Indiana Pouch

Linda,

Not sure what they first had me on at hospital but I asked for Ativan...and after I got it, I was much better, and I took it a few times after going home.

So sorry to hear you had a visit with a nurse who treated you so very poorly...and mean spirited....I think when we are sick and upset, sometimes such behavior so surprises us that we don't immediately respond by yelling back at them...glad to hear the others on the nursing staff were listening to your concerns.

Hang in there; you're on your way; things improve; stay tuff.
Hugs,

Mikes "trip" reminded me that when I was still on the automatic epidural the cartridge ran out before the pharmacy could get another one up so they gave me something called "delauted" sic. Apparently this drug facilitates time travel, cuz it sent me back to the 60's.

Nursing issues - during one dr visit in hospital the dr. noted my cathetor was blocked and found it was not being cleared regularly by the nursing staff as they had been instructed. Dr. ripped them a "new one" very publicly. Didn't have a problem with that again. Rule number 1. Never, EVER take crap from the staff.

Pat, you were way, waaaay to nice to that nurse.

Diarhea. Found I would get that on occasion after the hospital. I am assuming that it has to do with the missing bowel. It seems that I could have a perfectly normal movement one minute and then without warning - a waterfall. seems to be related to a magic formula concerning a large amount of fluid being drunk and overeating, in other words, my normal eating pattern. It is like the fluid just passes thru me without being absorbed. Am trying to change that pattern (I will miss that however).

Lee

As I read many of these posts, I am always wondering how to get the knowledge many of you have from experiences into a format that others could use. Pat's list of expert doctors, other peoples tips on recovery or choices in RC. Your expertise really should be documented somewhere since it goes beyond the normal books. Perhaps an FYI that includes things like Mikes flow chart.

You all truly are so valuable to those just learning and needing some positive support, expert advice, or even humor when needed.... so thanks,
Vi

Well, there is that...

Reminds me of the nurse on day 3 after cystectomy that said to me "You've got to get your pain under control"........If slugging her would have been the solution i would have done it. I told her i actually didn't know that was my job and could she please give me the hourly rate for that and who do i bill?
I was the most popular person on the floor after that. I told my surgeon to get me out of there ASAP before one of them killed me.
You know..my mom was a nurse...and she was a nurse back in the days when there were no aides...she not only took care of patients but cleaned the bathrooms!
Just sucks to get treatment like that.
pat
And Mike..don't blame the meds..you know you're an exibitionest

Wow! That nurse sucked! On the bright side, I'm guessing your intestines have awaken. While it isn't fun, I can tell you from personal experience that diarrhea is better than not having them wake up for 12 days. Might not seem like it right now, but you are on your way to recovery.

On the topic of the anti-nausea drugs, apparently I had a big interaction with phergan. My night nurse turned into a centaur. I got all messed up on that stuff and pulled out everything except the foley catheter (NG tube, multiple IV lines) and all of my clothes (if you count a hospital gown as clothes).

It sure was embarrasing when I came out of the delerium and had to call for a nurse to help me get untangled from the tubes, get IV's back in, and get 'dressed' again.

My wife had even warned me and I had even told them I didn't want phenergan but the nurse said she didn't have any Zofran or something like that. Said she'd only give me a little phenergan and it shouldn't cause a problem. NOW I list it as an allergy on my arm band if I am in the hospital.

The part that's too bad is that it was a different nurse that had to do all the work to get me put back together again. It should have been the nurse that decided phergan was ok to give me. If I wasnt' wasted on morphine, I think I'd have put up more of a fight when she said she'd just give me a little.

I hope your recovery from this point on improves quickly, the diarrhea gets under control and you're able to get something to eat soon!

Oh yeah, the correct answer to her statement about crying is "I'm crying because you are an EVIL B*TCH that doesn't belong in nursing and I'm recovering from surgery and don't need any of your crapola AND if you think I'm cleaning this up let's just get the nursing supervisor down here RIGHT NOW so he or she can explain who gets to do the cleanup and how you go about claiming unemployment!". I haven't copyrighted that quote so feel free to use it if the need ever arises again. I hope it doesn't.


Mike