A woman is in one of my rooms, and her oxygen saturation keeps dropping into the mid 70s. Every time I go in, she is still on the oxygen I placed on her, and her numbers rebound. Suspecting foul play, I watch her from where she can’t see me. As soon as she thinks I am gone, she takes it off.
I go in and confront her, and she complains that it dries out her nose. I point out that it is humidified oxygen. She then tells me that she doesn’t want to wear it. I present her with a choice:
- You can wear it or
- refuse to wear it, and when you pass out, we will put a tube down your throat and a machine will breathe for you, or
- Sign out against medical advice
Those are your choices. The next words out of her mouth were “I want to speak to your boss. You are rude.”
I responded with “I am trying to keep you alive. I make no apologies, but let me go get the charge nurse.”
The charge nurse walked in and told her “You are not going to be taking off that oxygen.”
She went online and gave the hospital a one star review and specifically named me as being mean.
People, I swear.
16 Comments
Carrie · November 8, 2024 at 9:14 am
F***ing women.
Every. Single. Time.
Southernborne · November 8, 2024 at 9:33 am
I just can’t understand those people. I just had an incisional hernia repair, followed all instructions, but was still pretty rough. Can’t think what I would feel like if I ignored instructions.
WallPhone · November 8, 2024 at 10:29 am
It’s human nature to reject the first explanation/alternative outright, so always offer a less pleasant one first (_less pleasant_… not the extreme intubation).
I’m no medic… But maybe something like a intranasal application of KY jelly.
When that’s rejected, say “Ok, how about we first try adjusting the humidity level.” Then you crank a couple knobs back and fourth as placebo then ask for her to evaluate if it helped.
MiniMe · November 8, 2024 at 12:07 pm
Was her name “Karen?”
SoCoRuss · November 8, 2024 at 12:58 pm
That’s why we should just let the weak and stupid do weak and stupid stuff. They will kill themselves in some way and the gene pool gets better.
Remember you cant argue with stupid. At least she didn’t light up a cigarette in her room.
I seen 3 house fires in our area this year from morons on oxy that still smoke while using it. Unfortunately 2 survived. Now they will probably sue someone for them being a moron.
Stealth Spaniel · November 8, 2024 at 1:27 pm
Entitlement on full display-I want what I want and your education be damned. You can NEVER get these people to think clearly, precisely, or in a selfless manner. It’s the burden of our times. Medical professionals do what they do 24/7-even in the home-so follow their advice and live another day!
JimmyPx · November 8, 2024 at 2:49 pm
I truly don’t get these people, if you aren’t go to do what the doctors and nurses tell you to do then WHY are you in the ER ?
Rick · November 9, 2024 at 5:12 pm
Because to her the hospital presents a captive audience. Feels the need to be in charge. Non-compliance results in increased attention which results in increase in social interaction which presents more opportunities to fulfill that need.
Leaving a negative review is a means to establish dominance.
Nothing is too insignificant or too petty.
Aesop · November 13, 2024 at 2:40 am
Jimmy, I ask the idiots who keep me employed in the ED that very question weekly, times 30 years.
And standard-of-care for oxygen cannulas should be staple gun fixation, and Derma-bond (skin-safe Krazy Glue, usually used for laceration repair) after the first reminder.
Instead, I usually tell them that if they’re too stupid to leave it alone, I have some nifty soft restraints they can wear if they’d like to be tied down, or, like DM, invite them to sign out AMA.
And we should really be required to wear body cams at work, just like cops, and post the videos the next day, with the faces blurred.
Dirty Dingus McGee · November 8, 2024 at 3:46 pm
I got out of the hospital a week ago today after being taken there on the previous Monday for a oxygen sat level of 74%. They had me on oxygen, IV antibiotics and using a BPAP. Wouldn’t release me until I could maintain a 90% saturation on a max of 2 liters of oxygen per hour. So far it’s getting better.
Did I like any of it? Hell no. But it was keeping me alive. My only complaint was the different wants of the different doctors. How about maybe y’all talk to each other and come up with a plan? Instead I’m a pinball between beddy good doctor #1 wanting more of this and less of that, and beddy good doctor #2 wanting more of that and less of this.Me and the nurse both trying to understand WTH is going on, other than wasting time.
Anonymous · November 8, 2024 at 4:23 pm
Meanie. 😊
Grumpy51 · November 8, 2024 at 4:30 pm
Press-Ganey, the bane of healthcare (yes, I know it wasn’t PG, WAY too soon). Kaiser-Permanente (KP) had a study done in the early 2000s (maybe late 90s??) that compared PG score against patient outcomes. Those patient who gave the highest scores, had the worst outcomes…… hmm, let me guess – you gave high scores because the doctor did what you asked, versus what you needed……
I don’t even look at hospital scores….. the respondents are usually on either end of the bell curve. Ever filled out a customer survey from Ford?? Per a service manager, ANYTHING other than a 10, results in wage loss for the recipient…… I refuse to work within a particular hospital system as provider pay is solely based on patient satisfaction…… I guess we became Burger King (have it your way) along the way….
Henry Schumacher · November 8, 2024 at 7:14 pm
https://open.substack.com/pub/thegooddoctor/p/load-up-the-truck-baby?r=rne00&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true
LoL No · November 9, 2024 at 8:40 am
You can’t save people from themselves, despite how much you’d like to.
JNorth · November 9, 2024 at 9:17 am
I have Primary Lymphedema, because of that, I get cellulitis real damn easy. So much that when I show up in the ER they no longer bother with oral antibiotics or coming in for IVs, they just admit me and have me on Vanco for a couple days. One of the things I found odd is that several nurses and doctors mentioned is that I actually do what they tell me to, main issue being the need to keep my left leg (Lymphedema is in both but it’s always the left that blows up) above my heart on a big stack of pillows. Not that hard but not the most comfortable. It kind of blew me away, maybe I’m weird but if I’m not going to listen to Doc (general term, not just MDs), why would I be in the hospital? Definitely not for the food.
GRumpy51 · November 9, 2024 at 2:56 pm
You’d be surprised at the number of people who come to a WESTERN (medicine) hospital declining the recommendations and requesting EASTERN therapies…… did I mention, we’re a WESTERN hospital……
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