Venting I saw a person suffering and didn't help

[left0vers]

When I was in psych, a woman who was standing in line ahead of me tried to talk to the nurse.

She said that the meds they had been forcing her on for the past months made her fingers blue, and she stretched her fingers to prove it. They had the color of a bad bruise.

The nurse didn't give a damn. I was unnerved by the sight but didn't speak up. I didn't even ask how she was when we were out of the line.

I'm part of the problem. I'm bad.

 

[jengablocks]

ohh, no no no. you're there to be helped, just like her. that's entirely on the health system, it shouldn't be the burden of the people who are suffering to ask for tiny scraps of what they are promising in the first place.

i've been in that situation and i know it feels awful, it's certainly better if you can find it in yourself to speak up or help, but that takes a genuine amount of strength that isn't always immediately available when you're suffering.

i think it can be harder when it happens so suddenly, like as you were in the line too. the bystander effect or something. my brain short-circuits

 

[not-2-b-the-answer]

I don't know if I could have either.

 

[fedup1982]

There isn't much you can do in that situation. Nurses have a lot of power

 

[KuriGohan&Kamehameha]

You're not the problem here, the doctor and nurse in charge of her were the problem. Standing aside and ignoring a patient when they have a very visible, noticeable side effect is negligent, but unfortunately in psychiatric hospitals this is common behaviour, the level of negligence is beyond what is typically allowed in normal hospital settings.

I think it's brave of you to want to stand up for her though, and do the right thing, but in places with power hierarchies like psych hospitals, it's hard to be in a position where you can make a change when you see injustices like that. It's unfair, but it's simply the way they are designed, to remove agency from the patients and give them little say in their care.

I think the fact that you know it's fucked up is at least a start towards making a positive change, because the more people who discuss this and speak out about it, the harder it is to ignore. One of the reasons why this keeps happening is because not enough people are willing to discuss how wrong it is, because pretty much every culture in the world puts medical staff on a pedestal and excuses bad behaviour like this, because "oh, they're having a bad day, they're overworked, etc."

As someone who has been working in the healthcare industry myself for a while, this is bullshit. They make a conscious decision not to care and do the right thing for patients. It's not your fault at all.

 

[left0vers]

I know I'm not the one who wrote her prescription, but I'm no different from those negligent workers who looked at her being ruined and didn't care. I don't have the right to be upset that nobody is there for me when I am myself an apathetic onlooker. I should have at least tried to defend her; even if that would have been futile, it would have shown her that her pain matters.

 

[Forever Sleep]

I doubt you could have helped her much. It doesn't sound like you were in a position to challenge them at that point. Sorry if I'm misinterpreting this. Am I correct in assuming you are a healthcare worker who is also receiving 'care'? Ultimately though- as a patient- I'm not sure you have the clout in challenging a doctor's prescription for another patient.

If she had been your patient though say- in your role as a medical practitioner- I imagine you wouldn't have just ignored her symptoms then?

If you are still with her though- maybe you could advise her on what to do now to try and get this investigated more. Could it solely be down to the medication- giving her blue fingers or, could it be something else? If it really troubles you though- maybe you can still help her.

 

[itsgone2]

It's not easy. Try next time

Nurse might be suffering too. Insomnia shut me down emotionally. It's possible. Or maybe just rude

 

[Praestat_Mori]

You couldn't have done anything to get her another prescription.

We all are weak but alone the intention to do sth good makes you strong!

 

[left0vers]

I doubt you could have helped her much. It doesn't sound like you were in a position to challenge them at that point. Sorry if I'm misinterpreting this. Am I correct in assuming you are a healthcare worker who is also receiving 'care'? Ultimately though- as a patient- I'm not sure you have the clout in challenging a doctor's prescription for another patient.

If she had been your patient though say- in your role as a medical practitioner- I imagine you wouldn't have just ignored her symptoms then?

If you are still with her though- maybe you could advise her on what to do now to try and get this investigated more. Could it solely be down to the medication- giving her blue fingers or, could it be something else? If it really troubles you though- maybe you can still help her.

i'm not a medical worker, just a patient like the rest.

 

[WrathfulGloom32]

These hospitals are not there to help anyone.

They only exist just to prevent you from dying.

The world is like that you know? It's all so subtle how everything in this world that exists is not for your good but just neatly packaged to look like it per se.

Don't speak up to doctors, they know best! aka You signed a contract you dumb fuck, we owe you now, we owe your life and WE choose what meds to give you; you dared to break the social contract by acting up and now we'll up your dosage of these meds that don't help you but numb you, we'll teach you to never break the line again. We're gonna hold you for 30 days and then tell everyone we did a job well done, we're gonna get paid for it and you can't do anything about it.



It's all so neatly packaged, it all sounds so good on paper until you realize the ulterior motives of these places. Everything in our society has an ulterior motive, nothing is as it seems.

 

[Mr.Tristesse]

A significant proportion of psych staff couldn't give a wisp of a shit. But it still remains their duty.

Stirring the pot is likely to lead to some kind of retaliation for the individual.