Night Nurse, The Pain Is Getting Worse
Canada, Hospital, Ignoring & Inattentive, Lazy/Unhelpful, Nurses | Healthy | May 15, 2019
(I am a 22-year-old female and have always had problems with my feet, which are completely flat and also wide. I’ve been having intense pain in my left foot for a few years, and not one doctor or specialist I’ve gone to has had an explanation. Finally, I am told by a foot surgeon that I have a deformity in both feet that has caused arthritis and is the reason I am unable to walk properly. I am advised to have two metal screws implanted in my left foot to alleviate the pain and hopefully correct the structure of my foot. I go in for surgery and this happens when I stay overnight after the operation. “Nurse” is my day nurse and “Night Nurse” is the nurse assigned to give me the pain medication during the night.)
Nurse: “I’m going to take your vitals and let you get some rest. Your night nurse will come in to give you the pain medication soon. Can you swallow pills?”
(I tell her I can and expect to have no problems. Boy, am I wrong. Over the course of the night, I am pretty loopy from the anesthesia and all I want to do is sleep. A night nurse comes in to take my vitals again sometime in the night and says someone else will give me pain medication later. This repeats for some time with her and one other nurse until the morning, where I’ve recovered enough to realize I am in intense pain and nobody has given me the pain medication I need. Early the next morning, I am exhausted and crying from the pain when my parents come to see me.)
Mom: “What happened?! Why are you crying?!”
Me: *crying* “I’ve been up almost all night and nobody gave me pain medication!”
Mom & Dad: “WHAT?!”
(They track down a nurse and repeat what I’ve said.)
Nurse: “Um, a night nurse would have given you medication. You’re supposed to take it every three hours.”
Me: “Well, no one gave me anything. They woke me up to take my vitals several times and that was it!”
Nurse: “I’m going to look into this. Let me talk to the other nurses.”
(She leaves for a bit, then comes back with the night nurse who I recognize from last night. They both don’t look happy.)
Night Nurse: “We gave you medication last night. You just don’t remember it.”
Me: “You and some other nurse woke me up to take my vitals and said someone else will give me the medication. If I took the medication, I wouldn’t be in so much pain!”
Nurse: *hands me a pill bottle* “Just to make sure, these are what you’re supposed to take. Have you had these at all?”
Me: “No! I haven’t taken any pills!”
Night Nurse: “Well, did you tell someone that you needed it?”
(My parents and the other nurse just stare at her in disbelief.)
Mom: “Of course she needs it! You’re in charge of making sure she gets the medication on time!”
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