Thanksgiving Rant

[Rerun]

Davita brought around a flyer today announcing that we would dialyze on Thanksgiving Day.  Now, they could have just put "No Schedule Change" but being the morons that we are had to have a complete explanation.

"Those dialyzing Monday, Wednesday, Friday will dialyze Monday, Wednesday, Friday.
Those dialyzing Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday will dialyze Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday"

There was more, but my point is it will mix up people more.  Keep It Simple Stupid (KISS)

The reason we have to dialyze Thanksgiving Day is they are having work done on the center on that Sunday.  That is poor management if you ask me.  In fact I don't believe them at all.  That place if full of Filipinos and they probably don't want to work on Sunday and don't give a crap about an American Holiday!

[Sara]

Hey don't blame it on the Filipinos.  There's probably plenty of white people in there who don't want to drag their asses in on a Sunday. 

[Rerun]

I think I'm the only whitie........and I don't want to dialyze on MY Thanksgiving!!

[goofynina]

Rerun, i am sure you are not the only one that does not want to dialyze on Thanksgiving and i am sure the workers dont want to be there either,  i think its a bad deal for everyone, your not alone 

[Rerun]

Hell no the workers are getting double time!!  They are fine with it.

[kitkatz]

Shove your time over to Friday if you can and tell them why.

[Rerun]

No one seems to be up set at the center that we have to dialyze on Thanksgiving.  I asked the Dietition and Social Worker if they would be there....."NO, they would never work Thanksgiving"!!  So what am I some homeless person that depends on them??  (well to some degree yes) BUT, I am the fu*#*& customer here.  I pay the bills......  So, I'm not going to go.  That should cost them a couple of grand.  Not that I have any big plans it is just the principle that no one cares about Thanksgiving anymore.  The Filipinos get double wages and they don't give a crap about Thanksgiving.

If we had to dialyze on Christmas would that make anyone mad??  It is the same to me.   

[Joe Paul]

SHIT!!!! just when you think you get it all together, theres 1 more change!

[Rerun]

Does anybody else have dialysis on Thanksgiving (in center)??

[kitkatz]

We do in our center. Started last year.  They said it was not worth changing changing everyone's schedules and staying open on Sunday. I would be sure and go on Friday if you can get a spot, Rerun.  Stick to your guns girlfriend!

[payats]

It seems that you dont like these Filipino workers Rerun. If you dont like them because of the schedule then get rid of them just dont sound so discriminating
just because of that.
Don't blame the Filipinos, they are one of the best hardworking and caring nurses here in America.
I think the management doesnt want to mess up with the schedule, and some of the workers doesnt want to work on sunday.
Try to get a schedule on Friday, that can be nice, after a big full meal during thanksgiving, the next day you can get rid of the toxins.
 

[AlasdairUK]

If we had to dialyze on Christmas would that make anyone mad?? It is the same to me.

I do have to dialyze on Christmas as it is on a Monday. At the end of the day you do not have to go. The staff will be working so if you wish you have the option of having dialysis by providing the service. You can not be forced to go. You are well within your rights to stay at home.

As the customer you have the right not to purchase the goods, but what do you want? A few hours out of the day to keep you healthy and you can still spend most of the day with whoever you want or skipping dialysis.

[Zach]

Does anybody else have dialysis on Thanksgiving (in center)??

I have always dialyzed on the Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday schedule.  And for about 20 years we dialyzed on Thanksgiving.  My family would either start a little earlier, everyone gathered by 2pm and started eating at 3pm, and then I would go to dialysis at 5pm or they would start a little later, eating at 6pm.  In that case I would dialyze from 11am to 3:30pm and join the family at 5pm.

The last few years the center has been closed on Thanksgiving, so we dialyze Friday and Sunday.  A lot of patients have problems with that Sunday, since they want to be with family and go to church.

Patients can change their scheduled treatments if they do it far enough in advance, too.

[Sara]

I have a T-Day rant too.  Joe's normal schedule is M-W-F.  I don't understand why they have to change his at all.  T-Day week he is now going something like Sunday (before T-Day), Tuesday, Friday.  I know the T-Th-Sat people would need to alter theirs at least 1 day, but why his?  Why screw everyone up when only 1/2 the people need to be?

[kitkatz]

I had the same question, then I sat down and thought it out. What happens is if they do not change everyone's schedule the TTHF people will have to go four days with dialysis somewhere in the week if they only change their days.  It is weird I know and I have had my schedule changed a few years because of it.  Now they just dialyze us on Thanksgiving.   I hope noone had travel plans!

