Nurses and Techs drinking

[Iwannabean]

My pet peeve is most of the nurses and Techs drink huge drinks while I am being dialyzed.  Drinking large Iced coffees, 20 oz bottles of coke etc.  It bothers some of the other people who are in my clinic.  I understand that they are living normal lives and can eat and drink what they want, but its like an alcoholic going to a bar and watching everyone else drink Just my pet peeve of the day, I know its minor, but its how I'm feeling.

Iwannabean

[Cordelia]

In my unit they offer tea, coffee and water. Oh, and they offer crackers to eat from a basket. Does your unit not do this? 

I don't think I've ever seen my nurses drink anything more than a small Tim Horton's coffee and they really don't carry around their cups, either, everything would be placed behind the nurse's station desk. They don't drink large bottles of soda around the patients, that I do know. I'm thankful they don't because I'd feel upset too if they did that around me since I cannot drink coca cola anymore.

[mcclane]

In my unit they offer tea, coffee and water. Oh, and they offer crackers to eat from a basket. Does your unit not do this? 

I don't think I've ever seen my nurses drink anything more than a small Tim Horton's coffee and they really don't carry around their cups, either, everything would be placed behind the nurse's station desk. They don't drink large bottles of soda around the patients, that I do know. I'm thankful they don't because I'd feel upset too if they did that around me since I cannot drink coca cola anymore.

same here; when i was at the unit doing home hemo training, a guy would go around and ask patients if they wanted coffee/tea, and offer cookies.

The nurses at my home hemo unit drink/eat discretely, they'll eat/drink elsewhere out of sight.

[cattlekid]

My clinic does not offer anything other than a sip of water if you have to take a pill during treatment.  I did go to a non profit clinic once while on vacation that offered coffee, tea and ice chips and juice/crackers if you were diabetic.  I normally bring my own bottle of water and protein bar.

Having said all that, yesterday I saw one of the nurses drinking a Coke on the floor.  It was beyond torture for me to see her do that.  I also hate when the staff orders pizza because my normal chair is next to the door to the breakroom!!

[Shadondra]

I sooooooo agree with this. I hate when I'm sitting in that dialysis chair, thinking of every possible thing to eat when you get home and the smell of food sweeps across your nose. Smelling pizza and popcorn are the worst.  I know they have to eat but couldn't they have a smell proof room or eat in their car ? 

[MooseMom]

I don't understand why anyone working in a medical environment would be so careless with anything that emits an aroma.  Apart from being tortured by the smell of forbidden foods, many dialysis patients just don't feel good, and smells of food or anything else can make then feel nauseous. 

It is just plain thoughtless to be swigging on a 48 oz slurpie in front of dialysis patients.  I don't care that people have the "right" to do this; at some point, surely, compassion must come into the picture, but perhaps I'm expecting a little too much.  Break rooms are there for a reason.  If a clinic allows patients some tea or coffee, then I'd be fine with the nurses and techs having tea and coffee or anything else that is also allowed dialyzors.  Anything else is flagrantly unsympathetic.

What's wrong with people?  I mean, really?  Are people really so selfish that they can't avoid drinking a Coke in front of someone who isn't able to drink that?  Do people ever think beyond the end of their own nose?

[thegrammalady]

clinics in the u.s. usually don't offer snacks, although some of them do have coffee available for the patients. because i dialyze at night i usually take my dinner, quite a few of the other patients do to. almost everyone brings something to drink, so it doesn't botherr me if the techs have something at their station.  one gal brings treats for everyone on friday nights and as a group we even have had pizza a few times.  what does bother me is they often make coffee in their break room around midnight or one.....the smell really makes me want one. however if i still want some when i finish around 2am i can always stop at the gas station on the corner. i do understand how others feel about it though. when i did days and started at 5:30 am i always took breakfast.

