Code Purple!!

Roughly 25 years ago I met my best friend Pam and her husband during pre-natal classes. It was amazing how much we had in common. For one thing as I looked at her wedding picture during a visit, I was shocked at what I saw...Sure enough--we had the very same wedding dress!! We also got married during the same month, we were both nurses, and our babies were due days apart!! Over the years we watched our children grow up and we shared their milestones together! We laughed and we cried together as we weathered many of life's storms.

Shortly before our babies were born, we decided to develop a special hotline. It was a 24-hr/7-day a week hotline designed to be a safe haven in case we ever felt the stress of motherhood and life getting the best of us. The rules were we could call anytime we were upset and announce it was a code purple. Knowing that we could scream and yell--even call each other every name in the book and the other would not take it personally. It was a haven to get things off our chest--a place to go where there was no judgements or criticisms. After we would calm down, we often talked together about the issues. Those discussions helped us keep things in perspective and allowed for introspection and learning and we both learned a lot over the years.

Migraine headaches were another experience Pam and I shared through the years. We both knew the pain and agony of such debilitating pain and when those around us couldn't understand the agony, depression and helplessness, we could. We were able to gain strength from that support and encouragement.

I believe everyone should have access to a Code Purple hotline--someone they can talk to and express themselves to without fear of redicule or judgement.

25 years later, our children are grown. The Code Purple hotline has carried us through life, death, divorce, chronic pain and illness, and a host of other crises. It remains alive and well and our friendship has remained a precious gift to the both of us.

Related Topics: positive thinking

Labeling Patients

When I lecture on pain management I often discuss the critical issue of labeling patients. Although it is something all practitioners do at some time during their career, it really can have a negative impact on patient care and also affect patients in ways that they may never realize--unless told.

Here is my story...Being a nurse who has also been a patient more times than I would like to remember, I am all too aware of the impact labeling can have on patients.

Roughly 13 years ago, I was a patient in a small town hospital where I lived and worked. I had a reaction to medications prescribed for cluster headaches. Well, one thing headache sufferers often realize is the need to take medication at the first sign of a pending headache in order to gain the most benefit from the medication. And one thing about clusters is the fact they often come on like clockwork with clusters running over a period of days, weeks, and even months. Well this particular time was 9:50 a.m. on a Friday while I was a patient in room 218. (Notice the fact I can remember the exact day/time and location of this incident.)

Having recognized the aura I was all too familiar with at this particular time, I called for medication. The nurse on duty answered the call light at the station and yells over the intercom asking me if I really needed the med or was I just "thinking" I was going to get a headache. Her attitude was sarcastic and her tone of voice condescending. I was devastated.

I realized this nurse doubted my need for medication which when translated indicates her belief I would ask for pain meds for reasons other than pain. Whether she realized it or not, she had labeled me as a drug seeker. Being a nurse who worked beside this nurse on a regular basis, I was devastated to think she might think of me this way--and for no reason.

I still remember how it made me feel then because it brings back many of those same emotions as I think about it now. The point of my sharing such a scenario is in hopes that nurses and other caregivers will take heed about how their attitude and demeanor can affect their patients. Now this nurse may not even have realized how she came across to me.

The way I have managed to get past the incident is to identify this as an example of a professional who needs to learn more about pain and its management. She also needs to understand the differences between tolerance, dependence and addiction. And she also needs to realize her own biases and what things trigger her to respond in such ways that can impact her patients so profoundly.

This incident occurred over 13 years ago... Can you remember where you were at 9:50 a.m. last Friday and what your conversation might have been about?


Related Topics: Treating Chronic Pain, Managing Migraines, Migraine Triggers

Abstract: NIH: The practice of pain management and why treatment has been proven to be inadequate. One of the three reasons is the underprescription of analgesics.

Welcome!

Hi! My name is Indie Cooper-Guzman! I am a Registered Nurse Consultant and Educator specializing in Pain Management. You may have met me on either the Migraine or the Pain Management message board at WebMD.
I have met some really terrific folks over the years I have been with WebMD. Quite a few of them have been visiting just about as long as I have been here! I consider them part of my "online family" and we are like family! If you stop by to visit, I think you will quickly see why.

Many folks on my boards come by to share and care. I count it a privilege to have met and learned from them and I am thankful for the many kind words they have shared with me over the years. We have laughed together, cried togther, prayed together and shared a lot of ourselves together. Many of the subjects we talk about can be difficult and personal at times but we have built a sense of trust amongst us that enables us to do so.

If I were to develop an image for my boards, it would be one of me sitting in a high-back rocking chair on an old fashioned wrap-around porch on a comfortable day with many friends stopping by to visit. Sometimes there might be only one or two. Other times there might be many. We might be sitting and talking together as an entire group at one time or there may be several little groups of folks sharing mini chats in different areas of my porch.

Sometimes there might be lighthearted laughing such as when the Bungie Belles are discussing or planning one of their special pain-relieving parties or there might be a serious heartfelt conversation where folks might rally around to offer support and prayer for one of us who might be going through a very rough time. No matter what it is, I hope each and every person who stops by will feel a sense of compassion and care on my porch. I may not have immediate answers to all your questions but I can check some resources for you. And if I still can't find answers, I will do my best to offer direction to help you find them. I know other folks will also help when they can.

One thing is for sure, everyone who comes seeking information or understanding will be welcomed warmly and invited to sit down and visit. There will always be room and a place to sit just waiting for you!