Hospitals and PD Medications

Hi All,

In the past I've heard some real horror stories about PWP's going to the hospital and not being able to get their PD meds on time or at all.

Last July 30th, I knew I was going to have to spend at least 1 night in the hospital. At registration I had a list of my medications and what time I took each pill. I got my PD medications on time every time. It was like the nurses couldn't do enough to help me.

What has been your experience with this?

Shakey1

I have been hospitalized many times since receiving my atypical PD diagnosis. When the admissions are planned, medication dispensing usually goes uneventful. Even though we PD’ers tend to receive medications at nonscheduled times, rather then the traditional times. My two horror stories involve the Emergency Room. When the ER is busy due to high volume critical cases getting someone to order medications is a nightmare. Because the staff are trying to access your status, they may try and tell you that you are not permitted to take your own personal medications. If the ER is backed up for hours – you can end up in a desperate situation. I never leave home without carrying medication ON ME at all times, in the event of an accident and I end up in an ER for some unforeseen reason. The only other time I have a problem is when someone the floor I was staying on coded, and all available staff were tried up for over two hours. The medication nurse was not available to dispense meds. Obviously, these were unique situations. Much of this depends on your need for medications at a specific time to be able to function. I now prepare for the unexpected.