[Cordelia]

Omg, pizza would absolutely torture me, if I happened to see someone eating a slice of pizza nearby me while I was on the machine. Actually, I can't handle anyone eating pizza nearby me anywehre since I shouldn't be having any. Cheese is my weakness, but I'm trying to be oh so careful how much I eat of it. The smell alone would kill me, heck, even french fries, just the smell would torture me too   

There was this one lady (a fellow patient) who would bring the nurses and some of the patients home-baked cookies. and pack them in little ziploc baggies. I often wondered if her phosphorus was a problem or not for her since she was bringing in home baking that she baked herself.

[MooseMom]

I've done the pre-renal diet dance for 7 years now, and I honestly don't care if someone eats "forbidden" food in front of me.  Five years ago, I cared, but I don't, anymore.  I'm not on fluid restrictions yet, but I suspect that such restrictions will be a lot harder on me than food restrictions.  The renal diet doesn't keep me from eating, rather, it just keeps me from eating certain things in great quantity.  Following the renal diet doesn't result in hunger, but fluid restrictions can result in being thirsty, and thirst is a primal, powerful force.  I KNOW it would drive me nuts to be thirsty yet have to limit my fluid intake while watching someone drink a big glass of ice water.

I can understand my next door neighbor not being sensitive to my restrictions and eating/drinking whatever he wanted in front of me.  He doesn't know better, but clinic staff DO know better, and that's why it's inexcusably rude.  JMHO.

[Cordelia]

I'm not on fluid restrictions. Haven't been since the 9 days I spent in hospital last summer when I went into renal failure. I would struggle worse with fluid restrictions because I drink a lot of water to ward off constipation due to my binders.

Pizza and cheese are the only two foods that really bother me not being able to have much. I've gotten used to not drinking iced tea or milk anymore. I don't crave either anymore. I used to drink a can of coke, a can of iced tea and drink a few glasses of milk a day and I don't do it anymore and that doesn't bother me, either.

[Subeat]

I haven't experienced this at my center.  Definitely no eating around patients, and if they have had drinks I either didn't notice, or it didn't make much of an impression.  I agree that eating something that produces an aroma would be unprofessional and inconsiderate as some might be sensitive to the smells.   But, I honestly don't care if they drink in front of me.  Granted, my fluid restrictions aren't very strict, but pre-D I was a serious Diet Coke addict.  I started my day with one, got headaches if I went with out for too long, even my kids noticed the mood swings if I was out.  That said, it doesn't bother me a bit if someone drinks one in front of me.  I can't spend my life being resentful that others can have things I cannot, or that I have to "budget" for. 

[MooseMom]

I can't spend my life being resentful that others can have things I cannot, or that I have to "budget" for.

That's certainly a very effective credo to live by, and more power to you!  But I don't think it is unfathomable to expect better behaviour from dialysis staff.  If you were having dinner with someone who you knew was struggling with giving up alcohol, would you order cocktails and wine for yourself knowing that your dinner companion might possibly just love to drink, too?

[jbeany]

I always had a pragmatic approach to not caring if they drank pop.  I didn't want anyone suffering from caffeine withdrawal coming at me with a needle!

[pitagory]

I'm on PD and my nurses office is very small  he has his desk there and he sees him patients there and he always has a coke bottle with him but that does not bother me what bothers me is that he smokes like a chuchu train so every time he gets near me he  smells like nicotine and I am not a smoker so to me that is not something I want to smell . I wish I could say something like don't you know about lung cancer.

[pagandialysis]

Oddly enough I have problems with other patients. They hate it that I bring my own lunch and they can smell it. Though most of them are from the nursing home attached to the clinic. Maybe they are mad at me because they have the same old food every day.

What do you guys think about patients bringing food?

[sullidog]

I can't take the smell so much that when a nurse has a pizza or something I gotta have me a slice, and since not having pizza is my weakness, it's very hard to avoid.
And techs/nurses smelling like smoke is annoying too, and then there's some tech's/nurses that hack up a lung and you wonder are they in the right profession?

