I Hate Dialysis Message Board
Dialysis Discussion => Dialysis: Centers => Dialysis: Workers => Topic started by: Epoman on August 05, 2005, 07:20:17 PM
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call your lab results "Your Report Card"? I can't stand that >:( I'm a full grown man and I'm not in school anymore. I hate that saying it really bothers me. What about you does it bother you?
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Oh, yes it does bother me... apparently I'm the only one out of 15 patients who complained!
Wonder why we don't have 'report cards' for our social and financial problems, too... or would that depress the staff too much? ;)
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Welcome aboard thanks for joining. I'm glad to see I'm not alone in hating the term "Report Card" this is what this site is all about.
ranting and hearing the truth about dialysis.
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As bad as the 'report card' crap is, at least they don't post them on the bulletin board for all the other patients to see, like they've done in some units I've read about!
Although now, with the patient privacy laws, I don't see how they can still do that.
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At my unit the dieticitan puts little seasonal chart stickers next to acceptable labs. Yes grown people will be motivated into dietary and treatment compliance by collecting as many tiny seasonal stickers as possible. She's a nice lady but even my 4th graders don't fall for that. ::)
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At my unit the dieticitan puts little seasonal chart stickers next to acceptable labs. Yes grown people will be motivated into dietary and treatment compliance by collecting as many tiny seasonal stickers as possible. She's a nice lady but even my 4th graders don't fall for that. ::)
Hey welcome to the board. If my dieticitian did that I would scream. ;D You said "my 4th graders" are you a teacher? or do you have kids that are 4th graders? Goto the "Introduce Yourself" section and tell us about yourself. But again welcome to the board and come often.
P.S. I'm talking to all new members goto the "Introduce Yourself" section and let us get to know you.
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Here's what that dietician must imagine we think:
"Hmmm... my life sucks, I'm sick all the time, I have no energy and no money... but wait! If only I could get my hands on more stickers than anyone else in the unit, I would magically stop eating the foods I love and be a good little patient!"
Holy crap, lady... what Psychology course did you take in college?! ;D
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Here's what that dietician must imagine we think:
"Hmmm... my life sucks, I'm sick all the time, I have no energy and no money... but wait! If only I could get my hands on more stickers than anyone else in the unit, I would magically stop eating the foods I love and be a good little patient!"
Holy crap, lady... what Psychology course did you take in college?! ;D
I hate anything that a center does to try to cheer us up. If they want to cheer us up how about all the techs and nurses donate a kidney to us. ;D
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Feh on donated kidneys! ;D I want my OWN kidney function back-- prednisone is BAD stuff and I will never take it again!
I know what would cheer me up at dialysis: Good lookin' guy techs! ;)
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Those are few and far between. We have a bunch of baby girl tech's and while they are mostly sweet girls(and the night shift ones are pretty good at the job) They really aren't my cup of tea to look at! And I am not sure what type of psych training Dieticians have. But I doubt any of it is terribly useful. Patients are people and people are complicated beings. Behavior is not changed by such simplistic measures. I'd just like to see more people on dialysis treated like grown ups.
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Well, I lucked out. The Dietician at my centre happens to be a sister in the faith. We fellowshiped at the same assembly for more than four years, so our relationship is not dietician/patient, but sister/sister. I don't expect her to try any of that patronizing stuff on me. At least, I will be able to nip it in the bud immediately!
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lol, at my clinic they call it labs, not report card. If they did, the next time I went in for bloodwork I would say "I didn't study for my blood test can I take it another time?"
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lol, at my clinic they call it labs, not report card. If they did, the next time I went in for bloodwork I would say "I didn't study for my blood test can I take it another time?"
;D
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Yea, my dietician refers to it as "Your Report Card". A few weeks ago she came up to me and said something like...."Your report card hasn't been faxed over yet." I just stared up at her. I had no idea what she was talking about. Then she told me she was talking about my labs. I thought to myself, "Wouldn't that be easier to say then Report Card."
Come on...Labs, Your Report Card, Labs, Your Report Card.....Which Is Easier to Say? ? ? :D :lol;
But I have to admit, she is a real nice lady. She brings homemade treats everyonce in awhile. I did get a really good recipe from her. Everything she makes is so diabetics can have it too. I'll have to post it when I find the recipe. Very Simple.
