No matter how much you argue, it's still alcohol.

[crazylegs]

that you want to scream "Hurry the f*** up!"...

I hear ya, even though I'm a chap I had to have an ultrasound of my heart (everything came back good) and they get the wand just at the bottom of the sternum and press into the soft tissue (hard) while they tell you to hold your breath.

That didn't go down as number one of fun things to do while at hospital.

[Nayeli_Sabia]

I'm going to partially disagree on the evil & sadistic part. The last time I was in, well only time, the nurse didn't like how the I.V. was in the back of my hand. Now, I had warned her that I have issues with needles already, and asked her to take it out and put it back in if she wanted to adjust it. Instead she just wiggles it around in my veins. At which point I started getting light headed from the feeling of the needle moving in the back of my hand and tried to lean forward to get the blood flow back into my head. Nurse Ratchet puts her hand in the middle of my chest and shoves me back into a sitting position. The lightheadedness catches up with me and I

Actually, that's what happened after I passed out. After feeling the needle wiggling in my vein... Ugh... I'm getting nauseous just thinking about it.

When I woke up, I did overhear the nurse talking about how pathetic I was.

I know I'm not the only person with a mental block over needles and I'd expect a nurse to have at least SOME understanding of people with that kind of phobia. So, yeah, the nurses in the Endoscopy unit I went to are not exactly warm & fuzzy...

I used to be a regular Platelets donor. The second time I donated... they nurse couldn't get the needle in the vein. (note: every other nurse has told me I have excellent veins. They love me, I'm an easy stick). I ended up pooling blood under the skin, and not filling the bag, it sucked and I felt awful. She pushed on my arm to get the blood out.... ICK, and didn't work, just spread this "lovely" bruise. Then she pushes fast on the foot of this reclining chair I'm in. I start to black out and ask to be laid down again. She does so, and then lectures me about wasteing Red Cross time and money since I couldn't give a proper donation and then almost passed out maybe I shouldn't try and donate ever again. I was just STUNNED. I talked to the head nurse... and the next time I came in to donate(2 weeks later) that sucky nurse had been fired. Apparently she was mean to everyone

That's the only time I've had issues with donating, and I've been doing this since I was 17(24 now)

[chahuahuas]

I don't understand why a person would even want to so blatantly defy doctors orders.

It's not like when the dentist says "brush and floss twice a day" and you skip flossing *gasp*... or if the doctor said "make sure you eat your fruits and veggies" and you eat a cheeseburger instead.

This guy wants to put himself in harms way... doesn't that go against a survival instinct? Is he too sucky to even posess a survival instinct?!

[protege]

When I woke up, I did overhear the nurse talking about how pathetic I was.

I had a nurse say something similar when I had my first hernia surgery, way back in '94. Whoever it was that gave me the knockout stuff...well, screwed up. Not only did I tell them that a small bit goes a long way--they misread my weight, and gave me a bit too much. It wasn't surprising that I was having difficultly waking up after surgery. Dad said that at one point, I was close to flat-lining Right about that point, my mother said that the nurse called me a wuss. Er, let me get this straight--you fuck up and try to hide, and *I'm* the wuss?

Trust me, you do *not* want to piss my mother off She's not only been a nurse (who works for the county health dept, BTW) for the past 30 years, but she doesn't take kindly to such things. Dad had to leave the room--if he hadn't, he probably would have caused a bloodbath. Mom settled for screaming at not only the idiot who screwed up, but the nurse, doctor, etc. hinting that they were in "a shitload of trouble if I didn't wake up!

[Dips]

personally... in my opinion... i'd say before they even get the sedative, that they have to sign a waiver stating that they understand the risks of drinking alcohol afterwards.
<snip>

:evil:

Heh.

I like the way you think. When I worked in the research lab, I was in the adult GI department. Being in research, I never saw patients, but a lot of the MD post docs were also doing their residencies in the clinic, some in the endoscopy suite. As the OP said, stories from gastroenterologists are quite entertaining if you happen to have a strong stomach and a strange sense of humor.

One of them mentioned having to be called in because the patient was arguing over the alcohol policy and wouldn't sign the consent, which they made people sign before they were sedated. He was allegedly told something like this:

"If you do not sign the form or you give us reason to believe that you intend to consume alchohol, we simply cannot sedate you in good conscience.

However, sedation is NOT technciall necessary to complete this procedure. We are perfectly willing to do this without sedation. My question is, are YOU willing to do this without sedation?"

I believe the patient tried to cancel and was told that he'd have to pay for the cancelled appointment since leaving was his choice. He ended up signing the consent, shutting up about drinking and getting the sedation. But, sheesh.

[JustADude]

"If you do not sign the form or you give us reason to believe that you intend to consume alchohol, we simply cannot sedate you in good conscience.

However, sedation is NOT technciall necessary to complete this procedure. We are perfectly willing to do this without sedation. My question is, are YOU willing to do this without sedation?"

Ooooh, I like this guy. He's EVIL!

[Dips]

Ooooh, I like this guy. He's EVIL!

Considering that they put up with folks who've drunk their own livers into oblivion and then are shocked to find out they don't get on the transplant list unless they STOP DRINKING and inmates who swallow...things...to get out of jail for a day or two...

Yeah, they had a pretty low bullshit tolerance.

The department head was more than a bit neurotic, but that's another topic.