The nurse from HELL!!!!

[angie1962]

I just had to share this with everyone...its funny but not

I went for my first instill of heparin yesterday, of course I was a bit nervous. When I got to my appt they were behind about 20mins...more waiting..ughhh
When I finally got behind the curtain she told me to take my bottoms off and lay on the bed. She started opening up things and was dropping everything on the floor and over the tables...I just shook my head and asked her if they were still sterile...oh....I wonder she said...so then she had to leave and get a new kit. :loco:

Then as she was opening the catheter...she looked at it and said it was the wrong one. So, she leaves to find the right one with me laying there half naked and nervous as it was. She comes back and starts doing the cleaning of my pubic area with iodine. Then she asked me if I was ready and I said "are you going to use some kind of freezing/numbing?"...she looked at me like I was nuts and then...you guessed it had to leave to find something for that. (shake my head) she returns and puts the numbing gel on the tip of the catheter....the she starts to put it in...ouch...she was wiggling and jiggling and she kept asking me if it was in!!!...geez don't you know lady? haha

she then says that she thinks it went into my vagina!!! :cussing:
so..guess what...she leaves it there and leaves to go and get another catheter..so there I am with this thing hanging out of me, lying on a bed waiting :bonk:
finally she decides to get the other nurse to help her and she arrives with a flashlight...wow....is it really that hard to find???
it goes in and I'll tell ya it wasn't very easy..so much poking and proding with the first one ..then when she decides to pour in the med, she's wiggling the catheter around...I look at her and ask if she could please be a bit more gentle...oh she says...was that uncomfortable??? :bonk:

once the catheter was taken out (both actually) the easiest part of the whole procedure was holding the med for 20mins...I couldn't wait to get the heck out of there
when I left I said to her...:"maybe next week we can be alot more prepared"
I cant believe I have to do this another 5 times....God help me!!!
:help:

[Want2BPainFree]

Yes, God help you. Ask for a different nurse next time. She could have made things worse for you. Doesn't even seem like she knows where the urethra is. Obviously she's never had a catheter.

[angie1962]

the stupid thing is she told me she's been working at the hospital for 18yrs!!
I just hope that I don't end up with an infection..that's all I need

[aleet7]

the stupid thing is she told me she's been working at the hospital for 18yrs!!
I just hope that I don't end up with an infection..that's all I need

OMG!!!!! She's been there for 18yrs!!!! Maybe she's never done an instill before but goodness gracious! That would make anyone NOT want to go back! I pray that you never see her again!:loco:


Teela

[massagedoula]

Not to defend the nurse (because I can't believe that she would try to reuse sterile items that were dropped on the floor!) But in midwifery, sometimes when we have to catheterize women in labor or postpartum because they have trouble voiding...Occasionally women have really hard to find urethras, and we have to look for a LONG time, and every once in awhile the catheter does slip into the vagina. So that part isn't so odd. But the sterile thing sure is! I hope you feel Ok after this experience.

[snowgirl]

I would ask for a different nurse to do the instill for sure. Dropping it on the floor what if you would not have said anything . Yes we do if you are a difficult cath leave the one in the vagina briefly as a landmark so we don't go the same place with the next catheter. Sorry you had a terribel experience there is no reason why it should have been terrible either. Ask for another nurse or if you have to ask the office manager to assign you someone to do the instill and keep it confidential between you and the office manager. VN

[VickiB]

the stupid thing is she told me she's been working at the hospital for 18yrs!!

Doing what, I wonder? Good grief! What an ordeal you went through!

Vicki

[amaranthe]

WOW! It is a good thing YOU knew they weren't sterile anymore! I am with the others...I would definately be asking for a different nurse next time. Cant believe she worked in a hospital for 18 yrs!

[mlzippy7]

I am so sorry. I think I would think twice about going back!!
I hope you are feeling ok.
Take care!

[ICNDonna]

I suggest you ask for a different nurse next time.

Donna

[callie0767]

i am not a nurse and i can find my uretha on the first time.* i don't know that i would let her try to cath me again. just my opinion no offense.

[c2miracle]

Holy Guacamole!!! New nurse next time! Hang in there! Think Positive!!! :smile tee

[kerr4274]

Bless your heart! I would definetly ask for a different nurse next time.

[kadi]

Yes, ask for a different nurse!

I had a nurse practitioner once let go of the catheter while depressing the syringe to put the instillation liquid in---- the catheter flew out, liquid medicine went everywhere, on me, table, floor. The look on her face was priceless. And she didn't know what went wrong. I insisted that we call the other nurse to find out. She wanted to just pretend nothing happened, but I thought, how will she learn if she doesn't ask?

