Hospital Stories/Rude People Stories

[NoDayButToday]

I was just talking with Emily, and we were comparing stories about various hospitalizations, which led to how sometimes people can make rude comments about your cough, size, etc. in relation to CF. It was a pretty good laugh to reminisce and compare our stories (even if they were infinitely frustrating or NOT laughing matter at the time). So post any stories you care to share. And Remember--this is meant to be lighthearted, and lets leave names out of it!

 

[Emily65Roses]

YAY!!! Hehehehee. Okay so I'll start with the few I just told to Coll. Teehee. What fun! I love this stuff.

1. One of my last clean-outs was shortly after I had gotten my port placed. I didn't think to learn how deep it was (I may have assumed they were all the same size), and I figured anyone who came to access it would have checked my charts. So these two women come in to access it, and the needle is both one gauge too large, and 1/4 of an inch too long. They then told me that there was nothing they could do until the morning. So they taped the needle down as best they could. I slept most of the night in a chair because there was 1/4 of an inch needle sticking out of my chest, and it was actually quite painful. Mike stayed the night with me and was extremely angry because I cried a lot of the night. It was physically painful, but the tears mostly fell due to my mistreatment, their stupidity, and the lack of control I had in the situation. (I hate not having control). In the morning, a nice gentle Irish woman came in and was appalled at the needle size and length. She took it out, replaced it with a proper one, and I could barely even feel it. Haha.
2. After my hysterectomy, I was coming out of anesthesia. I was crying (I was still somewhat out of it, and a lot of people cry in response to anesthesia). So this nurse with a huge attitude tells me "It won't help to cry little girl!" And my mom remembers this though I don't, really. Apparently I stopped for a minute, looked right at her and said "I just had a hysterectomy at 18, do NOT call me little girl."

When I was still little, my mom hadn't learned immediately how to stand up for us, so these happened and my mom said nothing. But if I had been old enough, or if they happened now, they would've gotten an earful (from her, me, or both of us). She told me these stories, though I was an infant and don't remember them:
1. Once we were out shopping at a Walmart-like store in the winter. Some guy heard me coughing and said my mother was a terrible mom for taking "that sick child out in the cold."
2. My mom and I went to see The Little Mermaid in the theater and before the movie was over, we were kicked out because of my disruptive coughing. They replaced the money, from what my mom told me, but I was crying because I wanted to see the end of the movie!

These are the ones I just told Coll. I can't remember any others at the moment, but I will definitely be checking to read everyone else's posts, and will probably add if I recall any others. <img src="i/expressions/rose.gif" border="0">

 

[anonymous]

I have a really hard time getting PICC lines in when I go to the hospital. I REFUSE to have them put in at the bedside because the nurse can never get it in (my veins roll and/or spaz out). So I basically demand that I get it placed in radiology. I'm usually in the hospital a couple of days before I get down there because the radiology nurses don't like to take up there time with "Cfers and their PICC lines". I am slowly but surely getting to the point where I don't have a problem speaking my mind... (by the way Emily, you DO have control of the situation... this is something that I am trying to become accustomed to also). So meanwhile I have to get a peripheral line to hold me over until I get a PICC. The bad part is I blow these lines like no other. I usually have to get a new IV every day. Well this last time I was in the hospital, my vein blew and I told the nurse "I think my vein's gone bad, can you put another IV in." Of course she wanted to "make sure" the vein was indeed bad ( as if in my 23 years of getting IV's I don't know what a blown vein feels like; or that I enjoy the pain of getting another one so much that I would request a new one just for hell of it!). So she attaches the syring to my IV, pulls back the plunger and there is NO BLOOD RETURN. Last time I checked, no blood return means it's not in the vein! She then proceeds to tell me "See, it hasn't gone bad" and pushes the rest of the saline into my arm. I literally jumped at the pain of the saline going in. I just looked her in the eye and very calmly but agrily told her "I know when a vein has gone bad, you need to take it out!"

