rant: my chair timed got changed!

[sullidog]

My chair time got changed without asking me first. The time they chose was later in the evening, uh I have a personal life outside of dialysis, I work go to dialysis, come home, hangout with friends or something, eat and go to bed. Now I will come home, eat, and go to bed. No time to hang with friends etc. They said that that's my time and  it will stay that way. I have things to do people! Looks like it's time to find another center that is willing to accomodate..
Troy

[Rerun]

Try your social worker.  Most of them are idiots, but you may have one that can stand up for your social well-being.

Best of luck.     

[RichardMEL]

bloody hell!!! I'd want to know why *I* was being shafted in favour of someone else(one presumes). If you had that time you were on for a reasonable time, and it looks like you've been on D for a year or so??? and didn't request a change then that seems very poor to move a patient with an existing slot that they liked(well OK, worked for them) without reasonable notice or asking. My unit always asks if they even want to make a temporary change. I can't think of anyone in a regular spot that's been moved without their consent. Yes, I'd try the social worker and if that yields nothing approach the FA and at the very least demand to know why it's somehow OK to just move you without so much of an "Is this OK with you?" request.....

[sullidog]

Here's another thing, I've noticed the patients who kiss the staffs a*** got to keep their time.
Troy

[lola]

 

[okarol]

If you have Medicare only, but someone else has Medicare AND private pay insurance, they will try to accommodate the patient who brings in the most money. This may not be the case in your situation, but they would not tell you anyway.
I would ask the charge nurse where to direct your letter of complaint. I would not tolerate changes being made without asking me first.

[sullidog]

I would guess not as I am one of those patients with both types of insurance.

[okarol]

Check this out if you haven't seen it already http://ihatedialysis.com/forum/index.php?topic=742.0
- if you're a "hipper" it seems that they would be very interested in keeping you happy.

[Des]

I bribe - I bring cake, sweets and praise, greet, smile and call them anything from "sexy" "queen" "beautiful" I don't moan, complain or threaten.. to resolve something I make an enquiry and get results quickly.   

I get service, I can tell you that. The staff treats me differently from the other patients. I am the only one that they call if they run late and my "chair" is the only one set up in advance. They waste 15min or more setting up the other's after they arive.

I am sorry to say that I will do whatever it takes to get better service as I really hate being there.

I  know they should give everyone the same service but they don't so......

[Trikkechickk]

The better you treat others;  the better they will treat you!  So easy, but not done enough!

[RichardMEL]

The better you treat others;  the better they will treat you!  So easy, but not done enough!

Well yes, in gerneral I agree with this.

However reading Des' comments (and that's fantastic for her) I was reminded of how things tend to go in my own unit. I also am very polite to my nurses(who I all love), and I bring them goodies from time to time, on Sat afternoons buy them a coffee/hot chocolate, etc and we generall all get on well. Now I don't do this to get better treatment - I do this because I genuinely like the people there and they work long hours and I see some of these guys more than they see their families! (poor bastards having to spend so much time with me!  ).

Now I get treated well yes BUT sometimes never complaining and being understanding and everything can be a disadvantage. I have noticed in my unit the old guy who cracks the sads and has a tantrum if he doesn't get on first, even though he comes in 90 minutes ahead of his scheduled time(etc) tends to get just what he wants because it's easier to appease him than deal with his childish responses. That sort of thing means that those of us who do the right thing and are understanding when there's delays and stuff, tend to get shafted from time to time - because they know we won't cause a fuss and accept it. Sometimes I see that kind of thing obviously happen and it gets me a little irritated, though I understand it, and in the grand scheme of things it's not worth getting upset about, but there are times when I think "geez...."

[AIRon]

I do not know your situation sullidog but if I were in your situation I would tactfully remind your dialysis center that you are a paying customer. But check this out I know this happens because I see it with my own eyes, people on medicare it seems like do not get the treatment or spacial attention like those of us that have private insurance I know this sounds crazy but I am not special in anyway I am just a normal dude but where ever I go I never have to wait for nothing, when I come in to the center they allways have my chair ready for me and sometime there are people that get there before me that are waiting, and even in the doctors office I don't wait for more than five minutes for my neph, maybe It is a coincidence but even with my two surgeries I didn't wait in no room I arrived and right away I was taken care of, so I don't know but I don't know why I see tons of people just hanging out in the hospital and the doctors offices for long periods of time. Like I said I might be crazy but I think have private insurance is a motivator.