Good for you for not allowing her to reuse things that have fallen... An infection is the last thing you need in an already irritated bladder!

Hope the next one goes better & that the treatment brings you relief,

[Angeles]

Totally unnaceptable. Please make sure , call in advance, that the NEXT nurse who will handle the catheter is very clear on the whole process.

You should be as relaxed as possible when going through any of sort of treatment or procedure like instills, etc...is like going to a gynecologist who doest not know where the vagina is??? well I'm exarerating a bit but when you are nervous already...cammon... I'd wake away from that place, I'll run if I can.

[dverba]

it is hard but try to remember that these people work for you. it is difficult i know to find the right dr and practice but there are those out there that show compation. even though my nurse has seen me countless times, she acts like it is the first time for me and is so caring and shows concern every time. The entire practice is that way. You can tell they strive as a business to be the best practice in the state.

I went through some real jerks before finding dr. evens. 3 in my home town and 2 out side my home town. I drive about 2 hours to dr. even's office and it is worth it.

When a care giver no longer feels compasion for thier patients they have been in there to long and need a change.

The installs did not work for me, they made it worse so dr.evens only made me go through 3 of them, not counting all the ones the other jerks put me through.

[angie1962]

well ladies, I'm going today for my second installations......everyone keep your fingers crossed that I get a different nurse...I'll let you know tomorrow what happened

[jameson77]

hope you have a better experience! keep us updated! :hi:

[aleet7]

well ladies, I'm going today for my second installations......everyone keep your fingers crossed that I get a different nurse...I'll let you know tomorrow what happened

I'm praying for the nurse from Heaven for you today:angel::pray:
You deserve a very gentle and wise nurse today.
Let us know how it goes:smile tee.

Best Wishes,
Teela

[jen74]

I do not think I would ever let her near me again!!!! I am no doctor or nurse, but I was doing at home instills myself and I have to ask, HOW IN THE HECK can you mistake the vagina for the urethra???? They are no wear near each other really!!!! The urethra is much higher up that the vagina is. I am sorry, but I would not let he cath me again for more reasons than one. First, you risk getting a UTI from not using sterile conditions, second, just by her wiggling and moving things about in there, that can set you up for a UTI as well. I think if she were a new nurse, she is suppose to have a mentor there helping her. I pray you have a better experience today.
Jen

[angie1962]

well..she was there! and I thought, "Im in for it now". But she was on her supper break so the other nurse that helped her last week did it. It was alot better but still painful. Does anyone else have pain with the insertion of the catheter? I can tolerate alot of pain so I was surprised that it still bothered me. She put some freezing gel on the catheter itself and a bit on me. Still don't want to do this another 4times...but....uro also wants them to take blood after every second installation...don't know why...does anyone know?

[angie1962]

can doing the installations give you a yeast infection?? I think I have one and the only new things have been the installations and I was on antibiotics for a tooth abcess...what next?????

[VickiB]

I'm glad to hear you didn't have the same nurse this time!

I found the catheter insertion to be very unpleasant, not unlike dragging a fingernail over a sun-burned arm. I must admit I was tensed up, and have since heard it helps if one can relax. -Though I have not had another so I can't say from experience that works!

I'd expect the yeast infection has to do with the antibiotics, but perhaps something related to instillations could cause it as well? As far as taking blood, I have no idea on that one!

Vicki

[aleet7]

I'm glad that you got another nurse this time! It hurts me when the catheter is inserted too everytime. I have no idea why the doc would order blood tests after instills. I'd ask them why they need a blood test done.

Best Wishes,
Teela

[angie1962]

maybe the blood work is to check for thinning??? isn't Heparin a blood thinner? maybe he's worried about that...who knows

[aleet7]

maybe the blood work is to check for thinning??? isn't Heparin a blood thinner? maybe he's worried about that...who knows


Maybe that's it because Heparin is a blood thinner.
Best Wishes,
Teela

[dgobin]

