Misplaced Guilt

Just recently, I found myself in the hospital. Nothing major just needed antibiotics administered by IV, or so I thought. But that's another story.  New Year's Eve in the hospital wasn't bad. I had friends and family visit earlier in the evening, and I was feeling pretty good.  Didn't take me long to get bored watching the ball drop in Times Square before I drifted off to sleep. 

About 3:30 a.m., I awoke to my IV stinging. I looked at my arm and saw that it had begun to bleed with saline flowing down my arm.  Sounds worse than it felt.  So, I rang my nurse call button and politely explained my dilemma. She said she would tell my nurse. Well another 20 mins. went by and still my nurse is a no show. I thought, I'll  give it another go.  I pushed the nurse call button again.  Same nurse answered and said she will send my nurse.  O.K., I thought, this could go on all night.   Another 30 mins. lapsed  and still my nurse is  missing in action.  I have grown increasingly passive in my old age and almost felt as if I was being an imposition by ringing.  I liken it to blowing the horn in the car which I rarely do unless it is an extreme situation affecting life and limb.   But, the situation at hand is getting a little ridiculous.  So, I throw on my robe and with IV pole in tow,  I head down the hall to the nurses' station; a bold move for me. Imagine that, there sits my nurse chatting with the other staff.  I have to admit, that did get my blood pressure up a bit. She took one look at my IV and proclaims "well that one blew, I guess it's a full moon"; disconnects me in disgust and sends me back to my room saying she would be down to start another. I felt like a scolded puppy sent off with my tail between my legs like I had done something wrong; misplaced guilt, perhaps?

Now aware of my nurse's current demeanor, I wasn't particularly keen on the notion of  her attempting to search for a new vein. Obviously she is not happy with having to work on New Year's eve and for some reason, unbenownst to me, she's not too  pleased with me.  Nevertheless, I retreat to my room thinking she will be down in a few minutes to take out her pent-up aggression on me. As she walks past my door and spies me sitting on the side of the bed, she shouts loudly, "you might as well get back in the bed because it will be 6:00 am. before you get another IV started". What is it with this woman?  Did she jump out of bed this morning determined to be rude to everyone or am I just a lucky victim?   She finally comes into the room, with a scowl on her face.  I just  had to know;  "so may I ask why it will be so long before I get another IV started", I asked in a meek tone? She loudly snaps " because I don't have time".  Yep, I was in shock, and at a loss for words. Granted, I'm not in a life and death situation here, but  my thoughts turn to the poor patients that are and are unable to get out of the bed and trek to the nurses' station should they get in some type of distress.  That's a sad and terrifying thought. Now my blood is really beginning to boil.   If she had told me they had a staff shortage for that shift or that they had an emergency with another patient, I would have understood, but there is just no excuse for rudeness.

Six a.m. came and went,  then 6:30 a.m.; no nurse, no IV. Now keep in mind, this ordeal first began at 3:30 a.m.  I've had three long hours to stew.  All niceties are out the window.  It's daylight now, so I want to be presentable when I make my second sojourn  to the nurses' station. I puff my hair, put on a little lipstick  and, once again, begin my trek in my kitty cat p.j.'s with IV in tow. I was on a mission. This time there's an audience at the desk. I hit the jackpot, my nurse, the floor nursing supervisor for the night shift and the supervisor for the upcoming day shift; all present.  I boldly walk up and proclaim, "O.K,  I've been patient, but it has been three hours and I still have no IV."  You would have thought the queen had appeared.  I've never seen so much scurrying around.  I now have two RN  nursing supervisors offering their apologies, one visibly humbled night nurse not uttering a  peep and a new IV line. Was that so difficult?  For the sake of all mankind, if you wake up in the morning with a bad attitude and with the determination to be rude and unkind to others, please do us kind, compassionate human beings a favor and take a sick day.