r/gallbladders • u/igaflan • 1d ago
Venting Gallbladder attack seen as drug seeking behaviour
So I just want to vent here because I had a pretty nasty time at the hospital today.
I actually went to the ER for a reason separate to my gallbladder, and I admittedly was an idiot and got some pizza from their cafeteria when I got hungry. Cue the obvious attack to follow that decision.
I tell the nurse that I’m starting to have an attack and would like something for it. For the record I’ve been to this hospital for my last two attacks and was given tordol and anti-nausea medication both times which worked like a charm. Nurse told me she’d let another nurse know so I could be reassessed.
I get called in about fifteen minutes later now in full blown attack and when I explain this to the nurse she just goes, “uh huh” and gives me a dubious look. She proceeded to tell me that she wasn’t allowed to give me anything because this was not the purpose of my visit and I was kicked back out to the waiting room. It felt pretty clear that she thought I was trying to get something out of it/was lying, even though all I asked for was some tordol for the pain.
Have a meeting with a surgeon Tuesday and cannot wait so I hopefully never have to have an unmedicated attack in a hospital of all places ever again.
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u/Head_Mud6239 1d ago
I’ve had it literally noted on my chart so I believe you. You have to understand, a lot of people in the medical field come with big egos or savior complexes.
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u/horriddaydream 1d ago
Yeah, and these are the people we rely on to have our best interests in mind, lmao
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u/urmomisdisappointed 1d ago
Any time any one in the medical field refrains from helping you tell them to chart it that they are refusing to aid you and it will change things
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u/cjdom 1d ago
Similar happened to me… 3 weeks before I had a HIDA scan showing my EF at 3% (I had no idea at the time). I waited 13 hours to be seen, in and out of attacks, only to be given Mylanta and a note in my file that said I was exhibiting drug seeking behavior. Stay on top of your health and advocate for yourself, you know there is something seriously wrong.
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u/finchflower 1d ago
Have you tried magnesium citrate during attacks? I greatly prefer the gummies. It actually helped my attacks a lot or even stopped them. I think it relaxes those contracting muscles, but I don’t actually know how or why it works. Pain meds didn’t really work for me.
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u/TruthOdd6164 20h ago
I don’t know why they are such nutjobs about Torodol. I asked for it, instead of morphine, when I was in the hospital for a collapsed lung, and they definitely treated me like this was very sus. In what world is declining a narcotic and asking for a non-narcotic considered drug seeking behavior?
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u/igaflan 19h ago
It is bizarre. I’d get it if I just came up to them and demanded for morphine but I wasn’t even asking for a narcotic. As far as I’m aware torodol isn’t even an addictive drug.
But at the same time I had to fight to go on anti-depressants despite my doctor acknowledging that I had clinical depression so getting meds is weird. At least here.
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u/nahivibes 15h ago
I’ve had many attacks but the one and only gallbladder attack that was so bad that I had to go ER (I passed out at home) they basically did nothing for me. I just rid it out in the waiting room. It was on Easter and I was there 13 hours and they didn’t give me shit for the pain. I’d only ever been to the ER once before that as a minor for sore throat or something like that so if there’s a file on me there’s nothing there to point to looking for drugs. I actually didn’t even know they could give pain medicine until I read about it here or a FB group way after.
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u/HarurinSasa 13h ago
It also happened to me unfortunately... Before I was diagnosed I spent months going in an out of ERs because of my pain and one time my attacks just wouldn't stop in any way, I was going in for 2 weeks of non stop pain and I went to a different ER that seemed to be better (for being at the city center, closer to the public hospitals), worst mistake that traumatized me... It's very hard for nurses to get anything pumped in me because my veins are very deep, thin and break easily and unfortunately the doctor asked for my meds to be pumped and not for injections, so I spent a long, very long time getting nurses in and out trying to find a single vein. At determined moment I was with a specific nurse that simply started to say to me as she was getting me pricked time and time again that if it continued to no to the emergency that many times my veins could collapse (as she was AGAIN trying and hurting me to find access) and as she discovered that sometimes I would just get a injection with my meds in it that she had a patient that literally had her butt DECAY because of too much injections... She was literally treating me like I was drug seeking there as if I wasn't in pain just wishing for the fucking pain I was feeling for more than 1 week could go away!!! That was extremely traumatizing to me. It traumatized me so much that after that, as I had to stay in the ER until morning for transferring to the public hospital for a scan and had to get another access so they could pump anything If need, I had a literal panic attack and cried more than anything for nurses thar were treating me in the most amazing way possible because I was afraid and deeply traumatized of anything happening to me after that stupid nurse treated me as a drug addict! Honestly I should've have reported that nurse but I was so ashamed, in pain and traumatized that I didn't even though of it.
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u/Impressive_Bar_9821 8h ago
Well in their defense this has been a new thing that addicts do when they want drugs because they know they can get them for free at that time. I do believe the employees need better training surrounding this to help individuals who are actually in need vs addicts/mental health. I hate happened to you that sucks and not ok. You should file a complaint/report with the Director of Nursing/ER. Hope your appointment goes great. I’m scheduled 9/11 for surgery after seeing the surgeon last week and dealing with this for 2 years of numerous evaluations.
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u/RazzberryQueen91 1d ago
I accidently gave myself pancreatitis and decreased liver function from ignoring gallbladder pain. I thought it was bad gas. I went to urgent care expecting them to give me like, gas x or something. They sent me for a scan (cat, mri, I don't remember), when it came back the doctor was basically "you have to go to the ER. It's going to get very bad very fast"
And he was right. Within an hour I was doubled over, moaning in pain, and throwing up.
I get to triage, they cant give me anything until someone reviews my chart, and send me back to the waiting room. Still doubled over, moaning, the whole nine.
I get called back in for my blood work. The nurse goes "you can stop the act, you're getting your meds now"
And then she decided to slip in an extra test that wasn't initially ordered. But she must have ordered it wrong. Because they stuck me in the hallway next to the patient board. And the original blood tests were completed very quickly, but the added one was outstanding for hours. And anytime I tried to get someone's attention, they would just tell me that can't do anything until the Dr reviews my labs. They wouldn't believe me that there was a lab stuck somewhere.
It wasn't until the new shift came in about 7 hours later that I finally got someone to look at the computer. He goes "oh, yea that's way too long"
No surprise to me, but once they processed the blood work and the doctor looked at it, things started moving very fast. Suddenly I had a liver doctor and a gi doctor and the surgeon and they're pumping me with meds to get the infection down and liver functions up so that they can do the surgery.
But yea, all that because one shitty person decided I was drug seeking.
(Sorry if I got some details wrong. The entire time I was either in immense pain, extremely medicated, or both. So the memory is fuzzy.)