My goodness Angie, That is awful! It reminds me of when I was in the hospital because of a near-fatal car accident that was caused by daughters mother when we were still married. Both of my lungs were punctured and deflated. The day that I was admitted, they had two chest tubes in me, one on the right side and one on the left side. Three days later, they had to repeat the procedure with two more chest tubes. Almost two weeks later, they had to go in and repair one of the lungs. The next week, they went in and repaired the other lung. I had gone through a lot by the time I met this male nurse who came in to change my I.V. This guy comes in and says hello and I say hello back and I thought it was going to be an every four hour type of thing. Not on your life! The guy takes the cap off the needle and throws the needle (like you would throw a knife) into my mattress only inches away from my hip! I look at him with amazement thinking, "help, my life is in danger!" He takes the old needle out and throws that one into the mattress right next to the other one and then takes the new needle out and puts it in and finally discards of the old needle. I was mad! Some nurses must have gotten their diplomas out of a cereal box or something. When I was 10, I had a descended testicle and I was in the hospital for them to bring it down and one night when I could hardly walk, I had to use a bedpan to pee in, and the nurse comes in and accidentally spills it all over me and then leaves me in those sheets until morning! I get very leery about nurses anymore LOL!

[luvsterriers]

WOW that nurse does sound dumb.
I never had a bladder instills done. They tried to do it once, but I was in tears and I was very tense. The nurse kinda smirked at me and even the urologist laughed at me and said that none of his patients complain about pain. Well HELLO every patient has different kinds of pain. IC pain is different for all of us. I switched urologists, but this one isn't that friendly. What's up with UNFRIENDLY urologists? I feel very uncomfortable and scared when I have to show down there to nurses/doctors. I haven't done anything, if you all know what I mean.

Anna

[ilovekittys]

A physicians assistant is there everytime i get mine done and it hurts soo bad i cry everytime it seems as though she is less sympathetic with each visit! last time she decided i should take valium! I was shocked I said "am i the only one who reacts like this to these instillations" and she was like well, there have been a few. I am trying to explain to her the profound effect this disease has had on my life, and all she says is well, you cant expect to to have all good days and these medications take time to work you need to just be patient! yeah im patient alright i pee all day and night i have a 16 month old im in pain to some degree all the time and no one could figure out what was wrong with me until I couldnt stand it anymore...:bonk:but i need to just be patient.

[sandymarie]

Oh my, I think I would have just gotten up off of the table and ran. The instills hurt bad enough when they put it in right place. I used to get them years ago. It does seem that they get less painfull , at least for me. The more I got the less painful they were. I think my bladder used to be so irratated when I finally gave in to go get them that after 2 or 3 my bladder felt better anyway. My uro always did the instill himself and the nurse just brought the chemicals in on a table for him. Are you getting DMSO and Heparin? I do pray that it gets better for you. YOu have been thru so much. I was relieved to see that you got a different nurse the second time. I do pray that you get a lot of relief when you are finished.

JJ:pray:

[krisillis]

Oh my goodness what an ordeal. I would have been so frustrated. I would definately ask for a new nurse. Your story reminds me of the new MOA that my Dr had for a short time who kept scheduling people for PAP tests every time they called to make an appointment. She even did it to me! All I wanted was a prescription refill. It was quite a shock for me and the Dr. when she started setting up. LOL!

Christine

[aleet7]

WOW that nurse does sound dumb.
I never had a bladder instills done. They tried to do it once, but I was in tears and I was very tense. The nurse kinda smirked at me and even the urologist laughed at me and said that none of his patients complain about pain. Well HELLO every patient has different kinds of pain. IC pain is different for all of us. I switched urologists, but this one isn't that friendly. What's up with UNFRIENDLY urologists? I feel very uncomfortable and scared when I have to show down there to nurses/doctors. I haven't done anything, if you all know what I mean.

Anna

I dumped my unfriendly urologist! My new one seems so knowledgeable (sp.) and concerned. I had one instill that set my bladder on fire(with Elmiron). I had spasms for two days but felt so much better days later.
Best wishes,
Aleet7

[jen74]

I am sorry you had such a bad experience. I know what you mean about doctors being rude and unfriendly. Most of them are out there to make a buck and that is it, they do not care whether they inflict pain on us or not. It is truely sad. There are still some good doctors out there, they are just not many.
Jen






I dumped my unfriendly urologist! My new one seems so knowledgeable (sp.) and concerned. I had one instill that set my bladder on fire(with Elmiron). I had spasms for two days but felt so much better days later.
Best wishes,
Aleet7

[aleet7]

I am sorry you had such a bad experience. I know what you mean about doctors being rude and unfriendly. Most of them are out there to make a buck and that is it, they do not care whether they inflict pain on us or not. It is truely sad. There are still some good doctors out there, they are just not many.
Jen

Thanks Jen! You are so right, there are some out to make a buck but there are many that care:smile tee. We just have to find the one for us! Since I switched docs I see a huge difference in the care I received from both of them!

Best Wishes,
Teela