Post op PTSD? Or am I going crazy?

Hello Sisters

I think about my surgery and my complications frequently.. I had a REALLY bad nurse. She was as close to evil as I ever want to come.. I tried to file a complaint with the proper people at the hospital, and they came in while she was standing there, and announced what they were there for (my complaint against her) She denied me pain meds after my surgery turned into an 11 hour (not 5) procedure. She was rude condescending and not very sympathetic to my situation.. I have nightmares about how she treated me. I really feel like this has hindered my recovery. I feel paranoid. The only thing that happened after my complaint was she made it her goal to get me out of the hospital ASAP. I was out in less than 24 hours. (From my complaint) The wheelchair never came and I walked myself out of the hospital alonemjust to get away from her. (Lugging more than I should have been carrying--mind you I hadnt walked further than the toilet in 4 days) I ended up with a serious infection after getting home. I could go on forever. I have tried to follow up with my complaint with the hospital, to no avail. I have even considered getting a lawyer.

Please send me any thoughts you have. It's keeping me up at night. It;s affecting my mind and my spirit.

I feel alone and am alienating a lot of my friends. I want her to know that she can't treat people like this.

Any thoughts? I just want to be happy and healthy.

Cherish

Wow -

I am so, so sorry that you went through that. If I had a similar experience, I think, like you -- I would be pursuing it. If she was that cruel and uncaring, someone needs to know. Have you talked with floor or nursing supervisor? I would MOST DEFINATELY look into filing a formal complaint.

I pray you are feeling better. NO ONE should have to walk themselves out of the hospital carrying items -- NO ONE. No wonder you developed an infection. And to deny someone pain meds is beyond belief and beyond evil -- as you described.

Please also try to rest your mind and spirit -- you will need that to be able to start to heal properly.

:

I am so sorry for your experience. Once in my life I have had a nurse that was just evil and didn't want her any where around me. It was at the delievery of my first child. I guess I was fortunate enough that just talking to the supervisor was enough to assign me another nurse. That is the same hospital I had my TAH and I had great help.
If I was in your situation I would not stop until someone did something. First of all you should NOT walk out of the hospital after major surgery. My DH had a hand surgery and he was send home in 4 hours and he was still taken out to our car in wheel chair !!! Secondly yes you recovery could have been hindered by denying medication simply because if pain is not controled and if you don't stay on top of it, it gets so bad that it is hard to control. Not having proper care can definitely prolong your recovery. From what I know ALL hospitals have 1-800 number where you can file complaint and I would complain again until someone does something.
and good luck. Keep us posted.

I can relate to your experience and I do think one can have PTSD from a bad surgery experience. I also had a couple of nasty nurses and that just added to the trauma. Surgery by itself it a kind of trauma. I also had an absolutely horrendous bowel cleansing experience (it was literally torture) the day before which added to the whole thing.

It's not easy also, to have lots of anger and no where to direct it. I vented to my husband a lot but it still rankles when I think about it even over 3 months later.

(((Cherish))) I'm sorry your focusing on the negative experience you had with that nurse is keeping you up at night.

Perhaps it might help to try to remember back on the positive parts of your hospital experience? After all, that one nurse could not have been on duty 24 hours a day, right? You must have had at least two other nurses, maybe more... were any of them kind to you?

I'm rather surprised that you were not *required* to be wheeled out of the hospital in a wheelchair - that's something that has been non-negotiable in every hospital I've ever been in, whether it be for surgery or in the ER. Did you leave the hospital on your own without checking out and waiting to be escorted?

Have you considered counseling/therapy to help you to change your focus to healthier areas and to move forward with your life? A qualified therapist could tell you whether or not this is PTSD and help you through it so you can once again enjoy the company of your friends.

s,
-Linda

Surfer babe

I really am not tryin to focus on the negative, it just gets to me sometimes. I was told to call my ride (35 miles away) I Told her he was here, she called for a wheel chair..15 minutes after he got there, she said have him pull up front (red zone)then I sat for an hour waiting for a chair. I had a personal bag of hygeine products my laptop) I asked the nurses station and they gave me no advice I was finally so distraught by the lack of helpfulness..I asked bags in hand which way was out and one of them saw who I was and pointed down a hallway.

