The Intellect of Dialysis Workers......

[Rerun]

I just quietly sat there waiting to be put on the machine the other day.  This was after I went and got paper tape and made the 4 slices they would need to secure my needles, and some patient named "Mickey" told the nurse that I was stealing supplies off the cart.  And the Nurse had to tell me that patients are not allowed to touch any supplies on the cart.  So, I'm feeling small that someone would have to tell me that.  Insignificant, that a low life like a dialysis patient can't touch supplies.  Kind of like the Jews must have felt in WWII.

So, I tuned into the conversation of the elite team of professionals that have my life in their hands.  "WOW man I got soooo drunk Saturday night.... Oh man have you ever tried a Brain Hemorrhage.... I had 3 in a row and I was wasted.... you need to try a Duck Fart.... they are so smooth....  Sex On The Beach is really good too... it has Vodka, Peach Schnapps and other stuff...  I tried Fat Ho On A Bike and it was really good it has Tequila and Amaretto and Cola yummy!"

This is "The Best Health Care In The World" at work. 

And I'm not done with the bitch "Mickey" who ratted on me.........   

[Des]

Get him good!

[twirl]

oh no,
Rerun you are in trouble -- there are witnesses
 
my techs get excited about a piece of gum -
some seem to sleep around with the guys who bring patients in -
and they sleep around with male techs who never seem to stay long -
we have a roll of tape assigned to us
no joke 
and the tape to secure our needles and when we leave on our site is getting less -
will there be a tape allowance ?
remains to be seen

[G-Ma]

WOW..that was so my bad center.  The techs, nurses, FA, Dr etc always carefully include all patients in conversations and encourage  patients to visit.  They even move machines around  to make that happen.  I still can't believe it.  there are a couple of drama queen patients but they just get ignored for the most part except for care.

[Bub]

Stealing supplies?  What a hoot.

Saturday my machine started alarming.  Twenty times in twenty minutes.  I was just falling asleep.  Every worker in the center had to come over and tell me stop moving, it was setting off the alarm. I was trying to sleep and not moving at all.  I finally announced in a loud voice that I was "Going off" on the next person that came over and said one thing about me moving. I dont like being really unpleasant but at least they shut up!

[RichardMEL]

yeah I love the one about stealing supplies.. what the??

just on moving and alarms.. it often seems to be a ingrained(perhaps due to experience) that the first cause of most alarms is because the patient has moved and thus caused the alarm. Sometimes that can be annoying clearly with an experienced patient who knows the deal (and then they discover well if they read the machine properly they'd find it was the conductivity or something !!).. Still I don't get bothered by those sorts of things because mostly I manage my own alarms these days and only give a yell if it's something I can't handle.

I like it when the staff trust me to set my machine parameters like UF target, profile, temp etc the way I want and handle minor alarms! I like participating in my own treatment management in this way.

[dwcrawford]

Tape... they use  tiny individuall fresh rolls of tape and offer you left over and a bandage to take just in case.

Alarms...thank goodness for them.  they monitored almost immediatly and if appropriate tell you what happened.  Aside: Richard, how can you see the machines.  I like to look and learn but they are not in my line of vision.  (of course my vision isn't all that great)

Stealing supplies (seems that Mickey is an instigator -- maybe they were just appeasing him)

Been 3 months now and I've raised hell 3 times causing positive responses each time.  I feel it may be time to skip a  month of two (twice for being 1 hour late getting machine and  once when she stuck me 3  times and asked what to do.  Nurse said try again and the  blood started spurting out (only time wiith dirty words excluding on "Oh Ship" with each stick))  Most of those people working there have unimaginable patience with us.

[monrein]

dw, just ask them to turn the machine so you can see it.  I was strictly unable to do a session if I couldn't see my machine.  Once I started on self-care it was great because I had it exactly how I wanted.

[RichardMEL]

yep, I get the machine put at my side, and turned to me so I can reset the alarms, or fix the few little things I can fix on my own. My eyesight isn't great either - I much prefer the 4008B machines for that - the numbers are nice and big The 2008K's we have (with the CRT displays) are OK, but not as easy for me to see, but I can still do what I need - plus I set the targets and stuff before I get on so I can stand at the machine and do it easily. I do like that the 2008's can display things like how your profile is going, or the refill rate or all other kinds of funky stuff.

[Erin8607]

As I was taping up my leg today, I get "Now THAT'S what I like to see!" from the tech that had taken me off. He was busy pulling needles on another patient, so I taped my own leg up.

I had to smile at that.

[RichardMEL]

Erin do you have great legs also? Maybe that's also what he liked to see!!! 

[willowtreewren]

Erin do you have great legs also? Maybe that's also what he liked to see!!! 

Oh, RichardMel! We know your mind will ever wander to...

Well, it will wander. 

[Erin8607]

I used to. Now, not so much 

[jbeany]

I throw all my techs off kilter because I remove my own tape and fold my own gauze - they are too used to the ones that sit and wait without moving an inch!

[dwcrawford]

More and more I am including myself in those rituals.  I hope to become much more self sufficient.  One of my friends on site (a special nurse) teaches the techs to use the machines.  I'm hoping to get her to at least demonstrate what to do.  I could do anything that doesn't involve too much interaction with blood.  Every time I see "True Blood" on TV I think about the Little Chair of Horrors.

