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Nothing could make you feel more helpless than suddenly finding yourself thrust into the role of the hospitalized patient. A multitude of endless prodding and poking from unfamiliar people can set even Saint Peter himself on edge. An if your stay is induced by the onset of excruciating pain of one type or the other, you find yourself at the mercy of those caring for you.

Nurses will be your most consistent point of contact when you are hospitalized. Sure, you rely on your doctor to care for you, but lets face it. He has an office and hundreds of other patients he has assumed care for. Let's get a little more familiar with how the hospital stay works so that you can be more enlightened should you find yourself in one of those wonderful designer gowns someday soon.

Arrival at the Emergency room; the triage nurse greets you and asks what the ailment is that brings you here. She screens you and according to the standing orders she has, draws necessary blood work that will be analyzed and waiting when the doctor finally sees you. She (oh, lets not forget, there are many great male nurses, but for sake of reference, I shall stay with "she") does a precursory assessment and notifies the nurse in the Emergency department of your arrival. You are either sent to the waiting room or swiftly escorted to an exam room depending on the severity of your symptoms.

The new nurse that is now mashing and prodding on you will call the doctor with your symptoms and probably receive an new set of orders from the MD; yes, another battery of tests before the doctor gets there.

Finally, the doctor arrives and spends a precious five minutes with you. They may or may not be able to tell you what the diagnosis is yet. It is hard to be patient when you are not feeling well or in pain, at this point you and your family may be feeling pretty testy. If you are in pain, ask the nurse if you may have something for pain. They will ask you about a pain scale, say for instance, "On a scale of one to ten, how would you rate this pain?" Give them an honest answer, they need to know what type of medication you need such as Tylenol or something a bit more heavy duty. Make sure before you take any narcotics, you sign any consents they may need from you.

So now the nurse is running in and out of your room. Should you have the fortune of being cared for by a seasoned nurse, any questions you have at this point she should be able to answer,

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