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Don't get me started. :-X
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Don't get me started. :-X
Ohh Start, start, start. >:D Come on Zach what's your opinion?
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Personally it doesn't bother me what its called. Both terms are used around here.
As to the smilie stickers, stars etc. I like them myself. Lightens the mood.
Kinda like the smilies that can be used with posts on here. ;D
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Over the years, I have seen them called different things. Currently, it is simply entitled, "Progress Report." This is the cover page to the individual patient's entire monthly blood workup.
It states the test name (albumin, urea, calcium, etc.) and goal, then the results with comments. It also lists the previous two lab results, which I think is a very good idea.
The comments part is a little paternalistic. "GOOD JOB!" is the comment when my albumin is within normal range. But all in all it provides needed information.
It's the dietitians, in general, who are sometimes useless or clueless. Now that's not to say that there are some really wonderful dietitians. Those are usually the certified Renal Specialists ... they tend to know their stuff. I've been fortunate to have a few of them at my unit. It's the nutritionists who come to the unit with no experience in the renal diet and just walk around smiling and saying little of how to work with the nutritional requirements we have. I don't need perky, I need useful information ... and then some perky. ;)
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I thought it was bad enough when my dialysis unit social worker had to leave and now I have a new one that has never showed up to the unit in 2 months >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:(
but NOW there is a new dialysis dietitian too!! Why are the ones I know all leaving?? This sucks ass@!!!! :banghead; :banghead;
At least I can get the info here but now I can't rely on my staff :'(
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Ahh yes, the "Report Card"... or sometimes called the "Progress Report", why not just call them what they are, lab results? It don't really bother me about the name, although I think it's stupid and should just be called labs.... what bother's me more is there comments they write next to each result. My phosphorus has been high for going on a year now, I haven't had a month where I have been in the "normal" range... I get little comments like "Don't forget your binders!"..or, "Are you not talking your binders??? Please don't forget!!"... I never forget my binders, and I hate them assuming I am not taking them just because my levels are high... I mean come on, be adult at least and ASK me... I am more offended that you assume I miss them instead of just asking am I missing them.
When my dietician calls me, which he usually always does because my phos being high... so he calls and asks me "what are you eating"... so I tell him, he offers his advice and suggestions, and always says he will send me a chart about what foods are high in phos and which are low... I told him last time, do NOT send me those damn charts, it will just be trashed as I have enough of them as is, and if I need any further info on a food, I will look it up online... He said well if you know them so well, why are you levels high? I said, let me offer a suggestion to you... for 1 week, pretend your on dialysis... and follow my diet, to a T... your the dietician, it should be easy, you know what you can and cannot eat... so let's see how you do. He thought that was a bad idea and said something about he knows he could do it, that's just pointless or something.... ::)
I hate anything that a center does to try to cheer us up. If they want to cheer us up how about all the techs and nurses donate a kidney to us. ;D
I agree Epo... :thumbup;
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Pointless? He knows he could do it? Oh puhleeease. . .
The town I grew up in had a very large Catholic population. Most of them couldn't even manage to give up coke or chocolate all the way thru Lent without cheating. I'd sit in class in school around the second day of Lent, watching all of them jitter in caffeine withdrawal.
We're supposed to give up dozens of things we love and crave for the rest of our lives, and they expect us to be perfect at it?
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My thoughts exactly!! So when he gets my labs back this week, and calls to talk to me about them... I am going to tell him, I do the best I can... I know your trying to do your job and tell me what i can and can't have, but after being on dialysis over 2 yrs now... i am a pretty good judge and knowing what I can and cant have and how much of it... so please just gimmie my numbers and let me try to get them down... Dangit!
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He said well if you know them so well, why are you levels high? I said, let me offer a suggestion to you... for 1 week, pretend your on dialysis... and follow my diet, to a T... your the dietician, it should be easy, you know what you can and cannot eat... so let's see how you do. He thought that was a bad idea and said something about he knows he could do it, that's just pointless or something.... ::)
Just shows dietitians don't understand. I mean, my nurse told me that there was one year where a professor told his nursing students that wanted to be dialysis nurses, to go simply 3 days on a solid renal diet (hemo dialysis diet) and not even ONE of them were able to do it!
