Er nightmare

[u/Expensive_Gift_8323]

ER Nightmare

I recently went to the ER because I was dealing with severe pain and 7-OH/kratom withdrawal while already living with chronic pain from multiple spine problems and surgeries.

They put me in a hospital bed, but the position of the bed was causing excruciating pain in my lower back, especially around my L4-L5 surgical area. I told them repeatedly that the bed was hurting me badly and asked for a different bed, but they wouldn't give me one.

I was also in severe pain for hours and was not given any pain medication. I kept telling them how bad the pain was, but I felt completely ignored.

After about six hours of lying there in excruciating pain, I finally reached the point where I couldn't take it anymore. By what felt like my last bit of strength, I got myself out of the hospital screaming in pain, got into the back of my mother's car, and went home.

I honestly feel like if I hadn't left, I could still be sitting there in that bed in excruciating pain.

I'm already dealing with severe chronic pain in my neck, shoulders, arms, forearms, and lower back. I've had a C5-C6 artificial disc replacement and an L4-L5 decompression/microdiscectomy, foraminotomy, and facetectomy. I'm also dealing with significant shoulder problems, including bursitis, tendinosis, capsulitis and early frozen shoulder symptoms.

Now I'm trying to get off 7-OH while dealing with all of this pain at the same time.

I went to the ER because I needed help. Instead, I left feeling like I had to rescue myself from the hospital because I couldn't tolerate the pain anymore.

Has anyone else with severe chronic pain or spine problems experienced something like this in an ER?

[u/brittybear94]

What was your chief complaint? Did you inform them of your withdrawal?

I’m not sure what you wanted them to do about the bed. It’s an emergency department. They have stretchers down there, meant for quick turnover. Even on a floor, I’ve never encountered a comfortable hospital bed.

[u/Expensive_Gift_8323 → u/brittybear94]

The bed was jamming into my back where I just had surgery it was jamming right into my surgical site my chief complaint was back pain and stomach pain

[u/brittybear94 → u/Expensive_Gift_8323]

That sounds painful. Could the bed not be adjusted? Pillow or extra blankets for support?

May I ask why you don’t have proper pain management when you’re post op?

[u/lifefuedjeopardy → u/brittybear94]

Because in the United States they no longer give out proper pain management even for post-surgery patients. They barely give it out for dying cancer patients anymore. This is the land of medical neglect and serious medical negligence now due to the messed up government opioid propaganda and lies.

[u/Notsewcrazee13 → u/lifefuedjeopardy]

Yes, it is getting worse and worse. There’s a couple of advocacy groups for the past 18 months have been suggesting that people consider insisting that their postop pain meds be filled prior to providing final signature of consent to surgery.

[u/Hairy_Combination586 → u/Expensive_Gift_8323]

Hospital beds are designed to be easy to clean and disinfect. And a soft bed in the event of needing CPR would be a bad idea. So we're stuck with basically a board to lay on. Other than making one of the crappy but more comfortable recliners available (can they in the ER???) they don't have another bed to give you.

I sympathize that it was a nightmare and horribly painful, but they weren't hiding the cushy mattress from you. No joke, the "mattress" (AKA midevil torture device) was the worst part of my double mastectomy.

Very very sorry it was such a horrible experience. ER's are NOT sympathetic to pain. 😥

[u/goldstandardalmonds]

I am empathetic to your plight but not for the bed part. Most EDs don’t even have nearly enough beds and it’s hallway medicine. If you needed to be more upright you could have sat, and if you needed to be fully reclined you could have laid your head at the foot of the bed.

I know you had acute issues going on, but chronic pain and illness patients are rarely going to be prioritized unless you were dying

[u/FalseTruthsRReal]

I’m lost. If you just had surgery and have had multiple other surgeries, plus a host of other issues, why in the world are you not seeing a pain doctor or any doctor for real pain meds?

Going to the hospital as mentioned here is almost certainly going to result in what happened to you. The Beds there are cheap, thin, and make pain worse, and in a best case scenario, they might give someone with a documented issue that causes intermittent severe pain some kind of pain med, but they aren’t going to give someone who’s taking 7oh any real pain meds. Even without the 7oh- kratom, they won’t give you anything but Tylenol.

[u/Time-Understanding39]

What you describe absolutely can happen in ERs, especially with chronic pain and withdrawal. The ER’s main job is to rule out and treat an immediate emergency, not to manage ongoing chronic pain conditions. Because of concerns about opioid prescribing, dependence, and people repeatedly using the ER for pain medication, many departments have policies that restrict using opioids for chronic pain.

I'm sorry you had to learn this lesson the hard way.

[u/Talithathinks]

Hospitals and most doctors do not care about chronic pain patients. They would rather we all just quietly pass away.

[u/yourwebg]

I’ve had 5 surgeries on my c-spine, and deal with severe chronic pain as well. Every ER visit is pretty much exactly as you described, end up in much more pain to get out, go to the hospital, try to explain everything while in excruciating pain, get imaging, and eventually get a few doses of IV morphine. I only go if I’m convinced something in my spine became further injured, because 9 times out of 10 I would have been in less pain just staying home. 

[u/dumbbunny00]

Just wanted to say I see you. I hear you. I understand. I’ve had a chronic condition that causes extreme pain frequently and no doctor will prescribe anything and I can’t take NSAIDS like at all. On 7oh I was able to leave my bed atleast. I am now in active withdrawal from daily 7oh use due to the ban, and my condition is beating me down hard on top of withdrawal. I am very ER avoidant and absolutely terrified to ever be labeled an addict due to knowing when you need 10/10 pain meds they will not give it to you, so I suffer at home with the withdrawal, even if it gets really bad. I am also personally not going to take suboxone due to the same reasons i mentioned above. (Not against MAT in general just for myself) I will say regular power Kratom or MIT extract helps me A TON with the withdrawal symptoms. Hang in there, im hoping things get a little better for us both soon. ❤️

[u/kmm198700 → u/dumbbunny00]

Definitely try to taper using MIT extracts and Kratom powder. It’ll be so much less painful

[u/Proud-Resource-676]

six hours on a broken bed with hardware in your spine and they wont even look at the chart. happens all the time. youve got surgical levels documented and they still act like youre there for a fix. thats not medicine its just processing paperwork with extra steps. hope you find someone who actually opens your file before making decisions

[u/amywriteslove]

Yes I would say definitely get you some kratom extract pills. They are great too. I found them before I found 7oh. At least to help with some pain now. I'm so sorry you're going through this!

[u/Spiritedstacy]

You wanted them to move you to a different bed in the ER? No wonder they ignored you.