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‘Do you have any allergies?’

This is something we nurses ask all our patients. It’s quite an important piece of your current and past medical history. It can determine the path of your plan of care in virtually everything that has to do with the maintenance of your health and wellness.

Here’s the problem:

‘No, I’m not allergic’ –

‘So you’re not allergic to anything? No allergies that you know of? (We ask this because it is clearly stated on the front and on every page of your chart’s order sheets that you in fact do have allergies)

‘No, I’m not allergic. I just can’t take Penicillin.’ –

‘Oh? You can’t take Penicillin? Why is that? What happens?’

‘Oh, I break out in some red rash thing. They tell me I also started havin’ trouble breathing’ –

‘They?’

‘Yeah, that doctor down at the other hospital’

Clearly you can see this can be and could have been a serious problem.

‘Do you have allergies?’ –

‘Oh yeah! Tons! Whew!”Don’t give me them pain meds. Pain meds make me nauseous. I get real sick to my stomach. I get dizzy and light-headed. My mouth gets real dry.’

‘If they give me that blood thinner stuff. I bruise real easy too.’

‘Oh, and once that doctor gave me Ibuprofen… or err.. That ant-eye-flamtry stuff. Boy did It make my stomach upset.’

(These are called side effects. These are not allergies.)

‘I see. We’ll be sure to let the doctor know about them.’ -

Tags: allergy, medication, side effect