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At my unit the dieticitan puts little seasonal chart stickers next to acceptable labs. Yes grown people will be motivated into dietary and treatment compliance by collecting as many tiny seasonal stickers as possible. She's a nice lady but even my 4th graders don't fall for that. ::)
Gee, you get stickers? I only get a star. :banghead;
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At my unit the dieticitan puts little seasonal chart stickers next to acceptable labs. Yes grown people will be motivated into dietary and treatment compliance by collecting as many tiny seasonal stickers as possible. She's a nice lady but even my 4th graders don't fall for that. ::)
Gee, you get stickers? I only get a star. :banghead;
We get smiley stickers next to ours too!! lol
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Oh, I don't know how I missed this thread before! Not that I have anything to add but that I <treading the ground like a bull> HATE those damned stickers and little comments. Especially when I haven't done a damned thing differently and I get all the congrats.
I really want to say something to the dietician about this, but she's nice and I know it would totally hurt her feelings...but really, she should be a professional about it. Well, I guess I could just tell her that I want to save a few trees, and since I always ask for the original lab print out, she can save a sheet and not print out the rainbow-covered one for a change, hehehe.
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I just want my bloodwork report not the damn smiley face I got last month. Especially when the only reason the labs are good are because of the parathyroid surgery I had In October! Sheez!
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I just want my bloodwork report not the damn smiley face I got last month. Especially when the only reason the labs are good are because of the parathyroid surgery I had In October! Sheez!
Here is some stickers for you good labs.
:) :) :) :) :) :) :) :)
;D :beer1;
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Why thank you for those stickers. I will add them to my scar collection!
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This is Krista my dietitian, young, vibrant, smart, and caring, sorta cute too. to much light on this picture, but she is a cuttie.
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She is a cutie.
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somehow i missed this one.
i called our dietitian to task, for taking a week and a half to get lab results back. since they are so important she should make a better effort to get them to us in a timely manner. i fully realize i'm not the only one she has to do this for, but come on, she's not recording these by hand, it doesn't take much to print them, it's a computer for pete's sake. and i'm not stupid, i don't need the fancy, designed for 5 year olds report. just give me what you give the doctor, i know what it means and if i don't i'll ask. those results are in the wednesday after blood draws. i now ask the nurse for them. last month the dietitian just handed me her report as she walked by and said "i'm sure you already have these".
another thing i have trouble dealing with is the always and never statements. ie, "if you eat any cheese your phosphorus will never go down" come on moderation folks. nothing is absolute. how about "your loosing weight, you're not eating enough protine" although that one didn't come from the dietitian.
monday she came by with a handy dandy little handout on "al bumin" PLUEESE!!!!!!! i'm not 5. it was all about how i should increase my protine intake by adding protine powder. wonderful she should do a little research and give it to those who have low albumin levels. mine is smack in the middle of the range. doc is happy, he's the only one besides me who needs to be. i looked through it because she said there were some good recipes in it....not. oh well i guess she's trying.
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I like the stickers and I like the reports, sorry to say that currently i don't get stickers, just a personal visit from Krista (dietitian), she comes and sits next to me and goes over my lab reports, ask me if i'm having any diet problems i want to talk about, etc..
I also have her email addy in case i need to leave her a note from home.
Where would I be without my dialysis center and the staff?
I LOVE YOU EVERYONE!
EDITED: Removed picture - Sluff/ Admin
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Here are some stickers for bad lab reports.
>:D >:D >:D >:D >:D >:D >:D>:D
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Here are some stickers for bad lab reports.
>:D >:D >:D >:D >:D >:D >:D>:D
:rant; <-- Dietician with lab results
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Today we ALL got to watch a cartoon on high phosphorus and calcium. We also got a snack (popcorn and graham crackers) then it was nap time.
I just love the stimulating intellectual atomsphere. >:D
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Today we ALL got to watch a cartoon on high phosphorus and calcium. We also got a snack (popcorn and graham crackers) then it was nap time.
I just love the stimulating intellectual atomsphere. >:D
With an attitude like that you are going to get a "time out". :rofl;
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My time out is T,Th,S from 9 to noon!
