Penicillin Allergy

Just before returning to work after the New Year holiday, I managed to squeeze in a tonsillectomy. Post-op, a nurse came to set up my IV drip. I immediately spotted Penicillin on the bottle. My throat was too sore to speak easily, so I could only point to the Penicillin Allergy line on the patient information card by my bed for the nurse to see.

Excuse me, Im allergic to penicillin. The doctor prescribed a different antibiotic, a cephalosporin. Did you perhaps get the wrong medication?

To my surprise, after glancing at the prescription, she didnt stop. Instead, she smiled and moved to inject the IV. You need anti-inflammatories after surgery, otherwise it will affect your recovery!

Penicillin is an anti-inflammatory. I havent prescribed you the wrong medication, dont worry.

1.

I slightly opened my mouth, watching her, unheeding, as the needle was about to pierce the rubber stopper of the medicine bottle. I quickly spoke to stop her. Miss, Im allergic to penicillin, I cant have this! The doctor prescribed a different anti-inflammatory for me!

Due to my panic, my voice involuntarily rose. My throat screamed with pain, like swallowing razor blades. My brows furrowed in agony. The nurse flinched, seemingly startled by my voice. Her hand trembled, and the penicillin vial dropped onto the rolling cart.

Patient, please dont shout. You just had a tonsillectomy and shouldnt strain your voice.

Penicillin is an anti-inflammatory; it can help your wound heal.

The other anti-inflammatory you mentioned has similar effects to penicillin, and the price is about the same.

Listening to her excuses, I instantly let out a mirthless laugh. I was talking about an allergy, and she was talking about price. My anger simmered, but the post-surgical exhaustion left me with no energy to unleash it.

So, I reached for the information card at my bedside and held it close to her face, pointing to the line about precautions. I spoke for the third time. Youre a nurse, for crying out loud. You should recognize the words penicillin allergy, shouldnt you?

In severe cases, it can lead to anaphylactic shock and death. I, an outsider, shouldnt have to tell you that, should I?

Can you not see this line of text?

The nurses eyes reddened, and she nervously wrung the corner of her pristine white uniform. Dr. Chen told me to remind you to speak less and give you anti-inflammatory medication. Please dont make things difficult for me; I didnt arrange this.

Im a nurse; I understand things you dont. Penicillin is an anti-inflammatory, specifically used for post-operative inflammation.

2.

I was utterly drained. I truly wanted to just lie down on that hospital bed and never wake up, if only to avoid seeing the idiot in front of me. Taking time off for surgery had already messed up my work schedule. If I didnt have a crucial meeting with a client in three days to present a proposal, I wouldnt have been in such a rush to get this surgery done.

I closed my eyes, taking a few deep breaths. I silently chanted to myself, Its fine, were all just trying to make a living. The sooner I sorted out this anti-inflammatory situation, the sooner my throat would recover. Any delay with the client meeting would impact my promotion.

Having composed myself, I opened my eyes. I saw several patients standing at the doorway, peering in. Perhaps my argument with the nurse had been too loud, attracting their attention. The nurse wore a mask, so her expression was unclear, but her reddened eyes betrayed her emotions.

The older women, not understanding the full context, had only heard the argument between me and the nurse. They didnt know what exactly we were fighting about. Seeing our positions, their first assumption was that an unreasonable patient was making trouble for a nurse. A kind older woman spoke up, trying to mediate:

Oh dear, stop arguing, both of you. Its not easy for anyone.

Shes just a student nurse, and shes even paying to be here. If shes done anything wrong, just be understanding.

Dont make a mountain out of a molehill. You just had surgery, get some rest.

The nurse, hearing someone speak up for her, gave the older woman a grateful look. She took a deep breath, as if steeling herself. She picked up the penicillin and walked to the IV stand. Patient, its fine if youre not satisfied with my work, but I still have to do what Im supposed to, because its my duty.

