Drug seeking or in pain?????

So today for clinical day I had a patient who had lots of stuff wrong with him. That's nothing new. Most people who end up on a general medical floor in a hospital for any length of time have lots of issues!

When I met him this morning he was very sleepy but very polite. Answered my questions, said please and thank you, yes ma'am and no ma'am. I bumbled around with the blood pressure machine as I tried to figure out where the small size cuff was and he didn't say anything or even seem to notice.

I don't want to say too much because of confidentiality so I'm trying to choose my words carefully....

After breakfast he complained of pain in his abdomen. Rated it over a 10 on a pain scale. His nurse (the real one, hahaha) blew him off and said to me later, "He's just looking for drugs, did you see him!" Yes, there were some physical aspects of him that one might associate with a wild and crazy lifestyle. But seriously, this guy is too sick to sit up in bed, doesn't live independently and somehow is jonesing for a fix 24 hours out of ICU. And with everything worng with this guy, who cares if he is addicted to morphine! I hope someone gets me nice and addicted if I am ever in the kind of shape he is in. That's what morphine is for!!!!!!!!!!!!

I was appalled. The pt picked up on it too. He said he didn't like her (the nurse) wanted someone else to take care of him. The nurse said she would page his doc and see about getting him something stronger for the pain. 6 hours later the doc showed up for rounds and the pt finally got some morphine.

Now the fact is that the nurse didn't withhold pain meds. He didn't have orders for anything else. But we are nurses. We are supposed to be at least interested in alleviating suffering. Maybe I'm naive but it seems to me that at least being interested and taking a pt's report of pain seriously does something to alleviate it.

Please, readers, if I get to be a nurse and write a post about some drug seeking pt and act all superior because I've judged this pt based on his history or physical appearance yell at me. YOU CAN EVEN USE ALL CAPS!