;D
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Today we ALL got to watch a cartoon on high phosphorus and calcium. We also got a snack (popcorn and graham crackers) then it was nap time.
I just love the stimulating intellectual atomsphere. >:D
Then the bell rang and it was time for recess.
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at my unit it is like when I taught adaptive behavior
we get paper dollars for good lab reports
I have no paper dollars and no shame (we buy back Davita crap)
I have almost gotten dollars but to tell you the truth, I am not encouraged by this
give me real money to apply for medications or more than one 6 ounce glass of ice or let me stand up during the treatment to give my numb butt a break, like a five minute stand up break
social worker said she thought I'd really enjoy the paper money, being a teacher and all
oh pleeeeeeeeese.....
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Our "Report Cards" only give the basic stuff (albumin, calcium, phosphorus, potassium, and PTH) with the bad numbers highlited. I finally demanded a full report each month.
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I use to hate getting those monthly pieces of paper with either a smiley face or a frown on them. Give me a break. :banghead;
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We got a new dietician the month before my transplant, and that kidney could not have come soon enough! She's nice enough, but the one time she called to go over my labs was about three weeks after they had been drawn; then instead of telling me numbers, she would say things like, "Your albumin is good; your phosphorous is a little high; etc". I finally stopped her, because she was going through so fast, and told her that I know what the numbers mean, please tell me what THE NUMBERS ARE! I've changed doctors for less than that.
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Kim's encounter with her dietation...
Once, the first day I went to my new centre, she walks through doing 10km/per hour so that no one will talk to her. :Kit n Stik;
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We have a new dietitian/nutritionist. She is doing a really good job (here about 4 months). We actually see her every time we get lab results and she goes over stuff with us and hands out useful info. For the first time we are getting reports on a small folded card called 'hemodialysis nutrition report' Thankfully, no stickers! What I like is that a whole year is recorded, so you can see from January. The only thing is, I wish cholesterol was recorded. Only Urr, Kt/V, sodium, Potassium, Phosphorus, Calcium, Albumin and Hemoglobin. On the back of the card, our medications are recorded. We keep the card, and are to bring it in to be updated each time.
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I got a sticker last month. I asked her if she thought I was five.
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Wow, I'm glad I don't get report cards and stickers. How annoying. There was a chart on the wall of the lobby once that showed a frog jumping towards low-phosphorus foods and it called it "frogphorus." Now my boyfriend and I always call it frogphorus.
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I use to hate getting those monthly pieces of paper with either a smiley face or a frown on them. Give me a break. :banghead;
Like it or not its those monthly pieces of paper that can and will save your life.
Too many people do not see the correlation of labs out of wack with potential problems until its too late.
It builds up slowly over time and little warning is given until its too late.
Calcium buildups that require surgery thus exposing one to unnecessary complications, calcifying of small blood vessels leading to blindness, loss of circulation or calcifying of vessels leading to heart problems. Heart problems is one of the biggest complications of those on dialysis.
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I use to hate getting those monthly pieces of paper with either a smiley face or a frown on them. Give me a break. :banghead;
Like it or not its those monthly pieces of paper that can and will save your life.
Too many people do not see the correlation of labs out of wack with potential problems until its too late.
It builds up slowly over time and little warning is given until its too late.
Calcium buildups that require surgery thus exposing one to unnecessary complications, calcifying of small blood vessels leading to blindness, loss of circulation or calcifying of vessels leading to heart problems. Heart problems is one of the biggest complications of those on dialysis.
Excuse me if I am wrong, but I think that what writers such as willieandwinnie and several others are expressing is the opinion that they are quite aware of the importance of lab values. However, their concern lies with dieticians who treat them as if they were noncompliant children who are incapable of understanding such matters that play such an important role in their own health.
I think it would be much better for all concerned if the dieticians treated each patient as an individual. Some patients are very involved in their healthcare and are rightfully resentful at being treated in an infantile manner. Treating them as though they were five years old is not the right way to build a good working relationship.
In the end, I am guessing that most adults do not need to be treated as they their reading level were on a first grade level and be subjected to condescending smiley faces at every turn.