The nurses worked 12 hour shifts, she was smack dab on the middle of my awaye hours. I had Nurse Wratchett (sp?) 36 of 72 hours. The others were better but quite often I was chasing the pain trying to get it under control with the others.

I am seeking some help..

Thanks
CTD

CTD: don't feel guilty for feeling angry and frustrated about having a lousy hospital experience--you are perfectly within your rights to feel so. Trying to focus on the very few positives isn't the best way to deal with it, imo. You need to allow yourself to feel what you feel and not distract yourself too much or it may take longer to get over it.

I had a horrible experience too, much to my shock, but there were a couple of nice nurses who seemed to treat me like a human being. The rest: pfft! Including one male health attendant (I'd be surprised if he were an actual nurse) who was downright petty and borderline sadistic with me when I was literally only 30 minutes out of surgery.

I was shocked at the horrible experience because I'd had many dealings over a 5-year period with this hospital's outpatient dept. and had been impressed at the staff's kindness and efficiency. But the inpatient hospital experience was quite the 180.

So I think I understand how you're feeling. I couldn't leave there fast enough and if I'd been kept waiting in the wheelchair like you were, I probably would have done the same thing.

Interesting story, CTD. I have had a couple of bad experiences with nurses. Fortunately they aren't the majority, most nurses are great, but that doesn't help when you're in a vulnerable position and someone's being mean to you. I had a nurse who would not give me anything for pain right out of surgery. She was very judgmental, made me feel like I was being a big baby because I had some pain? Doesn't everybody after major surgery? She offered me a tylenol, can you believe that?

Many years ago I had surgery on my shoulder and woke up in recovery with a bad spasm going all the way down my arm. Again, nurse acted like I was being a baby. Sigh. The spasm didn't relax until that evening, it was hideous. But these are also exceptions, because I've had a few surgeries, and most of them have gone without a hitch.

I think you are certainly justified to filing a complaint, but I hope that once it's filed you can get this nasty woman out of your head. She doesn't deserve to live there rent-free, you know what I mean? Anytime I get really angry with someone I start ranting mentally, and it's not good. Better to vent the anger, do what I can, and then -- get rid of it. Anyway I can. Because she's not suffering from your anger -- you are. I'm sure you know that. Just want to offer a little support and a bit of experience. Hang in there, rest and get well. She can't hurt you now.

I'm sorry your hospital experience was such a downer for you.

I don't think there's a (((sister))) here who hasn't had a negative experience along the line, whether it was at the doc's office, the hospital, or wherever. I've certainly had them.

Anger only gets you so far... and then it stops being constructive. Because you are very delicate right now, I'd strongly suggest that you concentrate on your recovery right now, not on the nurse. Once you are healed, then you can take up the matter when you are strong again. But right now, your recovery is your job #1. Rest, drink your water, and practice all of your training.

As far as the wheelchair issue is concerned, I now see that it was you who walked out of the hospital, not the nurse who forced you to walk out without a wheelchair. I was worried that you were not provided the opportunity to be taken out in a wheelchair. At my hospital, I recall a wait of at least an hour to be escorted to my waiting dh.

I really don't think a nurse can be evil. That's an awfully strong word, and I think the nurses who are also (((sisters))) here would take great offense to the word when most nurses are so very caring and considerate. I understand that you were only referring to one person, but it is still very harsh imho.

To MJD2491 --

I have to politely disagree that the word "evil" is too strong a word. I believe that in denying someone pain medicaiton -- someone who was obviously struggling and in severe pain, I DO think that is "evil". I really do. How would you feel if that were you being denied meds?

For me, I was in excrutiating pain, debilitating pain a few days after my surgery and had to travel an hour by car crying and screaming due to a complicaiton. I can't imagine the hospital NOT giving me any pain meds. I couldn't sit - all I could do was pace and hit the walls because I couldn't talk for the pain. To deny someone comfort is wrong and yes, in some cases it can be construed as evil.

I think that Cherish is right to feel how she is feeling and it is in her right to file a complaint. Does she need to rest now and concentrate on getting better -- yes. However, if I were her, I would be seeking a complaint as well on someone who was obviously being cruel.

Not all nurses are evil, I know that -- but this one sure sounded like she was!

to all!!