Brandi Hope Gorden Klukas

I was admitted to Owatonna Hospital from the ER with a severe case of colitis. In the ER, I received a potent intravenous pain medication that effectively reduced my pain from a 9–10 to around a 5 within about five minutes. After transfer to my room, I requested pain relief as my pain had returned to a severe level. The nurse promptly administered a dose, but it provided no noticeable relief after 15 minutes. She was very responsive and immediately reached out to the physician. Unfortunately, I was then only offered IV Tylenol. I remained in severe pain (9–10 rating) for more than two hours while waiting for appropriate medication. During this time, I repeatedly requested the same effective dose I had received in the ER. The physician was reluctant to provide it, leading to a prolonged and difficult conversation. I eventually became so frustrated that I told her I would prefer no pain medication at all just to end the discussion. She then offered to involve another provider (who would… still be under her supervision) and finally authorized the original dose from the ER. The nurse was excellent throughout—she was compassionate, apologetic, and did everything possible to advocate for me. I am grateful for her care. Once the dose was finally given, I arranged for a friend to pick me up and transferred to another hospital, where I was immediately placed back on the effective pain regimen on an as-needed basis. While I cannot speak to the physician’s care in other areas, I would strongly caution anyone requiring effective pain management to be aware of this experience. Severe pain was unnecessarily prolonged despite clear documentation of what had already worked in the ER. I’m relieved this ordeal is behind me, but it was one of the most difficult hospital experiences I’ve had.