Nasty allergic reaction

A friend on FB messaged me stating that she would send me her donor card number so I could ask the Drs to check she was a match and she added she would come on the next plane (she lives in Germany) if needed. I was so touched as I have never met her! I hope at least that my experience will encourage my friends and relatives to donate blood.

Today I had a terrible headache so nurse gave me fentanyl and IV Zofran for the nausea. It didn’t work so she added Endone and Lorazepam-still didn’t work so I decided to have a shower as my stomach was gurgling and thought the soothing sensation of the shower may help. However, when I stood up I nearly collapsed!

I asked the nurse to bring me a shower chair as I was concerned that I would fall over in the shower. At first the water felt soothing on my skin, however then it began to feel really hot and itchy. My cheeks were a bright red and my upper torso matched. I just couldn’t stop scratching!! My nurse said she would call the Dr so I waited. I felt very hot in the shower so wrapped a towel around me and lay down and waited. In the end I buzzed and a nurse entered and told me they were in the middle of night duty so the night staff would help me thread the IV bag through and she left without pulling the curtain back across, leaving me visible with just my towel around my top half! I just started crying and I dreaded the night nurse helping me as I had her last night and she was not friendly or kind and I just couldn’t face that personality today of all days.

Luckily the other nurse returned and fixed it for me. She told me that she hadn’t heard back from the Dr and had handed it over to the night nurses.She thinks it might be an allergic reaction to Allopurinol.  I still felt nauseous, in pain and itchy, despite her giving me some Endone and Calomine lotion. When I put the lotion on it felt like my skin was sizzling against the cool lotion! Weird sensation!

The night nurse was not helpful. She barely spoke two words to me so I asked the other nurse if the Dr had called back. Finally 2hrs later I had had enough and grabbed some stuff along with my laptop to escape to the patient lounge room. As I passed I asked the nurse if they had heard from the Drs and the grouchy nurse then came out and handed me a Phenergan. I asked her what the dose was and she snapped at me. ‘what was that?’ I re-iterated the question and she said 25mg. I sighed saying I had had 50mg of it already (realised later it was Endep) and then nurses weren’t impressed stating that they couldn’t give it to me then as it was a high dose (but they had already put it in my hand) I told them it wouldn’t make any difference and walked down the corridor. I just had to walk away as I was getting so mad! Went into the patient lounge room and just cried and cried.

 I had to keep slathering on calamine lotion so my arms and upper torso are a sexy pasty white! I have hibernated out here away from my rude night nurse as I just cannot face her right now. Am worried I will either cry or yell at her if I see her, or both! At least the pain and nausea has gone… now just have to wait for the itchy, hot skin to bid me goodbye as well ;)

Its difficult as being a nurse I expect to be treated the way I would treat one of my patients and so when I receive bad nursing care I feel disappointed, angry and frustrated. I have to say, as a whole, the majority of the nursing staff here are very kind and caring-which makes the nurses whom don't share in those characteristics stand out even more. I know we all have our bad days and working night duty is not easy but when the nurses tried to shrug off the night nurse's behaviour the following day by saying 'well that's night duty nursing for you' I shook my head and told them "well I work night duty but I still manage to give my patients a smile and ensure they receive pain relief, etc if they are in pain or unwell, so that is no excuse I'm sorry".