At the end of your rope?

Sometimes sharing with others really helps!

Vent here!

I have struggled with HA for almost a decade now. I hate the way some doctors make you feel when you discuss flare-ups. I get so angry sometimes. I mean. Really angry!!!!!

After years of horrible experiences with preventatives I gave up and after much, much thought went the route of strictly pain management.

Boy, I thought I was treated like a drug addict before! People assume I'm walking around in some drug induced euphoria. Not the case. I still have pain everyday but it is a 2/3, which makes me function at work.

Chronic pain needs to be dealt with!

I hear you, Milo.

I started twice a day oxy in either July or August and I feel like a criminal when I have my script filled at the pharmacy. It's a legitimate, legal, authentic prescription, yet I feel like I have come by it illegally, like the pharmacist is judging me or thinks the RX is a fake, or thinks I'm faking the pain. If they only knew...

The meds have helped a bit. I am not in bed as much but I still have daily pain and fatigue. It's a horrible way to live life.

During my recent hospital stay (7 days!) I was very open about what meds I was on, I had all my pill bottles with me (so they could see it wasn't withdrawal, that I had plenty). Most of the nurses were very understanding and the Drs were great about keeping my pain under control and considering my tolerance. Except for one evil nurse Ratchett. She told me that I was "liking" the pain killers too much and that when I went into the hospital I TOLD the nurse I was addicted to painkillers!

Man, you should have seen me blow a gasket!!!!! I told her I never said I was addicted, but that I am physically dependent and that as a health care professional she should learn and understand the difference. She also tried to tell me with a little smirk on her face that the duragesic patch the Dr prescribed would start working in 1/2 an hour. Really? Then why does all the literature say 8-24 hours?? She was trying to pysch me out in to thinking I wasn't in pain. yeah, that's why I was getting 2 mg. dilaudid every 2 hours because the Drs knew I was in pain (considering my blood pressure was sky high and it's normally very low).

And the reason the Dr gave me the patch was because the nurses were so bad about getting my pain meds to me in time that I was having real difficulty keeping the pain under control.

I HATED that woman and dreaded each day when she would come in to work. I was sickenly sweet to her cause I knew I had to play her game, but man, she'll be getting one heck on an evaluation from me!

Charlotte-

That's terrible...Nurse Ratchet indeed!

I know after I had lower back surgery I had a nurse who couldn't understand why the Darvocepts were what I was asking for rather than the Morphine I had prescribed. The eensy amount of morphine wasn't touching my back pain, or the migraine that the combo of messed up sleep/eating/dehydration/pain/and surgical anesthesia had given me. At least with the Darvocepts, I could sleep while the IV re-hydrated me.

I think that some of the pain and uncontrolled chronic health issues are why I'm a student in respiratory therapy...I may not be able to prescribe to help everything, but at least I'm willing to believe you when you do say you're physically dependent, and truly NEED your meds on a timely manner.

I hope now that you're home you're feeling better as YOU can control your dosing schedule.
-Sara

I had a terrible time with the pain pump. With my pain management regime I am NEVER without pain. And I would NEVER take extra to be pain free because later it may be worse and then I would be out of meds and in a real pickle.

So, I asked exactly how many pumps I had in an hour. They told me, "just use it til you're pain free and don't worry about it". Nope, I couldn't do that...my pain Dr has programmed me to be at a2/3 , so a nurse finally told me it was set for one pump every eight minutes. Okay, one pump did not get rid of the pain but it made it tolerable. After 45 min. I was out. Then the nurses decided that maybe it was every 16 minutes. Aaarrgghhhh.

Then Nurse Ratchet said since I was so focused on the pain pump and "how much I could have" it also indicated to her that I liked it. Fortunately the nurse on the next shift came in and kindly asked me what was going on. In tears I told her I am used to chronic pain and just wanted to keep it tolerable so that if it got worse I would have enough to take of it. She understood, called the Dr. and got rid of the pump. The next morning the Dr put me on the pain patch, but forgot to order something to give me until it started working. Aaarrrrrggghhhhh. That's when Nurse Ratchet got on my case again.

You know, the thing is, the whole time I was there I had all my own pain meds in my purse. It just didn't seem ethical or smart to take my own without anyone knowing in case something happened and I did have to have surgery. I can't tell how hard it was not to just tell Rachet to f off and take my own.

Working in the field, I strongly support you writing a letter to Nurse Rachett's governing body to make a complaint. It may be that Nurse Rachett needs this brought to her attention so that she does not do this to other patients. I'm not saying she should lose her job over this, but that she likely needs a "wake-up" call to adjust her attitude.

I hemmed and hawed about writing my first ever complaint letter a few years ago about a doctor that treated me like garbage while I was in acute distress, and I'm still very satisfied with having written it.

If the letter simply makes someone look at their practice, then it's done it's job.