Thank you also for understanding. It feels SO good to be able to "tell it like it is" and not be condemned for it. I have taken my surgery reports to the ER too in hopes that it would help, but they still put me through a BUNCH of tests and the usual painful things they do... and when I tried to be more aggressive about getting strong pain relief from them, they REALLY treated me like a junkie and sent me home with 800 mgs ibuprophen *sighs* Like I said before, I am done with the ER. The letter from anonymous kinda clinched it for me, plus I am just tired of being treated like garbage. Thanks for your reply hun and I hope that you have good luck if you need to go to the ER. *Hugs*
>Tami-I counldn't agree with you more. I've been treated the same way.
>Why is it that unless we are hunched over, crying in pain, barely able
>to walk before 'they' believe we are truly in pain. I found it
>unbelievable the many doctors who didn't believe me. I never knew a
>person could feel so frustrated. I plan on taking a copy of my
>post-operative reports with me the next time I have to go to the
>ER.(just in case) I'm sorry-but when it says 'hemmoragic lesions' that
>means bleeding holes which equals PAIN to me,duh. I've learned to stand
>and be more forceful about asking for pain relief after reading about a
>Patients Right to Pain Relief (found somewhere on this site).
>
>Sending a smile and
>wishes for a less painful day(I'm being realistic here)
>Gloria
>
>At Sat, 30 Jun 2001, Tami Dana wrote:
>>
>>At Tue, 19 Jun 2001, anonymous wrote:
>>>
>>>I found this site by accident and have read so many stories of
>>>"mistreatment" by nurses and doctors in ERs when you come to us in pain.
>>>I want you to think of it in our terms.
>>>
>>>You wander in day and night, most of you walking on your own, in no
>>>apparent acute distress.
>>>You register and wait, telling everyone in the busy waiting area that
>>>you MUST be seen immediately, "because you hurt so badly."
>>>You take up valuable space in busy trauma and emergency medicine
>>>departments complaining of terrible pain in your abdomen, and you tell
>>>us you must get pain meds for the pain.
>>>
>>>One a pain assessment scale of 1-10, virtually all of you cite between
>>>an 8 and a ten. But you aren't perspiring, crying, vomiting, bloated,
>>>or acting like you are acutely ill.
>>>
>>>Many of you refuse to have x-rays, scans and other diagnostic studies
>>>because you say "all those tests have been done a million times and they
>>>are always negative" but you demand pain medication!!
>>>You tell us you have adhesions but adhesions are nothing more than
>>>layers of scarring that have no nerve endings. How can this cause pain?
>>>
>>>I am told "I need 100 mg of Demerol, IM " by someone who refuses to
>>>allow us to examine them, and when we refuse to give you narcotics you
>>>become upset.
>>>
>>>What do you want from us? If every drug addict walked into my ER and did
>>>what many of you do, they'd be booted out by Security but for some
>>>reason, you feel we are treating you unfairly??
>>>
>>>Maybe instead of asking for pain medication, you might benefit from
>>>talking to a therapist who can help you deal with your "pain"?
>>>
>>>If we do an MRI or flat plate and see something suspicious., of course
>>>you'll be treated aggressively, and receive sympathy and medication.
>>>Otherwise, please understand, we are not a narcotic dispensing
>>>department for everyone with indigestion or cramps.
>>
>>I KNOW that so many of you have replied and I am also replying a bit
>>late, and it is probably pointless to reply..but I am going to do it
>>anyway!
>>I have SO much to say about this and I am SO angry right now, I don't
>>know where to start =*(
>>I wish I had a quarter for everytime I was told by someone in the
>>medical "Profession" (I use the term profession loosely) that adhesions
>>DO NOT hurt, if I did, I would have enough money to buy a car!! What I
>>am about to say might sound terrible, I am sorry if it does..but it is
>>the truth and I think that I need to say it... Before I found my PCP
>>and before I had insurance, when I would have a severe pain flair-up, I
>>would have to go to the ER, after going there a few times and being
>>treated like a junkie looking to get high (they treated me this way when
>>I told them of my ARD and ovarian, hernia, and MANY surgery that I had),
>>they would KILL me with the pelvic exams, vaginal ultrasounds, poking
>>and prodding me..then give me a shot of Toradol and send me home, so
>>basically I would go home feeling even WORSE than when I got to the ER.
>>Anyway, after going through this a few times... I went to the ER one
>>night at about 2am in excruciating pain from ARD and my other problems
>>and I was close to just ending it all and commiting suicide.. my
>>husband was a wreck and didn't know what to do, he wanted to call the
>>squad and I said NO! But finally, I couldn't take the pain so agreed to
>>go to the ER... this is the part that I am sure I will hear about from
>>a few people, but, here goes. When I got to the ER, I told them that I
>>had fallen down the stairs on the way to the restroom.. I told them
>>that I hurt my hip and my butt... and guess what?
