Family member in hospital

Yes, many times with my significant other.

Have had struggles to keep my mouth shut. Not usually about stuff like this but one time their OR time was going 3+ hours longer than anticipated and they just kept telling me "Yep, he's still back there" and it was killing me inside because that's literally all they would tell me. Turns out laproscopic turned half open? Would have been nice to be aware so I could have some kind of idea when to expect. They just kept looking at me like they pitied me. I just wanted to know if my love was in critical condition..

Have had a nurse give too much pain medication and I watched respirations for hours to make sure they would be ok while the nurse spent literally hours because her patient across the hall eloped. SO had been getting 0.5mg dilaudid consistently for severe pain and she gave him 1.5mg. He looked at me wide eyed the moment she gave it and said I THINK MAYBE SHE GAVE ME TOO MUCH. She insisted she was correct. 0.5 had controlled his pain just fine for him to sleep and she never came back to reassess him the entire night. He didn't need narcan thankfully, but I was up the entire night watching him.

When my MIL was on a vent the pulmonologist (She was vented/sedated d/t respiratory failure) came in, ignored our entire family and went "mmhmm" and walked back out without saying a word to us.

Had a doctor give my SO only oral pain medications after a complicated surgery (diff than the one above, was a revision of a previous surgery). His nurse asked the MD for pain medications as he woke up crying out for help and asking why it hurt so bad. Literally in tears. Then his nurse went to lunch and we didn't see another nurse despite call bell for over an hour (With him intermittently crying out confusedly "Help me" and this is a <30 year old with a serious surgery, no hx substance abuse or anything). Finally a nurse came in and told us his nurse was at lunch and she was covering but couldn't find another nurse on the floor to witness the waste so she couldn't give the medication.

I've also had good experiences too. I sent pizza to both day and night shift at one hospital because they were attentive and just overall competent like the care that you'd hope your family got. I've thanked many a nurse and doctor. I've written more than one letter of recognition or "acknowledgement" cards for good staff members.

I generally don't tell them a nurse, but occasionally they ask when I get into situations like those from above. I am honest when they ask, but don't say it if they don't.

/r/nursing Thread