[DeLana]

I worked in a 6-day clinic for 5 years.  For Thanksgiving, we would bring in as many T-T-S people as possible on the Wednesday before (run a third shift on that day only); this would have to include everyone who depended on public transportation because they don't operate on Thanksgiving.  Patients who had their own transportation could choose to come in very early on Thanksgiving day (we started at 4:00!  Not me, though, I'm not a morning person  ).  It worked out well, everyone was done well before noon and could still enjoy their holiday.

Maybe a suggestion for next year?  Of course, if your center has three shifts this wouldn't work.

DeLana

P.S.  For Christmas and New Year's Day, unless it was on a Sunday, we would run one group of patients (either M-W-F or T-T-S, depending on which day would be closed due to the holiday) on the Sunday prior to the holiday.

[Fox_nc]

So far I know that my center is closed on Thanksgiving, but nobody has said what my 3rd day that week will be.  And then I went off and scheduled a surgery for the day before, so I may miss it either way.  I guess I can always do it at the hospital. . .

No matter what the solution a center chooses, someone will be put out.  I personally would rather go on Sunday than on any holiday since I have family who comes into town.  Dialysis on a holiday is just another reminder that I am not normal - that I'm different.  I hate that!

[Treasure]

Greetings, all. My center is open on Thanksgiving... but they graciously arranged for me to come in on Wednesday-- because I was planning on driving to San Francisco Bay Area to spend Thanksgiving with whichever of my kids that could be there. As much as I hate dialysis, I love my Satellite Dialysis- Watsonville center!

When I started dialysis 2 years ago, though, I was scheduled for dialysis on Thanksgiving, but refused to go. I felt terrific the whole time ( I mean, from Thursday to Tuesday), especially since I was still urinating as much as I always had and I was never fluid-overloaded.  Not that I recommend this... YMMV

Michelle ~ Treasure

[angieskidney]

Does anybody else have dialysis on Thanksgiving (in center)??

I do .. here in Canada there are never any changes dispite holidays. No days off for dialysis. Just like for the Firemen, Police and Ambulance..

[Joe Paul]

I guess it would be hard to give thanks while on a machine. My clinic changed the Monday-Weds-Friday to, Friday-Sunday- Tuesday. Myself, id have liked to keep my schedule.

[Fox_nc]

Our shchedule just got posted.  Basically everyone is being bumped a day b/f the holiday

M/W/F - Su/Tu/F
Tu/Th/F - M/W/Sa

seems balanced to me ... but I did have to request a change since my operation is scheduled for that Wed.  So I get to go Monday at my normal time (1130 am) and then back on Tuesday at 630 am.  It was the only time they had, but it's in the unit of our clinic that uses beds instead of chairs, so at least I might get to sleep some.

[angieskidney]

but it's in the unit of our clinic that uses beds instead of chairs, so at least I might get to sleep some.

wow beds would be nice. Neither of the units here have beds. I mean, I suppose the hospital one can handle a bed from a patient's room, but generally they still use the beds like my unit does. And I can never sleep in them no matter how tired I am

[nkviking75]

In the 5 years I've been attending my unit, we've dialyzed on every holiday except Christmas.  Except for last year, when Christmas fell on Sunday, we have all had our schedules shuffled so that no one has to be there on Dec. 25.  Our unit is not open on Sunday except for Christmas week.

I have a minor rant about this week of Thanksgiving at my unit.  They are open on Thanksgiving, but they moved a number of Thursday patients back to Wednesday so that they could have a short day.  Then they cut everyone's time on Wednesday by half an hour because of the unusual load on that day.  (I suspect they're doing that to the patients who will actually come in on Thanksgiving as well.)  Even more annoying, I was not told about it until my treatment was in progress.  It's supposed to be important to be there for every treatment and to stay the whole time, and yet they cut a half hour of treatment for their convenience.  I don't begrudge them wanting to have Thanksgiving off, or for those who work that day to want to leave early, but it seems to me if you work in the medical field you should expect to have to lose an occasional holiday.  I'm in radio, and I have worked every holiday on the calendar.

[Rerun]

I called last week to tell my unit that my catheter would be coming out on Thursday, November 30.  My usual "on" time is 9:00 and the only surgery spot was 8:30.  So my unit said they would move me to 1:00.

So, today, Thanksgiving, I get there at 9:00 and they said "You aren't supposed to be here until 1:00"  WTF??  What surgery is done on Thanksgiving!! THAT would be NEXT Thursday you idiots!! I shouldn't even be on dialysis on Thanksgiving!!  So, now my whole day is ruined! 

 

[Fox_nc]

Sorry to hear Rerun, but HAPPY TURKEY DAY from me!  I hope  it gets better.