Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire The Effects of Medication on the Sick..........

I have now been in the hospital almost 6 days this time. Thankfully, I'm still alive and OFF DIALYSIS!!!!!! However, I have got enough chemicals in me to light up Three Mile Island. My nurse, veteran of only 2 short years, has been super sweet. She knew that I was down and not sleeping well. So, as all good nurses should, she called my oncologist and requested something to help me sleep.

Well.....that's when things got fuzzy................
It is a WELL known and WELL documented fact that I do crazy stuff on Ambien, just ask Jim! I ASSUMED that the sleeping pill she was giving me was the Sonata that I take without incidence. I was wrong.........

I took 10 milligrams of Ambien at about 930 pm. At 0230 I wake up feeling fuzzy. There were empty bags of Cheetos all over my bed.....my iv line was just about tied in knots - I'm lucky I didn't de-access my port!!!!! And I had messages blinking on my cell phone. It seems that I got stoned on the Ambien and ate Cheetos and called people! A good buddie of mine called early this morning and wanted to know how I got away with being drunk in the hospital. It seems that everyone I talked to thought I was intoxicated.

Well.....my sweet lil nurse now knows that if they give me that again, I will require a babysitter.

hospital are no place for sick people.
how many deaths a year can be attributed to incorrect presciptions?

I think if the public REALLY knew the answer to that quesiton we would all be scared to go to a hospital.

next time you are really sick and fear death,and the ambulance comes, tell them
"Whatever you do, don't take me to the hospital!!!"

I use Ambiem occasionally,...but I can't blame anything on it. I'm just like this anyway.

Well................you gotta remember that MY CAREER is to save folks in a hospital. I'm not too terribly tainted toward the medical field. I have been fortunate to have been able to literally pick my caregivers by hand. Not many folks get to do that. Because I'm the HMFIC of the ICU I get preferential treatment. Knowing that, I try not to ever complain and remain appreciative of the effort my coworkers go to to keep me happy.

There are already enough people that fear going to the hospital. A guy that used to live down the road died from a totally treatable condition because he didn't want to go to a doc. So the necrotic tissue from the really bad contusion he got in his calf muscle went septic. By the time he did get into the hospital it was too late and he died hours later.

Yep, some people die from medical errors but not nearly as many as are saved by medical professionals.

LOL. The nice lady that has taken over the admin. position for the BOD I sit on printed HBIC on her business cards. Great minds.....

Glad things are lookin' up for you Kat.

George

Glad ya still got your sense of humor, and not my phone number! I am just kidding Lady, about the phone that is. You want it you got it.

Kat, I haven't been on a lot of late but I have read all the recent notes on you of late. I am glad all seems to be as good as can be expected. I know you will get past this because I know you are a Nurse and they are just too bitchy to let go. Hang in there gal, ya know I am praying for you.

I've made a few late night posts here after taking ambien which were.....uh....well, I didn't recognize them in the morning.


glad you're off the dialysis, kat.

Steve,
I have never had to go on the dialysis. we are hoping that does not come to pass.

I would have paid good money to watch that.

You've heard of the life size cutout of Jerry Garcia that was next to the roller coaster? It had a sign saying, "You must be this high to ride."

Good to have you back at the 'fire. Keep on getting better and better.

Me Too!

Another prayer sent!

Keep it up Kat!

BMT

I lost my 1st wife to cancer. In her last months, we had her in a hospital bed in the living room. She was having trouble sleeping and the Dr put her on Ambien. The dang stuff caused sleepwalking. We have 2 bathrooms, 1 in the hall near the living room, and 1 in the master bedroom. During the night, if she was awake, she'd use the one in the hall. If she was sleepwalking she'd come in the bedroom. When this happened, she couldn't wake up enough to find it and the results were sometimes unpleasant. We took her off the Ambien in a hurry. I highly recommend avoiding it.

Check out he occurrence of rebound insomnia for folks that have taken Ambien for a week or more.

Dad was on it when he was in the hospital and was diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndrome. It was hell for him the next two weeks when he was sent home and had to come off of it.

My nurse, might before last, told me that I actually did get out into the hallway...pushing my IV pole and walked thru the unit. She also told me that I asked for a snack of rice krispies and skim milk. (I HATE RICE KRISPIES) She says that she gave me the snack and I returned to bed without incident. She THEN realizes that I was sleep walking when she came into my room about 230 AM and I asked why there was cereal on my bed.
Needless to say, NO MORE AMBIEN for me...ever!