To keep things short, I’ve been hospitalised the last few days. There is an old lady staying in the bed next to me.
Tonight I heard her chatting to the nurses about medication not being given and her not being able to sleep/ being nervous. I heard her getting emotional and I felt so bad
I sat with her and chatted for ages about random things just to keep her company. After an hour she asked me to pass her her blister pack because she had to ‘check’ something. I knew something was wrong but I did it anyway kind of not thinking. When she started opening it I kept asking her ‘hey should we get a nurse? Will I go check with the nurse first?’ And so on.
She kept telling me no it’s okay and not to and that she’s allowed to do this.
Afterwards I kinda stood there in shock like wtf did I just help this lady overdose. It was labelled ‘night tablets’ and they were from home. So I assume like sleeping tablets pain killers etc. there was a lot.
I kind of stood there not knowing what to do. But after a few mins I went out and told the nurse she took her medication.
I went back to bed and the nurse came in and pulled me out to ask which part she had taken. When I told her she let out a big sigh and said why did you give her those. I told her I didn’t realise she was gonna take them and I kept trying to get her to stop.
She just walked away then, she doesn’t seem to stressed. She just checked the old ladies blood pressure and said she’d be back in an hour to check again. I feel SO horrible. I defo made her shift and paper work 10x times harder and she definitely hates me.
I also can’t help but to deflect blame a little bit. Like these tablets that had morning evening night mon-Friday were accessible to this lady on her night stand. Shouldn’t they have been taken away?? Will I get in trouble for this. I just wanna go home and forget I can’t handle the guilt
NTA. If those really were her medications from home, then they shouldn’t have been at her bedside at all. All you did was pass her something that she already had easy access to. This is on the health system and the team taking care of her.
NTA- as a nurse myself, they should have absolutely taken her home medications away. You didn’t do anything wrong.
Agreed. I have not been allowed to keep any of my prescription medications while admitted to hospital. The nurse takes it and brings it when I needed to take it. And all these times I was completely sound of mind/ knew what and when to take my meds but it’s just a safety thing they do. Sounds like this lady may not have been completely sound of mine so definitely shouldn’t have had access to medication
NTA, assuming the old lady is mentally well and aware of the situation.
The old lady is responsible for following the doctor’s orders and should know not to take medication from home. She was an a-hole to the nurse for making her do extra work and she was an a-hole to you for getting you involved. And, potentially, she was an a-hole to herself (and her loved ones) for risking her health by taking medication from home.