Compassion or Paycheck

I hate going to the hospital when I am not working.  That being said, today I forced myself to go in as a patient.

My vision was blurry yesterday and I had a really bad headache.  The pain didn't bother me but I was convinced of the worst with the blurry vision.  I let it go and then again today it came back, although I was driving this time.   It lasted 3 hours.  At this time I was convinced I had a brain tumor causing this (we always think of the worst).

I decided to find a ride to the hospital because of the blurry vision.

Check in-the nurse was trying every way to joke with me and I just wasn't in the mood.  Poor guy didn't even get a laugh out of me.  BP 135/95, for me thats high.  Numbness and tingling in my arms. Blurry vision.  Head pain.  Thankfully he sent me to CT since there was an hour wait for a bed and the results would be back by the time the doc came back.

Back in a room-took a medical professional 24 minutes to realize I was in there....at this time I could have been dead if I was seriously ill.  It was the doctor who came in and wanted to know what he could do for me.  Didn't he read my triage note before he came in?  I explained what was wrong and his first thing was you have a migraine.  I questioned it because it wasn't like my normal migraines.  He said well we could get you a CT scan and make sure everything is okay....I told him I already had one and he said theres no way.  Dude, I'm pretty sure I know I just went to CT and almost passed out in the room.  At this point I was irritated....why are you as a doctor not prepared to see your patients?

He also did not even examine me.  Hello, blurry vision, head and neck pain, why aren't we checking for increased ICP, PERRLA, hypertensive crisis, etc?

He wants to know what kind of pain shot I want.  Never once did I complain about pain.  Im allergic to morphine and dilaudid so I can barely take anything for pain, therefore my tolerance is high and I try to get it over it with relaxation breathing.  So now Im thinking he just wants to make me happy and get me out.  I ask for zofran.

The nurse comes in tells me he has zofran for me, doesn't examine me or ask why I am there.  I ask for water and he says it dissolves under your tongue you do not need it.  I insist on water because zofran tastes like chalky strawberry and it was a big deal to get me a dixie cup with a sip of water.

Doc says I have a bad sinus infection causing inflammation which could cause ocular migraines which was what I was having.  I ask if its going to keep happening daily and he says, it shouldn't.  No crap, no one should lose their vision for hours each day.

Discharge planner comes in and asks if she can have my prescriptions filled and that a nurse would be in shortly to discharge me and my prescriptions would be done in 15 minutes.

Finally 45 minutes later I get discharge papers and the nurse does not retake my vitals (my BP was elevated pretty high for me) or even ask if I am feeling any different.

Why do I share this with you?  Because it makes me realize that it takes a special person to be a good nurse.  I am so thankful to work with those special people.  I would love to see some nurses come to Children's Hospital of Michigan and put in one shift there....I am sure they would not come back.  There is little to no time to sit down and Facebook or even go to the bathroom sometimes.

Nursing should be more than a paycheck.