 

[LindseyRose]

oops, that last one was me <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif" border="0">

 

[NoDayButToday]

Lindsey-
In terms of IVs and PICCs you sound just like me! They tell me I have rolling veins also. I refuse to get PICCs anywhere but IR-- even there now though, they are having more trouble placing them. I also have to get peripherals before PICCs-- I'm lucky if they last a day!
I remember this past April, one doctor could not start an IV in me to save their life... they blew two veins and then my mom (who taught me everything I needed to know about standing up for myself in a hospital, with tact) and I demanded someone else (who- you guessed it- got it in one try). Well, come October, another admission, and the only doctor there to start an IV is... the same person. When they came in, they announced "I don't remember any trouble last time!". In my mind I was like, "I do!" LOL. I think my nurse may have told the doctor we had requested someone else, because they came in overly confident. They got it in one try though, and got on my good list cause of that, and also because they shouted "SCREW DR. SO AND SO!" when a nurse came in saying Dr. So and So was demanding to speak with him right as they were taping my IV. <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif" border="0">

 

[NoDayButToday]

On another note, I hate hospital staff who act like I'm a weirdo/baby because my mom still stays with me every single night I'm in the hospital. I don't care that I'm almost 16! At home, it's just me and my mom, so I can't imagine a night without her! Also, since it's just us, she has her childcare focusing 100% on me (<img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif" border="0">)-- why should I hang out alone in the hospital, and her alone at home- it doesn't really make sense. We always have pretty good fun in the hospital together too-- her being there makes it much more bearable.

 

[LindseyRose]

I wish I had someone to stay with me in the hospital! It would probably still be boring, but at least I wouldn't be bored by myself...

Coll (and anyone else, I suppose) do you find that your veins last longer when they have a continuous IV drip going in, as opposed to just being hooked up when the meds are going in?

 

[NoDayButToday]

Definitely. They almost always blow if I STOP continuous drip IVs. If they get an IV started and my nurse is slow to get on the case about hanging a fluids bag, I'm on her case- I'm not losing an IV if I can help it! Haha.

 

[jenhum]

Coll, if it mskes you feel better my mom (bless her heart) still stays with me in the hospital and I'm almost 22! I'm getting married in November and my husband will stay with me after that! I think that if you have someone who is willing, then it's silly not to have them there.

I just hate it when you are in the hospital and they come in to empty your trash and clean your room at like 3am. One time we had three people come in the middle of the night and turn all the lights on and do something completely trivial. The third time, my mom jumped out of her chair, basically chased the person out of the room, and slammed the door so hard that it took five minutes to get it open the next morning...LOL!!!

 

[NoDayButToday]

Jenny,
I hate that! I'm like, must the trash be emptied during sleeping hours? They're actually pretty good about it at my hospital now. One thing I also find annoying are the overzealous breakfast tray people. They'll come in at 8am with your tray announcing "Breakfast!" while you are clearly still snoozing. One person I had (who I think was deep down hostile about her job maybe?) said it repeatedly, seemingly trying to force me awake and I answered "I <i>HEARD</i> YOU! I'm still SLEEPING!" Most servers though, are just trying to be cheerful, so you can't really get mad at them. Some of them are my friends- they'll swipe pudding or ensure flavors for me to make sure I get what I want LOL.

 

[Emily65Roses]

My mom stayed with me after I had my hysterectomy. And now Mike stays with me whenever I go in for tune-ups.

Coll, I told you this before, but to share with everyone else: From what I've heard, doctors, nurses, techs, and the like are usually the biggest babies when it comes to being patients. We are professional patients, and we know what works so screw them and their attitudes. Hah. It's very simple, really. The hospital gets EXTREMELY boring and lonely (especially for those of us who have to be contained to our room, such as myself). So to have company only makes sense. <img src="i/expressions/heart.gif" border="0">

 

[Emily65Roses]

Regarding the sleeping issue... I just have one question. We are in the hospital. We are sick. Does it not make sense for us to get as much sleep as possible??? Can't they put off trivial stuff until AFTER WE WAKE UP? AHHHH I HATE THAT. lol

 

[LindseyRose]

I once had a nurse come in and weigh me at 4:30 a.m! So not only was I upset that she woke me up, but I also had to get myself out of bed!