[RichardMEL]

I consider it more healthy for my mind to er... wander.... than focus on dialysis and kidney failure. It's healthier... yes much healthier for me!!! 

[KarenInWA]

I just love the fact that Rerun called the tech "Mickey" (who I am assuming is male) a bitch!  GO RERUN!!!  I am all for calling men who deserve the title "bitch", usually with the word "whiney" preceding it.  Men HATE being called a whiney bitch, and yet there are so many out there who are deserving of the title.  Especially ones who go on about their drunken weekends while treating their patients like little children.  Yeah, those ones are extra special whiney bitches!

And then there's RichardMEL.  The only kind of "wine" he deals with comes in a glass, with way different intentions.  Now, that's the kind of "wine" from a man I can take!   

[nursewratchet]

Always better to be responsible for your own access and treatment as much as possible.  They will love to see that, and almost always encourage and show you.  As for the stealing tape issue.  Mickey should be hit for being a whiner.  However, depends on the state, but in Texas, if a state surveyer saw a patient taking ANYTHING off the supply cart, the clinic would recieve a citation, as it is considered an infection control issue.  They don't know who has what germs, or who does or doesn't wahs there hands.  The facility should keep an eye on it thereselves, and should certainly make sure everyone has everything they need, so you wouldn't need to go find your own.  As for the mindset of the staff,  don't even get me started on some of them...I think some of them get hired because they fit into the scrubs...

[alrac]

I just have to add this one, the staff at the center gets all upset because I'll change my own dressing (I used to do  home hemo. have a perm cath, they ruined both arms and I refuse to allow them to use my legs)  I finally told them in a not so quiet voice that my changing my bandages at my house was more sanitary than having them rip the bandage off in a room with 20 other people that have come from Lord knows where, carrying Lord know what germs and that I was absolutely positive that they didn't have a filtration system that sterilized the air...(as I pointed to the ceiling where the intake vent was with all the cobwebs hanging from it and black dust clinging to it's edges.  They no longer say anything about my changing my bandages.   
  While I'm on this rant, what's the deal with the lack of communication in my center??? yes it's a davita  which if I can get out of, I'm gone quicker than a bat out of ****.
I've had to take matters into my own hands and make my own doctor's appointments because they can't remember from when I remind them to the time they get back to the desk... yeah right, lazy so and so's.
  Sorry, don't ranting now, I feel better...LOL 

[allycats]

Here in the Aberdeenshire, Scotland we don't have Techs, just Staff Nurses and Auxiliary Nurses (unqualified). 
What I hate more than anything is them preparing their meals and eating them in front of us.  Chopping bananas, pouring pint glasses of juice and icecubes - almost anything that we would love to have. 
Worse still is that when lunch or supper arrives for the patients, they put down patients names that are not having anything on the list for the kitchen and eat the meals themselves.
I would love to complain but I feel that I am their mercy.
The line has been crossed between the nurse/patient relationship.  These nurses should remember that they are in a hospital and not a social club.
Complacency has also developed with working with blood.  I have witnessed on numerous occasion blood spills being wiped off the floor with just a paper towel.
Ok, rant over

[Ang]

 


 then there are those few that are great/proffessional


 enough said

[rsudock]

Rerun a dialysis tech in my unit is always telling me how she dropped out of HS, did waaay to many drugs, and now works with dialysis patients as some kind of penitence...I know she tells me these things b/c she thinks I am young and hip, but really sometimes I am like, "oh good gawd, I don't want to hear all of this, my life is in your hands." I just glad this unit does not allow the staff to eat or drink on the floor. that is just cruel to ESRD patients. many of them have foul mouths though and lot's of sexual innuendos get thrown around...yikes!   

xo,
R

[billmoria]

If one more US politicians says another nasty thing about the NHS I will scream. I had D today. We are encouraged to do as much as possible for ourselves so I:  did my weight, did my BPR, got the supplies the nurse would need to put me on, tore off 5 wide tapes and 2 narrow one. I wrote them all done on my flow chart. I even moved the machine to my left side (fistula side).
The nurse asked me how much I wanted to take off (adding .5 for the cup of tea I would have. We started my pump speed at 350. I watched my venus pressure and gradually increased my pump speed to 360, 370, and finally 390. I read 90% when I finished.
I am encouraged to participate in my own D and I can do all this or none of it. Most of the people on our shift (12 on twilight shift) do the same thing. The national Health Service has its problems but lack of support from staff is not one of them in our hospital.
We have our own "Mickey's" - never let the bastards win!

[Gandalf]

Reading all these posts, I am really lucky.  I was keen to par ticpate in the process as far as possible, and the staff have been really responsive to that.  They have taught me to needle myself - totally contrary to the norm here, where patients are usually required to be pretty passive, to programme the machine, adjust it as required and respond to alarms, as well as disconnect.  Some of these things I do fairly ineptly, but their patience has been great!  It has really helped me come to terms with the whole thing, and reduced that "invalid invalid" syndrome!  Obviously, not everyone is so supportive, but I guess if one communicates one's needs, and is relatively assertive about wanting to be quite active int he process, victory will be yours!

[Enginman]

I guess I am one of the lucky ones, The center where I go is full of caring Nurses snd Techs. They take care of us like we are their own family. I have even seen them drive out to get patients that don't have a ride or even take them to the University hospital 70 miles way if they needed transportation.