So let me preface this by apologzing to any one who reads this and who may be in the medical profession - I know there are quuite a few people who get email notifications of this so again please dont take offense this is just my feelings and what I think now written in a way that I may be able to look back and learn what I as a patient could do differently.
This hospital stay has seemed to be full of people not quite sure of what is where - ive had super nice nurses and have no complaints what-so-ever about them I think instead it is about residents and about people coming in to a patients room and doing their thing without ever taking 5 seconds to introduce themselves. This is my venting about the pharmacy backwardness and what seems to be a really big lack of communication. And last it is about providrs being in one location and surgeries being at another facility in another city so communication break down happens.
I actually generally dont mind residents the ones that are aweful (thankfully all a good bunch on my neurosurgeons team) I tend to think they can learn a lesson or two but thankfully I can ask them to try to do little things such as just introducing themselves. I get frustrated when after surgeries the drs communicate with your parents but then dont come and talk to you - as the patient I tend to think we have differet questions than our family and that we deserve to know from their hands/mouths whatt they found and feel will happen next. Communication third hand or second hand is never the same as it is first hand from the involved providers. As pateints giving our bodies and our trust to these providers the simple little things do matter. And I absolutely get tthat providers have many other cases in which they likely have surgeries so maybe they cant come right after surgery but then even a phone call later in the day for 3 mins would make a patient (or atleast myself) feel better bc I would have an idea of what my drs are thinking as far as the machines and future such as discharge. Even if the plans change in my opinion a patient informed is going to be a better patient than a patient un-informed nad stressed about what or when something may happen or discharge may occur. As patients we also often have to let other people know who may want to visit the following day or let our family know if discharge may occur soon. Again these things can all change and as a patient I believe most of us or atleast myself get that it's just the simpler idea of having some idea when things might improve, when things might feel better or when they feel you might get to go home.
I just feel like this - procedure and in-patient stay has been rather low on communication - the pharmacists seem to want to re-write the scripts to when they want to give it - for instance today I had surgery this morning so usually the norm would be to swap the short acting medication a chronic pain patient is on and switch in a new med so that the nerve receptiors respond better to covering the new acute (short term) pain - generally long acting meds are left alone and cont'd. For whatever reason with this surgery no one wrote orders for any different pain med and when I asked my nurse if I could have something of my own at home short acting med for the joint pain to try nnd help sleep or just be more comfortable she went to get this (I bring in 3 of my meds that the pharmacy doesnt have in stock and then these are kept locked in a separate drawer). So anyways she went to ask the pharmacist and whoever is here told her I could have the long acting med (not ment for acute pain is used for chronic pain to bridge the gap and prevent ebbs and flows in pain ups and downs). but not one of the short acting immediate release medications. I asked why especially since these are my home meds, my Pain dr has talked to my neurosurgeons team, i'd only taken 1 so far today and had just had surgery this morning to (!!!) so she went back out (this nurse is so sweet) and talked to the Pharm who finally gave it up - I have to say a perfect reason why if drs arent going to switch a patients meds post-op for a few days for better pain control then as a patient keep some of your own med in your purse! (I didnt do this). I just feel like soooooo, soooooooooooooooooooooooo many doctors and pharmacists totally dont understand chronic vs acute pain and that acute pain still should be treated differently in chronic pain pts. I had the very same conversation with the anesthesiologist about chronic vs acute pain this morning when I went down to the holding area for about 20mins from here on the NICU floor and I just was amazed yet again tha an anesthesiologist of all people wouldnt get the difference in these types of pain issues/control. Dont get me wrong this guy was also nice but I dont quite think he got it - sometimes I think when it comes to this stuff w/knowedgeable patients even if we are giving accurate information are still tuned out.
Im sure i'll have more to write about tomorrow but for now am having a bit of a hard time making ut what im writin so am going to try and get some sleep.
Night all,
Erica
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