Please lie down. Im going to start your IV.

My head instantly felt twice its size. I frantically waved my hand, trying to stop the nurse. Call your head nurse, or Dr. Chen will do.

My throat hurts so much right now; I dont want to waste any more breath.

The nurse clutched the medication, glancing at the older woman at the door. Living up to her expectations, the older woman championed her. Hey! Whats wrong with young people these days? So arrogant!

Shes just doing her job, practically begging you, and you still wont leave her alone.

You have no skill yourself, so you just complain. Youll never get rich in this life, will you?

Another grateful look. With a newfound ally, the nurse inserted the needle into the medication bottle. She grabbed my arm, preparing to connect the other end to the IV cannula on my hand. I understand youre uncomfortable after surgery, but dont joke about your health.

If you dont get the penicillin, what if your throat gets inflamed again? Youll be the one suffering.

I widened my eyes, pushing the nurse away with my palm. The anger made me cough violently. My throat hurt even more. I took a deep breath, feeling my blood pressure rise.

I was about to lose my temper when the nurse suddenly dropped to the floor. She hugged her knees and burst into tears. I beg you, please just get your IV. Dont make a fuss anymore.

If the head nurse finds out, shell scold me again. Im already not getting paid as an intern, and I have to pay out of my own pocket. If I get a demerit, Im finished.

The entire room filled with her sobs. She rattled off her misfortunes like spilling beans, describing her alcoholic father, love-struck mother, useless younger brother, and her own pitiable self. If it were the old me, I might have sympathized with her plight. But right now, all I wanted was for a doctor to switch out the penicillin for a different anti-inflammatory, properly treat my throat, and smoothly complete my upcoming client meeting.

3.

People are always sympathetic towards the seemingly weak. Especially older women. Their sense of justice overflowing, they cant stand to see someone taking advantage of another. The older women at the door began to move forward, ready to lecture me. The nurse looked up, her eyes swimming with tears, at me.

I stood by the hospital bed, the vigorous movements just now causing the IV cannula on my hand to seep blood. My throat ached terribly, and a burning rage was stifled in my chest, making me feel even worse. Unable to speak, and being roasted over a fire, a sense of powerlessness washed over me. I no longer wanted to argue with a nurse who refused to listen. I turned to walk towards the ward door, heading for the nurses station.

The nurse stood up, wiping a tear, and forcibly held me back. Her grip was surprisingly strong; her right hand tightly squeezed the back of my left hand, pressing directly on the site of my IV cannula. If you want to find the head nurse, fine.

But first, you need to get your penicillin. Once thats done, Ill call the head nurse immediately, and you can deal with me as you wish.

I only have one request: dont play games with your own health.

A sharp sting shot through the site of my IV cannula. I grimaced, my face flushed with pain. A trickle of blood ran down the back of my hand. She instantly panicked, grabbing a medical gauze from the rolling cart to stop the bleeding. All the while, she chided me for being unruly.

See? Wouldnt it be better to just get the IV? Now, because of this fuss, your IV cannula will have to be reinserted. More suffering for you.

I was truly speechless with frustration. My throat suddenly hurt, necessitating surgery, which had already messed up my work schedule. And now I was stuck with this nurse. I couldnt even speak my mind for fear of irritating the wound.

I glared fiercely at the nurse and pulled my hand back. My gaze fell on the name tag clipped to her chest: Student Nurse, Chloe Sterling. I committed her name to memory. I swallowed hard and pulled out my phone, ready to call the police. Originally, Id thought to be more lenient, just letting the hospital assign a different nurse to my IV, and that would be that. But Chloe Sterling had repeatedly twisted my words, making it seem like I was the one in the wrong.

With my left hand bleeding, I could only operate with one hand. Just as I unlocked my phone, Chloe Sterling snatched it away, tossing it into the toilet bowl. She pressed the flush button. The phone was swallowed by the drain.

