I Was Shamed by My Doctor for Being Black

[Lee-Lee]

78. For those who don't get why ER docs are jaded and suspect of patients looking for pain meds.

Some reading:

https://hospitalstories.wordpress.com/tag/drug-seeker/

http://allnurses.com/emergency-nursing/best-drug-seeker-885882.html

Some highlights form this one:

Had a guy admitted to the inpatient unit for chest pain, to undergo cardiac angiography the next day. On a heparin gtt and everything. He was getting morphine 2mg q 1 hour as well as lorazepam PRN, both of which he was requesting regularly.

Weird thing was, I recognized him. I had taken care of a guy about a month prior for the same thing, and I remembered his tattoos because we had talked about them. I happened to have a bunch of brain sheets in my locker that I hadn't shredded yet, and I found the one from the month before. It had a different name than this guy, but the same birth date.

Turns out it was the same guy, and this was actually his THIRD visit within two months for the same thing. He was about to allow himself to be subjected to an angiogram for the third time.

Of course, once I let the cardiologist know what was going on, the cath was cancelled, because his two previous exams had been negative.


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Patient - I want my Dilaudid NOW. So I go get the Dilaudid, diluted and push it according to policy (2-5 minutes). Patient states "Why are you pushing it so slow?" And I explain to her the safety risks. She says "Well if you're going to push it so slow, I don't want it from you. I want that other nurse who pushes it fast." I leave the room, waste the med, and immediately page the MD. No more Dillys for you. This has happened to me COUNTLESS times.

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We had a regular that we wouldn't give narcs to for his "complaint of the day", he was DC'd from triage and then he walked over to our 2 story stair well and jumped! Bilat Tib/Fib fx's, said, "Now you will give me pain meds!"

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Had a woman come in with her friend for chronic knee pain, goes on to state a WHOLE list of allergies, suprise supries NSAIDS and Toradol first on the list. Gets a couple percocet and discharge later. Next day her friend comes in with her and her friend has "knee pain" same list of allergies same issues, same doc and me. They now know he isnt going to give our narcs though they stop in reguraly to see who is on. =( This is the one thing that kind of gets me down and out about ER nursing.

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Had a woman come in for "seizures". She had a long list of meds including po morphine. On her allergies, morphine was listed. When I asked her about it, she told me she was allergic to IV morphine and had to have dilaudid instead. She then told me she was due for her pain meds and ativan and needed them immediately. I explained that she would have to wait to be seen by the MD prior to getting any meds. A few minutes later, she proceeded to have a "seizure". Another nurse and I went in and did the Oklahoma seizure test on her, which she passed with flying colors. To do the Oklahoma seizure test, have two nurses at the bedside, on next to the patient and the other at the foot of the bed. The nurse at the side of the bed asks the other nurse how to perform the test. The nurse at the foot of the bed explains (out loud) to rub the inside of the left foot (all while actually performing said task) and the right arm will twitch. Yep, my patient's right arm definitely started twitching when her left foot was rubbed. We were laughing so hard, we had to leave the room. Consequently, she received no meds during her stay.

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And some more

http://docbastard.blogspot.com/2014/04/the-f-word.html

http://authenticmedicine.com/how-to-spot-a-narc-seeker/

http://www.medicalisland.net/guest-posts/professional-drug-seekers-exposed-by-former-addict

Now, you may read all this and think "so what"- but the stakes for doctors in these cases are huge. They can lose their DEA certification to prescribe meds (and as a result be out to work), be hassled by the DEA, and even end up in jail if they prescribe to too many fakers and seekers. these guys are not playing a harmless cat and mouse game to get a fix, buy toying with the livelihood and careers of the people they are trying to fool.

It sucks, because they make life not only hard for the doctors, but for all those who legitimately need meds.