Interesting Request

So today I had this male elderly patient.

For some reason, he was perfectly content with finding it necessary to scream for no apparent reason...all the time.

However, simple, short & sweet conversation was, to some extent, still possible.

So today I'm taking vitals on everyone on my floor. I had a full house on my side, so I was pretty busy. He was my last room to stop in, but when I drove my little cart by, he was....you guessed it--screaming. So yay me- decided I might as well go in then and do his vitals and then hopefully tuck him in and he can sleep.

Well, I talk to him, announce I will be doing his vitals and accucheck, and he responds with telling me he peed. All over the bed.

Fantastic! Awesome. Truly, truly great. So I go ahead and get everything I need to get him back to a dry state. Well, since I was alone, and he wasn't too interested in helping me, It was up to me to roll him on his side by myself. However, with every little ounce that I moved him, regardless of if it was to roll over or to simply pick his hand up, he screamed. I had the door closed for his privacy but I was beginning to wonder if people outside would falsely wonder if I was abusing him since he was screaming so much! But, I figured- the actual abuse would be if I let him sit in his pee, right? So I kept changing him, despite the hollering. And the hollering truly didn't make any sense. I would ask him what was wrong and he would just look at me.

So eventually I finished. Barely. I did his vitals. Accucheck. Tucked him in his newly dry sheets. I said goodnight. I turned to leave the room, and I hear....

"Wait!"
Me: "...Yes?"
"I should scream louder."




yes. Yes, that is a fantastic idea. Because I'm pretty sure the next wing over can't yet hear you but if you keep screaming, maybe, just maybe- they might be able to.


And the best part is I have other patients. I am in one of the other rooms at another point, and she tells me, "Oh-I like this hospital a lot, I mean- You guys are great. But there is this poor old man screaming across the hall and that is just not right. I mean I'm sure you go and help him but why are other people just letting him scream? Shouldn't people be helping him? Does he need help? Are you guys just letting him suffer? That is just not right."

I just sort of stared at her and politely explained that yes, we are in fact taking very good care of him but actually, in fact, he really just fancies screaming if we go so as far to prick his finger for an accucheck reading.



*sigh*.



Its the nursing life.

~WNB

LOL.
Taken from This Funny Place.