Made it thru DS conversion Today!

Today was THE day. Aside from going longer then expected (Not sure why, havnt talked to surgeon yet) the surgery went fine. Post op os another story. Omg I'm in so much pain I'm crying, shaking (and my face is vibrating?)!!! They didnt give me the Push pain meds this time so I have to rely on the stupid nurses who take forever. My IVs failed twice (after being stuck 8 times) and my right arm swelled up. Concerning meds.. the post op observatory nurse was stingy. I kept telling her i was in pain, she kept telling me I couldn't see my hubby till I was stable. I finally stopped telling her and she sent me to my room. Then the next nurse said it's policy to titrate up to the ordered dose. Of course because my IVs failed the time between was an hr or more. I finally just got 1 whole dose but it still hasn't worked!!! I'm beside myself. It even hurts to breath and when I cry it's even worse (note, I'm not a crier so this shows how bad it is that I'm crying)! The new night nurse called the surgeon but he hasn't called back. I'm nervous he won't and I'll be left miserable all night.

I'm so sorry you're going through this. I hope they get you sorted out ASAP. Keep us posted as you can and let us know when they get your pain under control.

--gina

You poor thing! Keep your chin up--it will get better. Once everything evens out, it will become a distant memory. I'm so sorry your nurses are acting this way--they should be more compassionate. Just remember to take names. When you go to leave, the hospital will ask you to fill out a patient survey assessment to tell them how well they did their jobs. Name names--give specific examples and tell them exactly what you are telling us. These forms can be audited by CMS and could affect their medicare/medicaid payment status, so they take them pretty seriously. For every complaint, they have to document what was done to prevent this from happening again. Warm thoughts and prayers being sent to you!

That is a wonderful idea, thank you! The night nurse was really good. She literally was here to give me meds every 2 hrs. And she called the surgeon and he ordered me toradol and Tylenol in addition to the dilaudid to help. That combo helps, but barely. The moment I move, go to the bathroom or cough and I'm in alot of pain. The worst part is the day nurse. She is always late with the meds. They already start to wear off 45 mins before my next dose, so when she finally gets to me (15 mins-45mins) I'm literally in tears. Then the pain is out of control. I can't seem to get it at an even. And the nurse while nice, makes me feel like a bother. Oh, and at some point when I was under ananesthesia someone hurt my foot. Feels like a bad sprain. So that doesbt help. I'm still waiting for the surgeon to make his rounds. Intill he does I'm on ice chips only.

Sorry for all the whining, I'm just so overwhelmed.

Where is your husband in all this. He should be raising holy hell. Throwing a hissy fit until your pain is being managed.

Nurses are very overworked, and hospitals are understaffed, and it's unfortunate that you have to act like an ass to get treated well...but yeah...I've had lots of experiences with family in hospitals and over the course of 30 years and multiple states, I have seen that people with family advocating for them get much better services than those that do not.

Scott

My hubby is right by my side. He has been advocating for me, but there is just so much the nurses can do. The surgeon finally came to see me (at 10 last night) and ordered a pain pump. So I got some good sleep. That helps tremendously.