RSS Feeds
What the Book Says
- Chad D. Kollas, MD
- Geisinger Medical Center; Danville, PA 17822-3103 Requests for Reprints: Chad D. Kollas, MD, Department of General Internal Medicine, Geisinger Medical Center, 100 North Academy Avenue, Danville, PA 17822-3103.
May I please have something for pain?”
“Well, I'll have to page the surgical intern on call. Nothing is ordered because you have the epidural.”
“Thank you,” I called to the nurse as she left the room. The plain, institutional clock below the wall-mounted television read 8:00 p.m. My wife and I chatted idly while sitcoms played in the background. An hour passed. The pain grew worse. I pressed the nurse button on my hospital bed.
“Has the surgical intern ordered anything for pain?”
“Well, he checked the book and paged his senior resident. They said to give you this.”
“What is it?”
“Famotidine.” The nurse handed me a paper cup of water and the pill. Then she left again.
My wife and I laughed. “I guess you won't get heartburn,” quipped my wife.
“I suppose they're giving me this because they gave me an injection of ketorolac yesterday. Oh, well.” I took the famotidine.
Another hour passed, and the surgical intern wandered in. “How are you now?”
“The pain is worse than it was.”
“My senior resident said that we should wait for a while.” The surgical intern turned and walked out.
Great. He probably thinks that I'm seeking narcotic analgesics. I bet he's never had an incision from his xiphoid to his pubis. I guess I'll have to wait it out.
The plain clock stared at me. 10:30 p.m. The pain was worse. The nurse came to check my vital signs. “Your blood pressure is 98/50. Normal.”
Normal, unless you consider my history of hypertension and my current pain. Mildly worrisome, actually.
“Excuse me,” I interrupted. …