>>They treated me SUPER, they gave me a pain shot before sending me for
>>x-rays, then sent me home with strong pain meds and muscle relaxers...
>>When I got home, although I did feel better and the pain was tolerable,
>>I began to cry, and cry, and cry... It was awful! =*( I was SO guilt
>>ridden for what I had just done, I almost contemplated going back to the
>>ER and telling them and then screaming at them that it was horrible that
>>I had to lie to them just to have them treat me like a human being and
>>not a junkie! At the time that this happened, I had no insurance, no
>>doctor because I couldn't afford to pay out of pocket, and I was
>>desperate for SOME kind of relief and some sleep, sleep is a luxury to
>>me, it was then and still is now... but anyway... I think that we live
>>in a SORRY ass (pardon my mouth) country when someone has to lie to get
>>proper care, treated like a human being, and to get a little compassion
>>from the ER. I have never done that except that one time, there was NO
>>way I could, even though I felt that I HAD to do it in order to get
>>care, the guilt was horrible and I KNOW I wouldn't be able to live with
>>myself if I did it again. Luckily I got insurance shortly after that
>>happened and found my current PCP, he is wonderful and has bent over
>>backwards to help me... BUT there are still times when I have to go to
>>the ER because my pain meds aren't working and then I get scared that
>>maybe something ruptured inside me or I have another blockage or
>>impacted again.. so reluctently I go..and you know what?? Nothing has
>>changed. They STILL treat me like snot and like I am searching for a
>>"high", they still give me a HARSH pelvic exam when they don't have to..
>>and they still tell me adhesions do NOT hurt and I need to go talk to my
>>doctor about it. Nothing changes and nothing will change until more
>>doctors and nurses educate themselves on ARD, we will keep being accused
>>of "drug seeking" or it just being in our heads... it makes me sick =*(
>>We do not live in a primative country, but when it comes to health care
>>for ARD sufferers, we might as well live in a third world country.
>>I guess what I am trying to say is this.. because of that time I had to
>>lie to get help from the ER, and now that I found this site and see that
>>I am not the only one going through this pain and bullcrap..I am also
>>kinda sure that I am not the only that has ever went to the ER and lied
>>just to get relief from this agonizing pain. So, maybe when the ER
>>nurses and doctors see someone coming to the ER alot or maybe not even
>>alot but they have been there a couple times with complaints of pain due
>>to ARD, and the docs and nurses can't SEE anything wrong, they
>>automatically lable them as a "drug seeker" and if you go back to the ER
>>with the same complaints of pain...they won't help you. BUT if you go
>>in for something else..they will, that is NOT right and there is NO
>>reason why anyone should have to lie to get some help! ARD is as REAL as
>>any other disease that causes pain, it is as real as cancer... if you
>>go to the ER for pain caused by cancer, the nurses and doctors bend over
>>backwards to take care of you and kill the pain, but go there for ARD
>>and they treat you like you are a junkie coming in for a "fix", it is
>>NOT fair! It isn't fair that I had to lie to get help, and it isn't fair
>>that right now as you read this, someone is at the ER dying in pain from
>>ARD and they HAVE to make up a story just to get relief, or they just
>>don't get any help at all, they get examined, poked, more pain put upon
>>them and then get told nothing is wrong and sent home. I don't know
>>about anyone else's experiences at the ER, but that is how it always
>>goes for me..and like I said, since I know now that I am not alone with
>>ARD, I know other people are out there going through the same thing as I
>>did (and still do). When is this ever going to stop?
>>I made the decision that I am never going back to the ER again... if my
>>pain meds aren't working, then I will call my doctor..I told my husband
>>my decision and he is NOT happy but he is also not happy about the
>>treatment I always recieve from the ER whenever I have been there, so
>>although he worries about me, he respects my decision... and I mean it
>>100%, I would rather die than to go to the ER 1 more time and get put in
>>more pain then accused and treated like a junkie.
>>Thanks everyone for listening to me.. I wrote a whole lot more than I
>>had planned on...sorry =*( I also apologize to anyone that I may have
>>offended by telling my story... I only wanted to let little miss
>>anonymous know that because of the treatment her and ALOT of medical
>>people give to us, this is ONE of the things we have to resort to just
>>to get a little relief and help...
>>*Hugs*
>>
>>--
>>With love and understanding,
>>Tami Dana
>>
-- With love and understanding, Tami Dana