It bothers me when the nurses don't come in to shut off the IV when it starts beeping. And I know they can hear it, everyone in the whole damn hospital can hear it! One night I was getting lipids because I wasn't gaining weight. The nurse had just started the bottle, walked out, and then the machine started beeping. I thought to myself, "I know how to fix it, I've seen them do it hundreds of times..." so I started messing with the machine and accidently pulled out the part of the line that regulates how much liquid goes in. Before I knew what I had done, the entire bottle (which was supposed to infuse over a 12 hour period, mind you!) had gone into my arm! I about crapped my pants when I realized what I had done! I didn't know what would happen to me, but I was just thankful it wasn't an antibiotic...the only thing that was hurt was my pride when I had to tell my nurse what I did

 

[Emily65Roses]

It's usually only temporary for a minute or two, but usually there's a "silence" button on the IV pump. There always has been on the pumps I've seen. If you push that, it'll shut up at least for a minute or two, then just push it again if it's really annoying you. That works as a temporary fix. I know it's hardly a solution, but oh well.

 

[ClashPunk82]

The nurses where I am are terrible. Not to be mean a lot of them are good but there are a few bad seeds. They complain about how busy they are yet I don't see them doing much. After my med is done I will call them only to wait for a half hour or more to get a flush. The worst is wehn I call during the night at about 4 AM and they will actually ask me what I want. Ummm hello I am sleeping why would you call into my room asking me what I want. I want my nurse of course what else?? And they give me my setups to do my inhaled stuff and they expect me to hook it up when usually I am stationed at the bed with my O2 and my finger sat on. Then they expect me to clean it. So now I throw them away everytime I use one. My insurance bills me for every setup anyway might as well use them. And they take forever to do the diabetes stuff so now I bring my own glucometer and my own insulin and do it mysellf. They yell at me but I said well sorry but I am not going to wait an hour for you to get me my insulin so then I can eat my cold food. And we have this horrendous cleaning lady on the weekends. She will come in my room at 8 and do nothing. All she does it trash and she makes so much noise and then she leaves my door opne when she leaves. So I told the nurse to hang a sign on the door to say stay out unless permission is given by nurse. She finally stopped coming in unless I ask for her. She doesn't need to be there she doesn't do anything. She never cleans the bathrooms or anything just does trash. Half the time I see her at the desk with her head down sleepiing. I wish I got paid for doing nothing. But at least my mom is there everyday. If I didn't have her then nothing would get done. It would be a mess. She cleans everything for me, and helps me get ready for showers, she makes my bed. It's nice to have her there when you don't feel good and aren't up to doing that stuff. She is an awesome mom though I am so glad I have her, without her I don't know what I would do!! <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif" border="0">

Nicole 22 CF

 

[anonymous]

When I first recieved my port a cath I noticed it looked a little funny. I was getting ready to be discharged but brought it to the nurses attention anyway. She came in and looked and said it was fine, she actually went a step further by packing around the needle with gauze. Yep, that's right it was infected and she "covered it up". I had a home health nurse come out and look at it, she was appauled, it was draining around the needle and was really red and itchy.
All she had to do was re-access the port in a different place, instead her laziness could have caused sepsis and my untimely demise! My doctor at the time was a big wig at the hosptial and was not happy, that was her last day as a nurse in that place!


Luke 29/CF

 

[Mockingbird]

<blockquote>Quote<br><hr><i>Originally posted by: <b>Emily65Roses</b></i><br>
2. After my hysterectomy, I was coming out of anesthesia. I was crying (I was still somewhat out of it, and a lot of people cry in response to anesthesia). So this nurse with a huge attitude tells me "It won't help to cry little girl!" And my mom remembers this though I don't, really. Apparently I stopped for a minute, looked right at her and said "I just had a hysterectomy at 18, do NOT call me little girl."<hr></blockquote>

