Massages From Nurses.

[npmommie]

Would you be allowed to refuse it? I really, really don't like people touching my neck and shoulders. Yes, I know you're nurses and that's different... but unless I have a neck injury and must submit to care for it, I would not find that the least bit restful or therapeutic.

You can refuse anything that is offered to you.

 

[SanFranciscan]

It is the strangest thing. I started this thread feeling just fine and with no recent hospitalizations. Just two days later I was sick and admitted to ICU. Those poor nurses couldn't possibly have time for massaging anybody or anything that minor. It wouldn't have made any difference to me anyway. The only thing that relaxed me enough to sleep was my morphine.

 

[Disney Doll]

When we say "massage" we do not mean the full body hour long massage tht one would get at a spa. "Massage" in this case means rubbing someone's back prior to bed at night, if the patient wished to have their back rubbed. I always ask and don't just assume that everyone wanted a back rub. It's a little 5 minute thing...neck and shoulders, move down to the lower back, alittle lotion...it's nice, helps some people relax. I have also been known to rub people's feet, at their request (I do wear gloves), because some people find that very relaxing. There are a lot of "comfort" type things in a nurse's repetoire which all fall under patient care.

It is unfortunate that a lot of the little "niceties" that we used to be able to do have fallen by the wayside because of the huge amount of other stuff nurses have to do these days. Much of our time is spent documenting to meet some ridiculous new rule set down by someone at a regulatory agency who is trying to justify their existence or documenting to defend a lawsuit. We are sually short-staffed as it is, and all this baloney just takes time away from the patient.

 

[Becky2005]

I have only been in the hospital to have babies but only the last one did they actually do a massage and that was actually a massage therapist. No regular nurses were giving massages though. It was a new perk they offered for the moms. Although, I kept getting told to not be so tense. LOL! I'm not one to sit there and enjoy a massage. It was just a shoulder one but I guess I'm weird, I didn't mind it but you could tell I wasn't going to just relax enough.

I ended up getting a 2nd freebie one since I changed rooms -- they were busy so I was in a room normally used for patients with problems, then moved to a regular room the next day.

My DH was in the hospital not too long and I'm pretty sure no massage (he would have hated it anyway) and DD was in one last year, no massages there either.