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Sarahs dietician dresses like a floozy and acts carries on like she is some high school airhead. I would like to know how the hospital thinks she is effective in her duties when nobody in the unit takes her seriously.
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Thank you David. :cuddle; You said that very well. I was trying to say we want to be treated as adults. We know the numbers and understand what they mean. If you treat people as adults and involve them in their care, you will have much better outcomes. What is going to save the lives of dialysis patients is the medical community not just giving what information they deem important. I want all the information, good, bad and ugly, and let me make an informed decision about my care. Don't tell me not to read and ask questions, that makes me feel like you are hiding something from me. You might have the education and experience, but I live in this body and know it a hell of a lot better then you do. I can't stand being treated like a disobedient child. I don't know about you, but I stopped getting smiley faces and gold stars on papers in first grade. That is my :twocents; and I will get off my soap box. :thx;
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I argue with mine all the time and she usually cuts me a lot of slack. Just like avoiding tomatoes on hamburgers. A thick slice of tomato only has 57 mg. potassium. Too often we done get individualized diet restrictions just a mainstream amount.
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Excuse me if I am wrong, but I think that what writers such as willieandwinnie and several others are expressing is the opinion that they are quite aware of the importance of lab values. However, their concern lies with dieticians who treat them as if they were noncompliant children who are incapable of understanding such matters that play such an important role in their own health.
I think it would be much better for all concerned if the dieticians treated each patient as an individual. Some patients are very involved in their healthcare and are rightfully resentful at being treated in an infantile manner. Treating them as though they were five years old is not the right way to build a good working relationship.
In the end, I am guessing that most adults do not need to be treated as they their reading level were on a first grade level and be subjected to condescending smiley faces at every turn.
I suppose you can feel that way..... However IMO I think you are reading way too much into it if you think stickers are being used in any manner to treat someone like they are five years old or it is condescending. Coming around and talking to patients in a condescending manner over lab values is one thing, but stickers are an inanimate object and are hardly condescending, come on now.
I have to say IMO many do not understand the cause and effect. Many on this board have posted certain questions/problems which are DIRECTLY related to not following diet and its corresponding affect on lab values.
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Excuse me if I am wrong, but I think that what writers such as willieandwinnie and several others are expressing is the opinion that they are quite aware of the importance of lab values. However, their concern lies with dieticians who treat them as if they were noncompliant children who are incapable of understanding such matters that play such an important role in their own health.
I think it would be much better for all concerned if the dieticians treated each patient as an individual. Some patients are very involved in their healthcare and are rightfully resentful at being treated in an infantile manner. Treating them as though they were five years old is not the right way to build a good working relationship.
In the end, I am guessing that most adults do not need to be treated as they their reading level were on a first grade level and be subjected to condescending smiley faces at every turn.
I suppose you can feel that way..... However IMO I think you are reading way too much into it if you think stickers are being used in any manner to treat someone like they are five years old or it is condescending. Coming around and talking to patients in a condescending manner over lab values is one thing, but stickers are an inanimate object and are hardly condescending, come on now.
I have to say IMO many do not understand the cause and effect. Many on this board have posted certain questions/problems which are DIRECTLY related to not following diet and its corresponding affect on lab values.
Yes, many dialysis patients do have difficulty with maintaining their diet restrictions. Treating them as disobedient children is certainly not going to help. As willieandwinnie said so eloquently, working together with the patients to make informed decisions regarding their healthcare is the way to go. Stickers in and of themselves are not condescending. Their use on "report cards" that are meant for ADULTS is, IMO. These are the patients themselves speaking, and I think we should take their word for it. All they are asking for is to have the information presented to them in a respectful manner that does not remind them of their first grade homework papers. IMO. :twocents;
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Yes, many dialysis patients do have difficulty with maintaining their diet restrictions. Treating them as disobedient children is certainly not going to help. As willieandwinnie said so eloquently, working together with the patients to make informed decisions regarding their healthcare is the way to go. Stickers in and of themselves are not condescending. Their use on "report cards" that are meant for ADULTS is, IMO. These are the patients themselves speaking, and I think we should take their word for it. All they are asking for is to have the information presented to them in a respectful manner that does not remind them of their first grade homework papers. IMO. :twocents;
BS, Its hardly treating anyone as disobedient children.