"So, the first thing we're going to do is give you 1.5mg of dilaudid in your IV line to get you out of this immediate pain crisis. I already entered the order," I told the patient, crouched at her bedside and holding her hand. She closed her eyes briefly and nodded.
I took her call button and whacked it. We gazed at each other and the unit assistant blared out a "Can I help you?" to which I replied "Yes can we get pain meds please?"
I placed the button back in her hand. "I also placed a consult for our palliative pain team - they will help us get your pain under control with medication. They'll get all the right medications ordered in the right doses so that we keep you comfortable around the clock."
She didn't say a word, just nodded her head imperceptibly. The level of her pain had rendered her immobile and terrified.
I continued, "Then we'll have the anesthesia pain team come by to see if we can do anything surgically, such as a nerve block or epidural. Ok?"
The patient's eyes never left mine, and she nodded slowly once more.
The nurse rolled an IV pole in with the dilaudid and everyone in the room breathed a sigh of relief.
The patient angled her head and crooked her finger at me.
I leaned in.
She licked her dry lips and said weakly, "I... will name... all of my children's children... after you."
And one edge of her mouth drifted upwards as I burst out laughing and kissed her brow.
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