[Trikkechickk]

My chair time got changed without asking me first. The time they chose was later in the evening, uh I have a personal life outside of dialysis, I work go to dialysis, come home, hangout with friends or something, eat and go to bed. Now I will come home, eat, and go to bed. No time to hang with friends etc. They said that that's my time and  it will stay that way. I have things to do people! Looks like it's time to find another center that is willing to accomodate..
Troy

As if the D doesn't represent a huge loss of control of one's life!  a shift change would really tick me off.  Have you considered nxstage?

[sullidog]

If I could find a partner I'd give it a try.
Well the FA is on medical leave til July 12, she has to also speak with the regional manager, which has also said that patients aren't aloud to get on early anymore, even if there is a chair available.
Today I didn't get home til about 7 and I was ticked! If I find a center that can give me an earlier time dog on it I'm taking it and they will be losing lots of money from this hipper, even more so because my center is out of network with my private so they will be losing even more money because my insurance pays 100 percent of dialysis, and keep in mind this is out of network so yeah... a big loss for them!
Troy

[Trikkechickk]

Troy,

I do Home Hemo alone.  I don't know where you are from, but I know of others who do it alone too.

See Bill Peckman's replay in the Nxstage section of forum under "I want to do nxstage, but I live alone."

Also, talk to your Doc about it - it's his approval you need.

Cindy

[Bajanne]

This is something else!  I say that because I have had the same thing happen to me.  My official time was 3:30 which worked out well since my job as an Information Officer for the Tourist Board finishes around 3:00.
Some months ago I got a note from the Unit Supervisor saying that my time was changed to 3:15 - a bit of a rush, but do-able since I am only 10 mins away.
Now I arrived at the unit last week at 3:15 and one of the nurses told me "Don't you know your time is 3:00?"  I was so upset - no note, no supervisor, just a nurse telling me that.  What I am going to do is just come when I can.  If they want, they can cut my time.

[sullidog]

I would fight that as they are cutting into your job time and we all know that cutting the time is not good, but we all have done it at some point.
people are so inconsiderate they only think about themselves they don't think lives that we have as patients, and just because we are on dialysis does not mean everyone has quit working.
Troy

[Des]

My current biggest frustration is the appointment times for my session as well.

I am the VERY last person they put on every day. (5pm) So..... if all the other people come 15min late for their sessions it makes me up to an hour later every night.  I rant and complaint but to no avail. The is machine is ready when the machine is ready.

I am starting to think that maybe the staff is just using this excuse because as far as I know most people are on time and I found them out the other night- nobody was near my machine but the the pre-cycle hasn't even started yet. So I had to wait a half an hour. I sometimes get home 11pm at night. AAAAHH!

[dialysismomma]

I can see both sides of the cookie here as the clinic I worked at did the same thing to many of our patients there. I know people have lives and sometimes they need to make changes to make the clinic work better. Now that being said I do agree they need to talk to you first to see if this works for you and see if you are willing to change your chair time. My question would be Why is my chair time being changed and is everyone's time changing or is it just mine? If it is just your I would again ask for an explaination and then once they give you the explaination I would tell them that the later chair time is not working for you and you would like to have your old chair time back. If they can not help you I would tell the social worker that if they can not work with you that you will change centers and I am sure they will find some excuse to get you to stay but it is your life and YOU ARE IN CHARGE not them. I hope this all gets worked out for you! Good Luck

[Simon Dog]

Clinic staff very nicely asked if I would mind moving my time from 4:00 to 3:15, which I told them was fine with me.

Funny thing - they then handed me a form with the new time already filled in at 3:15, which makes me wonder if they were asking or telling me.

[Riverwhispering]

They have changed my time a few times since i started dialysis 6 months ago.  I don't mind except I have made it very clear that in the winter when there is ice and snow I will NOT drive in the dark because of the dangerous roads and the drive can take me up to 2 hours with bad weather.  I have been told it has to do with the distance the person has to drive.  I live 40 miles to the center but there are some that live farther then me.  It's frustrating but with a 8 chair 2 shift center they don't have a lot of choices.

[Simon Dog]

The admin at the center I use asked if I would mind a time change to 45 minutes earlier - which I readily agreed to as it is more convenient to me.  Once I said yes, she thanked me and handed me a written notice of my new time .... which kind of makes wonder if I really had the option of saying no 

[lmunchkin]

Simon, I don't really think they can force you to change your time.  I could be wrong here.  There was one time when John was in-center, they changed his days, but not his time.  So glad we are at Home now.

At least they did ask.  Wonder if you had refused, what would have happened?  We'll never know!

"HAPPY EASTER",   
lmunchkin 

[iKAZ3D]

My chair time is always 2pm. I can't get it changed whether I ask, beg, plead, demand, or resist treatment. That's the insanity of Children's Units.