I don't trust Davita

[daveosaurus]

I DON'T TRUST DAVITA. That's where I get my hemodialysis. Besides the other week when they took so much fluid off that they put me in the hospital (of course they won't admit it) they almost did it again. When I got out of treatment I had a very hard time waking up and driving home.. A very hard time ordering something to eat at Denny's afterward and I had to ask my neighbor for help getting my key in the lock to open my apartment door. Turns out I was trying to use my car key to open the door. Then I crashed on the floor for 8 hours. I honestly don't know how I got home. I told them to only take 3 liters off. I suspect they took much more than that. The techs out there think they know more about my body than I do. I need to report Davita and change centers. I never had a problem with passing out in hospital but it's common at Davita. I honestly think they're going to eng up killing or seriously injuring me. But because deaths are so common in dialysis patients (25%) they can probably get away with it Below is where I go. They suck!

Davita south
972 Emerson Pkwy
Greenwood, Indiana

[daveosaurus]

I should amend this to say the facility is very nice. The techs suck!

[daveosaurus]

Most of the techs anyway.

[Lindia]

That sounds bad.   Can you look at your chart and see what they "actually" pulled off of you.   Are they sodium profiling you ?     Ask Them -  I don't trust my hubbys DaVita clinic either ---   I got them to STOP the sodium profiling and now they are raising the base --  sort of a backdoor way of going around our wishes.   I AM SICK OF IT !!     

They argue A LOT about how much to pull off --- its our bodies -  its our choice.   Do you have private insurance ?   I've been threatening to change clinics, we have private insurance, and that is the ONLY thing that helps.       

[statesidela]

Damn that does not sound good....me personally I trust no one.....knowledge is power learn everything you can would be my suggestion...IHD is where i learn everything i know so you are in the right place.....then you can oversee what they do on the machine....you are the boss of you not them thay are just your assistance...this is my philosophy anyways

[Desert Dancer]

They argue A LOT about how much to pull off --- its our bodies -  its our choice.   

What is this? I don't understand. You'd think they got paid by the liter or something. I think I'd (very sarcastically) ask them if that's the case.

[Meinuk]

I am not going to be popular with this answer.

I am sorry that you are feeling terrible, but NOW is the time to take charge of your care.

Technicians should ONLY follow the dry weight in your chart.

The second that you step on the scales pre dialysis, YOU should know how much fluid they are taking off.  In this sense, it is NOT a guessing game.

If your dry weight is 80 Kilograms, and you weigh 83 Kilograms when you step on the scale, they are to take off 3 kilograms.

If you want to challenge your dry weight, either you have gained or lost natural weight, you need to speak with your nephrologist or Nurse Manager to have this corrected. Your techs should not and are not licensed to change your dry weight from what was ordered - their job is to follow the Doctors Orders in YOUR chat.  If they do, report them to the Nurse Manager.  (If they are testing your dry weight, this should be charted for each session as well)

If you are coming in with 5k over your dry weight, either you need to be counseled about having too much fluid in between sessions, or check to see if they are Sodium Modeling you, or, you have simply gained body mass weight.

See any of Bill Peckham's posts about Fluid Dynamics and the impossibility to pull vast quantities of fluid off you in one dialysis run. (sorry I can't link, I am travelling and writing on the fly)

If your fluid is out of control, YOU need to ask for "Puff" runs, medically necessary extra runs during the week just to take off fluid.

You can blame your clinic for making you feel terrible once or twice, and then you have to start finding out how YOU can fix it.  Go to your nephrologist, go to your Nurse Manger.  It is unacceptable, and it needs to be addressed.

Simply finding another clinic won't fix the problem for you or for anyone else at that clinic. Do everyone a favor and advocate for the best possible care that you can get, where ever you get your care.  Know your dry weight, know your numbers and know your machine. You have the power to do this. If you can navigate the internet and get to IHD, you can figure out your dry weight and what the numbers on the machine are.

In this sense, it is your body and you are in control, but you need your medical team to be on the same page that you are, and right now, it sounds like you both are reading a different book.

And on another note, go to the propublica link just below this in my signature to this post and check out your unit.  How does it stand over all?

[HILINE]

post deleted by ANDREW

[YLGuy]

Meinuk: Actually if your dry weight is 80 and you come in at 83 they should pull 3.5 off.  They have to add 500 for the wash back.

I am at a Davita center.  Luckily my tech has been doing this for 20 years.  With all the knowledge that I have obtained from this website they let me tell them how much I want pulled off.  If I feel that my dry weight is off I tell my nurse what to change it in their system.  I just did this last week.  It was in the system as 82.  I had 2 sessions in a row where I cramped.  I told my nurse to change it to 83.  She wanted to change it to 82.5 but I told her that I was not comfortable with that and I wanted it changed to 83.  I left that session at 83.0 and felt better without any cramps.  It seems that they listen to me because I am so well informed.  When my tech is not there I go over my settings with whichever tech is there and self-cannulate as I do not want them digging around. 

[tyefly]

I never did understand why I would want them to take off my rinse back..... they are taking that off before they give it to you .....  which makes you under your dry weight.....  and 500 ml.....  that seems like alot to me but I think that is the norm in center....  Nxstage I would only rinse back about 250 to 300 depending on how clear I wanted the return lines to be.... but I Never added my rinse back to the amount taking off..... I believe to stay a little hydrated and not dehydrated.....  but then I was only taking off about 1 k every session... and I did dialysis every other day...like in center....but at home.... many times I would only take of 0.5K.......

When I first started  in center  I let them do what they wanted the first month...and then I took charge.... Yes at first it was a argument and threats to tell the doctor but I was not going to let them do what ever they wanted to my body.....  I was not going to let them tell me that cramping is  normal and just get use to it.... that is what dialysis is all about.....  people certainly get told alot of BS...  if you are taking of more than 3 k....  to me you need to do something different to get that fluid down..... look at what you are eating and make sure your weight is correct....  I dont know about the sodium profiling.....  but it worth looking into.....  WE need to do what we can to help ourselves.... Take charge of your self..... and talk to your doctor...

[thegrammalady]

i have one rule of thumb. "it's my life and you do it my way or you don't do it at all!"  there isn't a tech at my center that isn't aware of it and i make sure that any new tech is aware OD it or i make it clear that they need to stay on the other side of the center. i check the set up of my machine of treatment. i tell the techs how much to take off and have the machine turned toward me during treatment. i monitor my blood pressure and make sure they don't over due the rinse back. if you were to donate blood you would make up the "loss" in 24 hours. the amount of blood in the tubing isn't anywhere near what they take during a donation.  they should only put back .5 in rinseback but some techs are a bit heavy handed. stand up for yourself, this is a battle worth picking.

[sullidog]

My tech at my former center I think she got annoyed with me. I'm not suppose to have a uf so any fluid taken is suppose to be renced back. I still urinate like a normal person and she said she refuses to give me flushes because it will overload me, well not if you do it right you moron, I have got that attitude, it's either you do my dialysis my way or the highway and my neph agrees with me.