Has anybody found that a few (only a few) nurses were reluctant to give adequate pain medication post op?

I recently had a knee replacement which I discovered was a very painful procedure. Whilst on the self pain management drip I had control of my own pain for which I was very grateful. My problem arose when they removed this after 2/3 days and began to give me oral medication which I assumed would be equally as strong. My understanding was that I had been prescribed a strong morphine based meds every 4/6 hours but also a regular over the counter meds every 4/6 hours as a back up. However a couple of nurses decided that I didn't need the stronger meds, were reluctant to give it and wanted to give me the headache pills instead. Comments like " you shouldn't need these by now", "the strong meds is really only for post op", "you don't decide, we do" we're all extremely unhelpful. And of course nurses talk amongst each other and all of a sudden you are feeling like you are making trouble merely because you are in pain and insisting that the medication offered isn't enough. Eventually when I began to cry with the pain caused by bending to go to the toilet or to get in and out of bed, they realised I was serious and with definite instructions from the resident doctor I began to regularly receive what I needed for adequate pain management. This lack of empathy by one's caregivers when one is extremely vulnerable and totally reliant was very upsetting . I am not a crier but found that I was reduced to being one by the circumstances. Once home I googled the situation and found that, indeed, some nurses do in fact prefer to give the lowest dose prescribed for some reason. Also once home my GP prescribed me adequate strong morphine based meds and now 4 weeks post op I have now reduced the use of these to about one a day, usually at night when the pain is at its worse for some reason. Other times I take regular pain killers and expect to for up to 6 weeks as is the norm. I wonder if this lack of empathy re. Pain meds by some caregivers in hospitals is common or was I just the lucky one. Honestly, if I had been mobile I swear I would have been striding the wards signing up patients and forming a Patients Protection Union! What can one do about this. I am concerned because I'll be having another one replacement in about 6 months and although I will know what to expect I would love to avoid the same uncomfortable situation.

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