Grumpy Nurses

Has anyone else ever experience a nurse with the compassion of a snapping turtle? I mean the kind that is as pleasant as stepping barefoot on a lego in the middle of the night. Most nurses in my hospital stay experiences, while always busy, have been kind and nuturing. Then there is always that "one" The one that sighs and rolls her eyes if you need assistance or thinks it's easier to just shut your door when your crying in pain. And why is it, they always come on shift the moment DH for other friends and family have left and your there alone to fend for yourself? Wondering if anyone else experiences this or if I'm just a weiner.

My nurses weren't grumpy but the patient assistants were. I asked one to help me get up and lay down the first time she had no idea on how to move a patient. I tried to walk her through how to do it and she walked out of the room.

If you are still in the hospital, ask for the nurse in charge. Explain the situation and ask if you can get a different nurse assigned to you. In most cases they will accommodate your request. Good luck & speed recovery.

My nurse on my 2nd and 3rd day (day shift) left a lot to be desired! When I would push the call button I always asked for exactly what I needed and she would come in and ask me what I wanted with a big attitude! Sorry to bug you, but you are my nurse! The OB/GYN surg ward was full so I was in the next unit...Did't find out until my 2nd night there that every time I pushed the nurse's call button, they had to get a nurse from the other unit to come take care of me because they were not allowed to!

The best (looking back now I can laugh at the ridiculousness of it) part of my stay was the morning after surgery. They took my cath out and a few hours later I paged for someone to help me to the bathroom. I still had my IV. I had already thrown up once that A.M. As I'm sitting on the throne, started to feel sick and asked the patient care tech to get the bucket....so she gets the bucket, shoves it through the crack of the bathroom door and takes off! So i puked my guts out... have puke coming out of my nose and dribbling off my chin. I reach for some toilet paper to wipe my face, the whole roll flies out and hits the floor behind the toilet! Can't reach the papertowels, so just use my gown since I'm about to take a shower. She finally peeks her head back in and asks if I'm OK. Then proceed to tell me that seeing people get sick makes her sick! I'm thinking she picked the wrong career path.

She then asks if I still want to take a shower (of course I do... need to get the puke off me) So I ask her to get my shampoo etc out of my bag for me. She gets my stuff and sets it on the FLOOR of the shower. Then she gets a plastic arm glove to cover my IV, tapes it up, leaves to get towels....shoves those through the door and poof...she's gone again. So, I started the water, had to bend down 23 hrs post TAH to get my shampoo, conditioner and facewash and body soap. So much for patient care. She magically reappeared after I had already dried off and was getting my clean jammies on. The whole time I was praying my DH would get to the hospital early (visiting hrs were at 10 A.M.) , but since it was only 9:15, I knew it wasn't likely. But hey, I survived!

I must say that all my nurses were angels....each and every one of them. I never had a mean one. And I had two different hospital admissions; one for the hyst and one 3 weeks later to the same hospital for a blood clot (DVT).

Forgot this on previous reply... my fist night in the castle I had my door open because I was SO HOT! They had already turned the air down, so I just slept with it open and my IPOD drowing ou the noise.... until at about 3-4 A.M. they are cleaning the carpet with a big shampooer right outside my door. ???? I paged the nurse to close my door and she acted like I had just asked her to move mountains! "Uh...OK"

I Too Experienced Nurse Ratchet. I Was In Soo Much Pain Coming From All The Extensive Repairs, Horrible Bladder Spasms, And This Woman Acts Like This Should Be A Walk In The Park And That Crying For Pain Meds Was Uncalled For, Being A Nurse Myself , If They Don't Want Or Like Taking Care Of People In Need Then Find A New Career. One Bad Nurse Can Make You Dred The 8 Hrs That She Is Working !!!!

Ariel33
It may bemuse you (have big smile on my face) that I had a couple "fun" incidents while at castle. Long & short of it my 1st CNA (?6 hrs after surgery) came into room to empty catheter grabs a plastic container & while emptying it it broken & urine all over floor. Instead of just being bummed (I would have blurted out a foul word) & imeediately going to get paper towels from bathroom, she panic'd and started flinging her urine soaked hands about (yes all over me , my one little table etc.) then poked head out door asking for a janitor. TG my friend had just arrived & experienced the whole event with me. I asked my friend to go get this panic's CNA some paper towels. Finally she went a way for a few moments as I was totally stressing out with the flings of urine everywhere (great, can't move, in pain & now urine all over me, in my water ....) DH & Dad arrive while floor still wet & told them to carefully walk against wall & immediately go to back side of room. Janitor comes in and merely dries up urine. Not me, not my water - nothing. **Yes I know urine is sterile but overnight it can start to smell & personally I don't like urine all over me So, friend finds my nurse & explains that although the CNA is supposed to come & clean up none of us were confident that she could or knew how to properly. Later I was talken for walk & bed changed/floors washed. Next day lunch - mind you as mentioned before I have one tiny table with magazines in neat stack, ipod & phone plus water. Food person come s to bring lunch says to me "boy your table is crowded" and instead of moving magazines to other table/chair whatever she proceeds to push tray onto table knocking my ice water all over my ipod/phone & of course me. A large glass of ice water (chip with water - very cold!) She just stands there as a gasp then just puts her head out door looking for someone to help. I in turn leap out of bed & go get ME some papertowels as ice water is not feeling great let alone not good for electronics. She actually just stood there & said "oh! did I get you wet? What she blind? I then promptly lost it & screamed at her to get out of my room. Yes that was not a good idea jumping out of bed but natural reaction. Dr pops head in room ???1/2 later as I am trying to calm down listening to ipod & sees look on face - promptly discharges me. I know there is a ton of great nurses, CNAs & I had wonderful treatment with the exception of these to nimrods. It just seems so unbelievable that such incompetent people can be dpoing jobs they just aren't cut out for. I laugh at it now but ooooooo - not then :smile5:

They don't make nurses like the used to!! only my last one was good. I had one that kept forgetting things and when you reminder her would get angry and raise her voice. I mean ... seriously. Crying here waiting an hour for meds and a reminder isn't needed? Then I had the ones who never came when called and assumed dh could handle me, the one who refused to answer questions, and the one that barely spoke english. UGH!

I had a great experience in the hospital and only one nurse did not take real good care of me. Right after they took my pain pump away and put me on oral meds I got a new nurse. when I called for my meds she never came. Several assistants and my DH looked for her and told her to come but she took an HOUR. I just about lost it and was in a lot of pain. At the end I yelled at my DH and told him get someone NOW. I guess he finally got her attention because she came in a few minutes later.

That same night the same nurse helped me get to the bathroom. She told me to pull the call "string" when I was done and she would come right in and help me back to bed.
I pulled the string and she never came. A cleaning person found me in there and helped me to bed. The nurse never came back. I am glad I only had her that one night. All the other nurses were great and very helpful.

Helti
TAH-kept ovaries