASE DO NOT TOUCH MY ABSESSES... you can look but pleaseeeee don't touch them. So what do they do?? drag the end of a biro right down the length of them to demonstrate to their med students where they are on my ass. If you can't SEE where they are you are blind. I screamed SOOO loud... the med students looked so apologetic... it was nearly funny.... nearly...

And yes, we all look low class in our gowns... we are all just tired people who just need someone to talk to us about whats happening.... sometimes I have had lovely nurses... but I have had my share of awful ones :( I haven't been ill in a couple of years now - so glad because I hate hospitals and I go AWOL the first chance I get!!

Get Well soon honey!! And I will wish you sweet dreams and a good sleep.
Night night xxxxxx
P.S. Seriously send that insensitive husband of yours over to us girls ;) We'll sort him out :) xxxxxxxx

And woooo!!! for the 11 :) xxxxxx

When I had my breast surgery I was given morphine and hated it. So when I got acute appendicitis I refused the morphine, the pain as bad as it was, was still better than the hallucinations. So kept getting questioned about my "past drug use" of which there is none! But you could tell that they didnt believe me and were rather patronising about how determined I was to stay off drugs.

So it seems that you are damned if you dont and damned if you do!

Oh and as for being a bad patient who wont stay in....

With my breast surgery I was told that I would be in for a week, I was discharged after 5 days as my drain had produced next to nothing, which was rare I was told!

And with my appendix I asked how long I would be in and I was told "It is usually 4 days to a week, but honestly it will probably be a week, you were very ill"

I went home on day 4, almost to the hour! I think my body just goes into "heal overdrive" in order to get me home :o

This thread is cheering me up! Thanks for listening.

OP my husband is a medical consultant and one of his real peeves is when the junior doctors get s fixated on "diagnosing" the issue the forget to actually TREAT THE PAIN. He gets fuming about this and always tries to teach them the first hung they need to do is fix the pain. As for the drug seeking, again doctors and nurses get very jaded with people with issues seeking drugs but this isn't an excuse for them to treat everyone like that.
He's over my shoulder here telling me to tell you to insist on seeing the medical reg if you have issues with getting appropriate pain relief and if that doesn't work demand (his word) the consultant. He says there is no reason for you to be in pain, tell dh to stop making faces and go start causing a rumpus if you aren't getting appropriate pain relief. Hope that helps

Oh and if you're on a surgical rather than medical ward shout even louder!!! They're not good at remembering there's an actual patient there rather than an operation!! (orthopods in particular!)

I remember when I was run over and woke up to metal sticking out of leg as I needed pins it turned out.

I was still high on morphine and just awoke after anaesthetic. I buzzed so many times in a row all nurses appeared and I just said "what is this". It was so heavy

Everytime it fell off the bed I had to buzz for help. I couldn't turn it without help either! It used to just roll off the bed often due to the weight.

I had to buzz each time I went to the toilet etc.

I think the nurses had a party when I left

I think nurses find it irritating when they are asked and expected to do everything all at once when they are in the middle of a task with their patient. But there's nothing wrong with you requesting pain relief etc. If you could then to move stuff within your reach before you leave that would be better. I think it must also be irritating for them to leave a room and literally be buzzed in again in the next minute!

It would also be worth trying to figure out how to do some things one handed to give you a little more independence. Ires perfectly possible to open a can with one hand if you clamp it between your thighs for example to open it. Maybe get a little creative and problem solve that way... you'll have to get used to it cos I'd think your arm will be or if action for a while.

If they rush out talking over me, they may be buzzed right back. Haste makes waste.

I don't buzz whenever I need something trivial. I do ask for help with everything needed when they are in here. I may say that I need drugs, and could they help me change my gown when they get a chance. I find if they leave the room with something undone, the odds are high that they forget. So i buzz again.

I bet this does annoy them. Too bad.

I also had patronising attitudes. I asked what was in my drip and she answered "oh, that's just fluid" in a dismissive way.

Actually, doctors can be terrible for arrogance. Most are happy to explain things. I can tell when they realise that I can understand science, they are happy to elaborate But some rare ones actually say things like "where did you learn that word?" in astonishment. I must really strike some people as low class.

"pain is what the patient says it is, and occurs when they say it does" McCaffery.

