Visiting Another Center~

[Rerun]

It is always a very anxious time when I visit another center.  I'm excited to get out of town, but hate the thought of who will stick me, will they have an ice machine, can I eat, can I have a cell phone, will they know what they are doing, will it be freezing or hot (what should I wear).  Just the normal everyday things people have to worry about when going on vacation.   

I went to an FMC Clinic in Oregon.  I had 3 treatments.  I had 3 different techs.  It was cold, but the chairs were heated and vibrated.     That was nice.  But the chairs could not lay back or go back up without help from a tech.  That sucked because I like to move a lot and didn't want to ask.  They also cut my time to only 3 hours (Guest Policy)?  But, it was a breeze to only go 3 hours.  It was like I got to leave an hour early for 3 sessions.  That won't kill me. 

Two of the sessions they put me by the "Yeller".  I'm sure at one point you have had to set by a "Yeller".  "HEY, HEY, HEY.... HELP ME.... I WANT OFF... HEY, HEY, HEY, PLEASE"   For 3 hours.  The guy was young and lived in a nursing home.  Sad,... but you still want to reach over and smother him with his pillow.  The chairs were too far apart. 

They had personal TV's.  The techs had a flat screen that was between 2 machines, so if your access was on the wrong side they just put your lines across you.  (didn't like that)

This clinic was a 4 star.  The improvements would be an ice machine and a chair I could maneuver on my own.  Nurses and tech were great.

Albany, Oregon FMC

[Bub]

I am looking to change centers, but I plan on taking a tour first.  There is only one center available for nocturnal, but I think 8 hours instead of four and a half will be easier on me.  I have heard that people doing nocturnal have an easier time controling their phosphorus levels.  My current center says that should not be true, that all the phophorus is gone (that dialysis can remove, which is really limited) in first 30 minutes.

 But other things have happened.  A tech set me up to remove 8 kilo's after I specifically told her 6 at the most.  When I complaigned the charge nurse poo-poo'ed me, saying was a simple mistake.  If it was a simple mistake or an accident, either way my blood pressure crashed at 6 kilo's and I ended up getting a liter or so back.  And, ended up in emergency room the next morning because my electrolytes were all screwed up.  Also, it has been one year since my kidneys failed and I have seen my nephrologist once (only his minions -- asst docs).  I dont even know what he looks like. The only person I get to see who does anything for me is the nurse practioner.  I am beginning to feel a little neglected.

Plus I am so tired of no one listening to me.  They treat me like a child and talk to me like I am an idiot.  I want to be more involved in my treatment.

[del]

Bub those techs don't know what they are talking about if they say phos is removed in the first 30 minutes!!!  it takes a long, slow treatment to remove phosphorus and Potassium!!!  My husband was doing 4.25 hrs in center 3x a week and he had to take phos binders.  Since starting nocturnal 3 years ago he has not had to take any binders!!!  he even has to eat more high phos and potassium foods to keep it from doing too low. Do some research online to find out the benefits of nocturnal. Whoever told you that about the phos needs to do some research too and stop giving patients misinformation!!  Makes me mad when "experts" give information(misinformation) to patients without having done any research!!

[Bub]

I suspect he was trying to discourage me from even thinking about changing centers. I am not sure how it works, but I get the feeling that patients with private insurance are valued more highly that medicare or medicade patients. However it works out, I have been generally happy with my current center but really I am tired of being talked to like I am a child or stupid.  The social worker is great, as is the dietician and nurse practioner.  But the charge nurse is a little severe and walks around with the "diapproving mother" attitude.  I often feel like I have failed her in someway and come short of her expectations.  And I would like to have a neph that I could occasionally talk to or even meet! So the smell of change may be in the wind.

[thegrammalady]

rerun, albany is the center i use when i visit my family. they live in corvallis. i pretty much know everyone there as i visit every 3 or 4 months. yes it's cold. they have a family of penguins living in the back room. yes they have a policy of running visitors 3 hours, but if you tell them no, they will run you 4 hours. while they don't have ice they do have pillows. when i first started there they only ran mwf. now they run 6 days a week and have a 3rd shift. it's a good center and i'm glad you had a good experience.

[kitkatz]

DaVita, Tuscon, Arizona

A huge dialysis center. They said they can take up to 40 patients.  The techs on Monday and friday were nice, informative and caring.  Of course I would get Butthead on Wednesday. The needles hurt and he refused to move them to make me more comfortable. Then the back of my arm cramped and he did not understand that the arm hurt, not the needles.  What an ass!  I almost had hubby wait for me while I went back into the center and smacked him, but did not do it. The other two treatment days were great so they made up for him.  The gal who took care of me Friday was great.

Overall an 8.

Pros: Pretty much on time, wait time was limited.
        Ice machine
        I could bring a snack and eat it.
        No complaints about my cup of ice either.
        Staff was professional and concerned.
        They listened to me about my BP
        Clean

Cons:  Butthead tech on Wednesday.
          The noon time for dialysis screwed up the entire day. We could not do anything. We are late starters when on vacation.

[Stacy Without An E]

KitKatz, thanks for the Tucson Davita review.  My sister lives there with her two kids and I haven't seen them in five years.  Partly because I'm getting sicker being on Dialysis so long, but moreso because I'm extremely fearful of other Dialysis centers.  I've had too many painful incidents from the past, it gives me too much anxiety.

Thanks again.