[Iwannabean]

  Wow, great responses.  I must say that in my clinic you can eat (4-8:30pm) and all of the nurses and techs eat in a break room.  Pizza and French Fries are my weakness, and sometimes you can smell it, but its out of sight anyway.  I am a thirst monger and love to drink water, so it really bothers me when I see the super sized drinks. I guess im not the only one which makes me feel good. Thank you for your responses.

Iwannabean

[Marina]

After having  diabetes  for  more  than  31yrs   (until  last  Nov  THANKS  to  my  Donor  Laura),  not  being able to  eat  sweets  for  so  long,    people  can  eat  or  drink  whatever they  want  in  front of  me  and it  doesn't  bother  me.

I have   had  co-workers  who  would  apologize  for  eating   sweets  in  front of  me.           My  response  to them  was   "Hey  I'm  not  5yrs  old  anymore,  you can  eat  or  drink  whatever  you  like,  it  doesn't  bother  me."

I  do have to  admit,  when  I  was  diagnosed  at  13yrs  old,   first  yr  of  middle  school,  it  was    pure  HELL.
We  no  longer had  the  boring  cafeteria  food  we  did  in  elementary.  We had  so  much to  choose  from  including    milkshakes.             I  hated to  see  my  friends  eating  all the  good  stuff  and  drinking  milkshakes  while  I  resorted to  my  PB&J   sandwich  and  an  apple  juice   

[Subeat]

I can't spend my life being resentful that others can have things I cannot, or that I have to "budget" for.

That's certainly a very effective credo to live by, and more power to you!  But I don't think it is unfathomable to expect better behaviour from dialysis staff.  If you were having dinner with someone who you knew was struggling with giving up alcohol, would you order cocktails and wine for yourself knowing that your dinner companion might possibly just love to drink, too?

And as I said, I do think that staff eating in front of patients is unprofessional, and the staff at my center has never done this.

If they are giving up alcohol due to addiction then no, I would not drink in front of them.  To me, that is a very different situation.  I miss cheese probably more than anything else...gooey, yummy mounds of the stuff...but it is not the same as being addicted.  And I won't compare my Diet Coke addiction to alcoholism either...apples and oranges.

If it is just because they are choosing to for other reasons, maybe.  My daughter chose to give up sodas, we still drink them in front of her.  Virtually everyday I eat with people that are eating things I shouldn't.  Last night we went out to dinner and my husband had these delicious looking cheesy potatoes...2 strikes against me.  I wasn't upset that he could eat them and I couldn't.  He isn't on this restrictive diet, why should he be deprived?  Of course I did have a little taste.     Maybe that is the silver lining?

[MooseMom]

Well, I'm guess I'm just too sensitive for my own good, then.

I don't care that people who don't know about my situation eat whatever they like in front of me.  I've been on this pre-renal diet for 7 years now, and this diet is even more restrictive than the dialysis diet, but I've gotten used to it.  But I have to admit that it used to bother me when my husband would eat bananas in front of me.  He knew that I couldn't eat then, and my husband can eat anything, so surely he could have picked something else to eat besides bananas.  I just felt that if anyone could show me a little solidarity and support, it should be my husband!  He is trying to lose some weight, an effort that is being thwarted by his love of all things sweet, so I would never even think about eating anything sweet in front of him!  Why torture someone you love?

I got really mad at him once about this and told him so.  I told him that all of this kidney stuff was bad enough without being constantly reminded of WHY there were these dietary restrictions.  So, I aired my dirty laundry, and now he understands and noticeably will avoid things that I can't have.  Now that he actually THINKS about it, I don't mind and will actually buy for him all of the things he likes but I can't have.  He thinks in analogies, so I'd say things like, "Now how would you feel if you couldn't eat pizza anymore (his favorite food), but I ordered one and ate it in front of you?  Are you really telling me that that would be totally OK with you?"  Maybe I was being childish, but I expected better from my husband just as I expect better from dialysis staff.  But he didn't have a crystal ball, and I didn't expect him to know how I felt unless I told him, so I told him, and now it's all OK.