If you have had an op nurses know you are going to be in pain. We prefer to avoid the heavy stuff if you are not too uncomfortable, as we have all had to deal with patients in serious agony and embarrassment due to constipation, or to give urgent reversal drugs to someone who is virtually in a coma/not breathing from a reaction to morphine type drugs. But if you have had the basics and it hasnt worked then we are happy to up the ante to the big guns.

Pain is counter productive to the healing process, so we want to combat it.

Dont feel bad about asking for thinks to be right before the nurse runs off. I think you need to let go of ever hoping that those wires will be neat and tidy though. Trust me, even if you are in a coma (god forbid)having one to one care in itu those bastards will still all tangle up. It is some sort of law of physics I think. If you have been eating and drinking ok then hopefully most will be taken down today.

I was in hospital before Christmas last year and the first few nights didn't want to buzz, didn't mither didn't fuss. didn't bloody work meant that I got ignored. when I started seeking help, buzzing and taking charge things got moving a lot faster. I still ended up leaving before they wanted me too but I was miles away from home and it was the only day anyone could get to me. so I told them if they didn't let me home that day noone could pick me up and I'd be there for days. I firmly believe they thought fuck that she's a nightmare and let me go .

oh and I also had use of both my arms aside from the drip so you have even more reason to need assistance. wishing you a speedy recovery.

Yes! The drip and oxygen are gone, so no more lines.

When they brought me back from recovery, they hung the drip from the handle /pull up thing over the bed instead of an iv stand. The line was dangling down onto my face. This was very annoying and I was pretty crabby until they got a proper stand.

I am much better today.

I had a rough time for two days with pain and shock and muddled from drugs.

When I arrived at the er, I was was leaning on my husband in the queue at the desk and I felt faint. I felt that I could faint as well as vomit or even loose my bowels. So i laid down on the floor. I didn't collapse unconscious, but slid down while I still had control. I felt ashamed for making a scene and embarrassed my husband. I only had a broken arm! In movies people run and shoot bad guys with their good arm, and completely fell to pieces

My mother in law broke her wrist in a fall and by the time the ambulance came she'd soiled herself in every way. I guess it's the shock, because I knew that the pain wasn't it.

Your H sounds like he needs some more spine tbh. Embarrased and making faces when you are in pain and need his support, that's crap. Hope you feel better soon though!

He would suffer in silence for a long time himself. He said he would suffer until he snapped over something trivial.

I feel so much better today. I got my space under control, the pain is managed and I have had a hot meal. Finally, I feel better knowing that the bone is pinned and now mending. A huge part of my distress was down to the knowledge that my body was broken.

Also this thread helped a lot. I needed sympathy.

I am adding nothing constructive to this but get well soon!!!

(magazine and grapes too) xxx

Right. I am a nurse. I have also been a patient a few times. I have no problem attending to someone who needs it if they are pleasant and polite with it. I was a very buzzer happy patient and I made no apologies for that! I was in pain, I needed pain relief. Always say yes to the regular painkillers and ask for top ups of oramorph when it starts to get painful - before it gets too bad. Fwiw oramorph isn't a controlled drug so not a pain to give. However if you are requiring lots of oramorph it's an indicator that the regular painkillers aren't strong enough so the nurses can ask the docs to prescribe you something stronger. Believe me, we can tell the difference between someone who is in pain and someone who is drug seeking!

If I have someone who asks for help a lot I get into the habit of doing what they buzzed for then asking if there's anything else before I leave. That helps everyone. You are incapacitated and in pain. You have every right to ask for help! :) I hope the pain eases soon and you feel better

Hope you are feeling better this morning - just checking in on you before I take my little boy for his haircut (1st day back at school tomorrow). My husband is whining at me.... men can be so grumpy sometimes!! Maybe we can put mine and your husband in some sort of 'sensitivity camp' for a few weeks and get them sorted out?

How much longer will you be in hospital?

Huge hugs from me.... get well soon xxxxxxxxxx

Don't feel bad - it is the squeaky wheel that gets the grease. And do not suffer in silence if you don't her proper pain relief - the event with the morphine that didn't go into your mouth properly was awful. If anything like that happens again say you want to complain / speak to PALS. Glad you're starting to improve now.