Running head: JOURNAL #2

Journal #2
NURS 3020
Gabrielle Gagnon
Trent University

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2
Journal #2

Last week at placement I had a patient who had undergone a ureteral

structure repair and, therefore, had a transverse abdominal mepore dressing.
My patient was very unmotivated to get up and go for a walk, even though I
had explained to him the benefits of ambulation and he seemed to
understand them. I decided to then investigate a little more and truly figure
out what was causing this lack of motivation from a guy who was previously
quite the go-getter. Upon investigation, I managed to have him reveal that
he was, in fact, in quite a bit of pain. I went through his MAR and discussed
with the nurse what he was experiencing. The MRN gave him some pain
medication, however, even a half hour and full hour later, he had some relief
but was experiencing a lot of discomfort and still did not want to walk
because he said the feeling was unpleasant when he walked. I had him sit on
the edge of the bed and describe to me what he was feelingturns out the
discomfort was coming from around where his dressing seemed oddly taped,
therefore, I decided to give redressing a try.
After changing the transverse abdominal mepore, my patient
expressed immediate relief. His pain had receded from a VAS of 5 to a VAS of
1. You could see his entire body just relax and his go getter attitude had
returned. We then went for a walk and the entire walk he kept thanking me. It
was astounding to me that something as simple as a dressing change could
have made such a significant impact. I am truly glad that I did not give up on
my patient and continued to investigate what the cause of his pain was

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because when I finally figured it out and relieved him from it, it was not only
a relief for the patient but also fairly rewarding for myself. I strongly believe
that in many medical situations, not just the surgical floor, that pain can be
very debilitating and prevent/set back patients in terms of their healing
process.
I really love how Morone and Weiner (2013) described pain as the fifth
vital sign. In their article, Morone and Weiner (2013) talk about how complex
pain is and how so much more attention must be paid to it. In current
healthcare, practitioners much too often seem to simply administer pain
medications rather than further investigating pain and treating pain (or the
absence of pain rather) as vital. I agree with Morone and Weiner that there
should be more of a push towards thoroughly evaluating pain in order to give
the best possible pain management. Addressing and investigating into the
complexities of pain for a given patient is essential, in my opinion, and can
not only make their healthcare experience so much better but also in turn,
positively affect their overall health and recovery.

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References
Morone, N. E., & Weiner, D. K. (2013). Pain as the Fifth Vital Sign: Exposing
the Vital Need for Pain Education. Clinical Therapeutics, 35(11), 17281732. doi:10.1016/j.clinthera.2013.10.001