What the hell is up with that? It won't help to cry little girl? People like that should just find another job, because the hospital is not the place for them. I hate it when nurses are completely hardened and have no compassion whatsoever, or at least they don't show it. It's not like I sit in the hospital and whine about everything, 'cause I don't, but I show a little bit of discomfort and one of those nurses will jump down my throat. Once I was getting my picc line cleaned, and the nurse was not being gentle. So I was flinching because she kept pulling on it, I was afraid the stiches were going to come out! I guess I flinched one too many times, 'cause she said, "It's got to be done, so stop being a baby and just take it" It hink she also said something like "i'm only making it worse for myself" Ugh, I hated that nurse, she always left the IV beeping for at least a half an hour, then she'd come in and complain that her patients were taking up her time. Once I just flushed my own line, 'cause i knew how to do it and it needed to be done. She came in, and she was all like, Who flushed this line? She even yelled into the hall, "Who flushed my patient's line?" I was kind of hesitant to admit it, but I did, and she looked at me like I was a complete idiot. "you just messed up the whole schedule! I have no idea when you flushed that line, so now what am I supposed to do?" I told her it was over twenty minutes ago, so she can just start my next medication. "Oh, so I'm supposed to trust you? Then you can get yourself sick and I can get fired, is that it?" Then she flushed my line for another ten minutes before she started the next med. It took me a while, but I finally figured out why she did that, she wanted to make the IV meds last as long as possible, so it would be harder for us to go around the hospital. The IV poles have wheels, of course, but they can still be very cumbersome. But anyway, it was complete crap she did that. I mean, we're the ones in the hospital, what gives them the right to have an attitude toward us?

Fopr the record, though most of the nurses I've had have been great. There's just a few of them who think becoming a nurse makes you the center of the universe. =-)

Jarod
22 w/cf

 

[spicyone18]

When I was in elemantary my mom of course would give every teacher/principal everyone a pamphlet on CF. One day I came home in tears cause one of my teachers gave me a detintion for leaving the classroom to go to the bathroom! Another teacher told me, infront of the class "those that develop slowly physically, also develop slower mentally!" None the less the school got a call from my mom. Cause I was never the one to stand up for my self either. This is just one of my rude people stories.

 

[LindseyRose]

Reading all of these posts, I just thought of some more...I love this thread!

1. Nicole, before I got my insulin pump I'd had my share of cold food too because I had to wait for the nurses to come in and give me insulin. Or when I would tell them my sugar was low, instead of going and getting me some juice or something right away, they would take 10 minutes to try to locate the meter so they could "make sure". By that time I would be in cold sweats and shaking like a leaf. Another time I was having sinus surgery at 2 pm, but I couldn't eat or drink anything since after midnight the night before. So the nurse checked my blood sugar at 8 in the morning and it was like 68 (low). I asked her if they were going to give me glucose water through the IV since I wasn't supposed to eat or drink. She said she would have to check with the doctor. She came back and said the doctor said I would be fine. I yelled at her "My sugar is 68, Im not going to eat anything until probably after 4 o'clock, and the doctor thinks I'll be okay!!?? Needless to say, I got the glucose water....

2. I once had a home health nurse do the whole "digging around" for a vein to get an IV started (I'm sure you've all experienced that at one point in your needle-filled lives). It obviously hurt, so I was crying. She told me "Stop crying, it doesn't hurt!" OH REALLY??!! IT DOESN'T HURT? I was so glad when my stepmom told her to leave.

 

[Jo20784]

Hey i am likin hearin everyones experiences i have several . i first went in hospital at 13 and the doctor said u will be in for two days and there will be no needles or anything so i agreed to go in when i got to my room in the childrens ward the nurse said to my mum is that all u broyght with u she is going to be in at least 2 weeks and my mum turned and said no she is in for 2 days and the nurse toook my mum and dad to another oom and told them it was just a lie to get me in hospital my mum was very angry that she was lied to but i satyed the whole two weeks and yes there was needles involved several . when i was 16 i had to go in again and the nurse were so horrible one used to tell me to stop being ababy when i would cry when ever i had a needle put in my arm it said on my doctor notes that i have a phobia of needles ARGH ! and then my picc line went funny and i coulnd straighten my arm so they had to remove it and put a new one in the other arm and i asked for anither nurse to come and hold my hand while they done it and the doctor turned and said your a big girl now be brave which made me cry even more and i ended up being sick .
now i am 20 and i go to another hospital where they treat lots of CF patients and when i have a picc put in i dont have to ask for a nurse to hold my hand they do it automatically they are fantastic at that hosptal they treat u like any other patient its great <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif" border="0">