d.: (Ring) Hi, Cal.E. What is going on in Folsom?
C.: Not, much right now. Ralph is practicing with his band for their concert tonight, and I’m bored because I don’t need to start work until tomorrow. I have nothing to do right now, so I called you!
d.: Thanks for making me feel special, Cal.E. I’m working on our blog right now, so maybe we can collaborate on it over the phone.
C.: What is today’s subject?
d.: Actually, studying my material for my continuing education gave me an idea for today’s blog…
C.: How so?
d.: Well, the material was about narcotics and the worldwide “shortage” of them. I personally believe that this shortage is as fake as the oil shortage in the 1970’s. I think it is just a way for doctors to stop prescribing so many narcotics and getting in trouble for so many people becoming addicted to them. It is a way, I think, for doctors to stay out of trouble with the law.
It’s too bad that doctors are being blamed for others' irresponsibility. If everyone took responsibility for their own actions, I don’t think this would have happened.
C.: Okay, d.c. I’m awake now. You have me intrigued. What did your material say?
d.: Well, the first case study fascinated me. That may be because I work in the Human Kennel, where there are a lot of drug addicts, or it may be because I can relate, having had multiple surgeries lately.
C.: MHMM. I’m with you. Expound, please.
d.: Okay. This case study takes place in a hospital on a post-surgical floor. “Nurse Mary notices that she is five minutes behind giving two of her patients their pain medications after their surgeries the day before. She walks into Mr. Adams’ room and apologizes for being a little late with the medication. Mary wants to be thorough, so she asks Mr. Adams what his pain level is, on a 0-10 scale. ‘it’s about a six,’ Mr. Adams states, stoically.
‘Well, I have your pain reliever and it is time to take it. Would you like some water to wash it down with?’ Mary is a thoughtful nurse.
‘I don’t need that now. My pain level is only a 6/10. I’m fine for now. Thank you for offering, though.’ Mr. Adams turns the television on and watches a game show, dismissing the nurse.
Next door to Mr. Adams’ room is Mr. Zanders. He had the same surgery at the same time as Mr. Adams. Nurse Mary knocks and enters the room, apologizing for her tardiness. ‘I have your pain medication, Mr. Zanders,” Mary begins, noting the unhappy look on the patient’s face, ‘would you like to take it with some water now?’
‘You’re late! I could have had this thirty minutes ago! Pain meds can be given thirty minutes before or after they’re due! My pain is a 6/10. Give me those pain meds now!’ Mr. Zanders is unhappy, so Nurse Mary administers the medication and charts the patient’s pain level.”
C.: What’s so fascinating about that?
d.: Don’t you see? Both patients had the same surgery, at the same time, and had the same pain level. One refused his narcotics, and the other demanded them immediately…
C.: I still don’t get it, d.c.
d.: Okay, maybe the second case study will illustrate my point better. “Two groups were participating in a double-blind study on a new narcotic…
C.: What does “double-blind” mean?
d.: Neither the nurse nor the patient knew whether the patient was getting a placebo or the real medication…
C.: What’s a ‘placebo’?
d.: A fake pill. The study was trying to see if the medication would relieve the patient’s pain or not. If neither pill worked, it was not a good pain reliever…
C.: What happened?
d.: The pill worked.
Eighty percent of those who took it reported pain relief. Interestingly enough, though, twenty percent of the ‘control group,’ the ones taking the placebo, reported some relief from their chronic pain!
C.: Which means?
d.: The mind is a powerful thing. If someone thinks something will help them, it probably will, to some degree. On the other hand, if someone thinks something will not help them, it may not, even if it is a powerful drug.
You see, Cal.E. It is just as important for nurses, doctors, and other medical professionals to treat the mental aspects of their patient’s illness (or maybe even more important) than the physical aspects of the illness or injury.
I, personally, could care less about a doctor’s bedside manner. They will usually tell me the truth when I tell them I’m a nurse. I find that helpful. I want to know the facts. Some people, though, want to be told that everything will be okay if this or that happens. One cannot depend on this or that happening. It rarely happens in day-to-day life, so why expect it to happen when it comes to our health?
C.: That sounds pessimistic, d.c.
d.: Not at all. I just believe in being prepared for every possibility. Being optimistic is beneficial. It will help the healing process. As I said, the mind is a powerful thing. It can aid or impair healing. I just like to know what I’m dealing with before I’m treated. It helps to be prepared.
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