I feel that the alcohol analogy holds true.  To an alcoholic, drinking is physically a very dangerous thing to do.  You stop drinking to protect your very life.  Eating a mound of cheesy potatoes if you have renal disease is also a very dangerous thing to do.  I am sure you have read up on what excess potassium and phosphorus do to the body; it's not pretty, and it can be fatal.  So I am not sure if this really is apples and oranges.  It's probably closer to Granny Smiths and Red Delicious.

[Subeat]

I feel that the alcohol analogy holds true.  To an alcoholic, drinking is physically a very dangerous thing to do.  You stop drinking to protect your very life.  Eating a mound of cheesy potatoes if you have renal disease is also a very dangerous thing to do.  I am sure you have read up on what excess potassium and phosphorus do to the body; it's not pretty, and it can be fatal.  So I am not sure if this really is apples and oranges.  It's probably closer to Granny Smiths and Red Delicious.

I think we are just looking at this analogy from different perspectives.  I see your point on the physical, but I'm thinking more of the mental aspect of addiction. As much as I may enjoy those cheesy potatoes, I'm not addicted to them, my craving for them is nothing compared to the craving an addict would have for whatever their "fix" may be.  The alcoholic feels a compulsion to drink mentally, and a physical need as well.  The only thing I've experienced that was even close was giving up my Diet Cokes, but the level of intensity was much different.  I was grumpy and had headaches for about a week as I came off of them, pretty minor in the scheme of things.  Maybe I just don't have anything that I miss to that level, maybe you do and that is why we see this a little differently.

[MooseMom]

I do see your point and don't really disagree with you.  Actually, like you, there's not anything I miss that much.  I guess my problem is that perhaps I think a bit too empathetically and am disappointed when others don't do the same.  Perhaps I mistakenly assume that other people might be bothered by others eating taboo foods in their presence when actually they don't care that much.  Maybe I am simply overreacting in my quest to make everyone around me more comfortable when in reality they don't need me to take their feelings into account after all.  Instead of assuming that someone on dialysis might be bothered if I drank a big glass of iced water in front of them (and at the IHD meetup, I was very conscious of this), I should just get on with my own life and let others take care of themselves.  No one really needs me to make their life easier!  I should stop twisting myself into a pretzel about these sorts of things!

(By way of personal experience, I had the delightful opportunity to meet up with two IHDers several months ago.  Both had had transplants so were not on a restricted diet like my pre-renal diet.  My husband was with me, and we met up at a diner for lunch.  The three of them had some sort of milk-shakey desserty things after lunch, and while I was pleased they enjoyed it, and while I don't care for desserts, especially the milk-shakey kind, I couldn't help but think that it would have been kind of nice if they had at least said something along the lines of "I hope you don't mind if we eat this."  Remember, this was my HUSBAND who supposedly loves me AND two people who knew all too well about dietary restrictions.  I didn't seethe with resentment, though.  A few days later, one of these IHDers PMed me and apologized for eating this in front of me and said he hoped I hadn't been upset, and I replied that it was perfectly fine, but I thanked him profusely for the thought because he has been the ONLY PERSON who had ever even thought to talk to me about this.  I thought that was very kind.)

[Riki]

My nurses drink water, or coffee or tea at the desk.  They don't carry it around or anything like that.  They also have a break room for them to eat their meals. That being said, they do sometimes have a Tim Horton's coffee in their hand, but some of the patients do as well.  I've had an ice cap brought into me by a friend who was visiting, and another fellow brings a coffee and muffin with him every time he comes in.  I don't see it as a big deal.  We're not children.  Just because we have to restrict what we take in doesn't mean that the people around us should be deprived.  I love chocolate, but it is one of the renal no-nos, but it doesn't mean that if I go out with friends, and they decide to have chocolate cheesecake for dessert, I'm not going to take it as an insult.  It seems silly to me

[MooseMom]

Riki, do your friends know that you have to avoid chocolate, and do they understand exactly why?  Do they understand what high serum phosphorus does to your body?

[sullidog]

Good question MM most of my friends don't and they will say here try this, you haven't died yet!