Patient, please dont interfere with my work.

I told you, if you want to complain about me, you can, but you have to finish the penicillin first.

If you want to play on your phone, you can do it when youre well. Im going to reinsert your IV cannula now.

In an instant, my mind reeled. My brand-new phone, less than a week old, had just been flushed down the toilet. It cost me two months salary! And it held all the work documents Id planned to organize during my hospital stay! Under my furious gaze, Chloe Sterling finally reacted, her words suddenly stuttering.

Health is the foundation of revolution, you can always buy a new phone, right?

Just lie down first; Ill give you the injection.

Im just too worried about your health

4.

I felt utterly drained. My head swam. I was physically and mentally defeated.

I beg you, can you please just leave?

Call your head nurse, alright? I rasped, pointing towards the door, just wishing she would vanish from my sight. I feared losing control and wanting to tear her apart. But my current condition wouldnt allow it. Minimizing losses was what I needed to consider right now. My phone was gone, but I still had my laptop. WeChat usually synchronized chat history on the phone, so I could still see messages from colleagues.

As for the phone I took a few deep breaths, then wearily glanced at the toilet. Even if I fished it out, I wouldnt want it anymore. The necessary compensation would still be pursued. The immediate priority was solving the IV drip problem. My leave was tightly scheduled. Three days of anti-inflammatory medication after surgery, and then I could meet with the client the day after discharge.

Thinking this, I dragged my exhausted body past Chloe Sterling, who was waiting to administer the IV. Im saying this one last time: Im allergic to penicillin. Its lethal.

The doctor promised me a cephalosporin. Whether you mixed up the medication or the doctor made a mistake in prescribing it, Im no longer going to pursue it.

Perhaps my gaze was too sharp, because Chloe Sterling visibly shivered. The older woman at the door clicked her tongue. What a temper. The nurse is being so considerate, and youre still so unappreciative.

I scoffed, retorting, The knife isnt in your flesh, so you dont know the pain.

If you sympathize with her so much, why dont you pay for my phone?

Hearing the mention of money, the older woman fell silent, awkwardly fanning herself. What does that have to do with me? I didnt throw it. Chloe Sterling, hearing about compensation, visibly tensed. She dropped to her knees with a thud, slapping her own face repeatedly. Patient, I apologize if youre not satisfied with my service, alright?

My mother pulled strings and paid a lot of money to get me in here. If I dont pass my internship, Im finished.

Internships dont pay. I dont have money to repay you. My father would kill me if he found out. She whimpered, crying. Please

For a moment, I didnt know what to say. My steps halted. I was the kind of person who yielded to gentleness but resisted force. My sympathy was too strong. But I wasnt a saint. I frowned, telling her to get up.

If you dont have the money, just write an IOU for now. You can pay it back when you have it.

I wont complain about you, but please dont cause me any more trouble.

Can you just get a different nurse to come, confirm my medication, and give me the anti-inflammatory IV again? Can you do that?

Chloe Sterling whimpered twice, then climbed up from the floor. She tidied up the rolling cart, preparing to leave. Thank you, youre so kind. Watching her leave, the onlookers also dispersed. I could finally lie down on the hospital bed.

I let out a long sigh. My head hurt. My throat hurt. My whole body ached. After lying down for a few minutes, I felt thirsty. I opened my weary eyelids, got out of bed, and headed to the water room with my cup. Passing by the fire escape, the door was ajar. A whiff of cigarette smoke assailed my nose. I instinctively frowned, wanting to close the fire escape door tightly.

But then I heard a familiar voice. Damn it, such a hassle.

Penicillin is an anti-inflammatory, isnt it?

I think she just thinks penicillin is more expensive than other anti-inflammatories and doesnt want to pay for it.

So she can only make things difficult for me.

Do these overworked grunts think theyre royalty when they come to the hospital? Later, when Im giving her the injection, Ill intentionally bump her. Let her suffer.