Ignorant things people have said to you

[mcclane]

This isn't what people have said, but more along the lines of how people prioritize what is important in life.

1) when people start complaining how bad work gets.  I can understand that work isn't fun, but it is something we must do to pay the bills.  But if work is your only sticking point in life, try doing dialysis.

2) no offence to facebook users, but recently in the news there is an uproar in the facebook community about the recent changes facebook has made.  People were complaining about how they abhor the changes, and it sounded like it was life altering.  Hmmmm, try being diagnosed with kidney disease and let's see how life altering that really is.

[tbarrett2533]

This isn't what people have said, but more along the lines of how people prioritize what is important in life.

1) when people start complaining how bad work gets.  I can understand that work isn't fun, but it is something we must do to pay the bills.  But if work is your only sticking point in life, try doing dialysis.

2) no offence to facebook users, but recently in the news there is an uproar in the facebook community about the recent changes facebook has made.  People were complaining about how they abhor the changes, and it sounded like it was life altering.  Hmmmm, try being diagnosed with kidney disease and let's see how life altering that really is.

AFRIGGINMEN!!!

How about when people complain and actually want sympothy for having tooth aches, hang nails, back aches etc.  I always say to people that I will trade any day of the week for their "terrible" problem...
Or even better how about the people that "claim" they have all these illness' when really all they want is someone to feel sorry for them, I want to slap the hell out of them and say "being sick" is really no walk in the friggin park!!!
IDIOTS, I telll you, people are friggin idiots!!!!

[mcclane]

This isn't what people have said, but more along the lines of how people prioritize what is important in life.

1) when people start complaining how bad work gets.  I can understand that work isn't fun, but it is something we must do to pay the bills.  But if work is your only sticking point in life, try doing dialysis.

2) no offence to facebook users, but recently in the news there is an uproar in the facebook community about the recent changes facebook has made.  People were complaining about how they abhor the changes, and it sounded like it was life altering.  Hmmmm, try being diagnosed with kidney disease and let's see how life altering that really is.

AFRIGGINMEN!!!

How about when people complain and actually want sympothy for having tooth aches, hang nails, back aches etc.  I always say to people that I will trade any day of the week for their "terrible" problem...
Or even better how about the people that "claim" they have all these illness' when really all they want is someone to feel sorry for them, I want to slap the hell out of them and say "being sick" is really no walk in the friggin park!!!
IDIOTS, I telll you, people are friggin idiots!!!!

Took the words out of my mouth.  If a hang nail is the only real problem they have, I'll more than gladly trade places. 

I try not to complain about doing dialysis or have anyone feel sorry that i am on dialysis, this is the hand that was dealt so I gotta deal with it.  Others that don't have a chronic illness but manage to complain, sorry, talk to the hand 

[gothiclovemonkey]

heh or u could be like my brother and say things like
"i WISH i could trade places with you" or " My life is soo terrible, i wish i was dead"
I try to remind him or others gently that at least u have health, a job, a roof, clothes, and food... some people dont have any of that!

[The Noob]

 

picked up a cabinet today at thrift store. 2 guys loaded it for me, told them it was for my husbands dialysis supplies. one guy says his aunt has been on dialysis for 13 years.."NEITHER of her kidneys work now!" 

[ReneePa]

I would like to ask everyone a question. 

When you're at D, what are your thoughts when your Tech or RN tells you EVERYTHING that's going on in their life...family, kids, shopping, what they did the past weekend....very personal things?

What are your thoughts about more education during treatments?

Do you want to be involved in where the clinic's standings are?


These are items that I've come across during my 18 years and would like input from the experts...YOU!

[tbarrett2533]

I would like to ask everyone a question. 

When you're at D, what are your thoughts when your Tech or RN tells you EVERYTHING that's going on in their life...family, kids, shopping, what they did the past weekend....very personal things?

What are your thoughts about more education during treatments?

Do you want to be involved in where the clinic's standings are?


These are items that I've come across during my 18 years and would like input from the experts...YOU!

YES!! education would be nice....ask anyone at my unit what PD is and no one can tell you!!!! its sad and as for the nurse's and techs talking/tellin me their personal busniess... i think its one of 2 things 1.  they hook so many people up a day that they just don't care anymore, and 2.  they actually start to feel comfortable talking about personal things with patients b/c they see them so much that they feel "close" to them....... however to be honest with you, I don't really care to hear about what they all got going on and wish they would just shut the hell up, I am not there for social hour, I am there to stay alive and I could give a shit less about what they all got going in in their life!!!!

[Subeat]

I would like to ask everyone a question. 

When you're at D, what are your thoughts when your Tech or RN tells you EVERYTHING that's going on in their life...family, kids, shopping, what they did the past weekend....very personal things?

What are your thoughts about more education during treatments?

Do you want to be involved in where the clinic's standings are?


These are items that I've come across during my 18 years and would like input from the experts...YOU!

I'm all for more education, but I'm not sure others would be.  I think the staff at my center is willing to educate those that show an interest.  I know if I ask a question, I will receive a comprehensive answer.  But, I also realize that I might be a more informed patient than some of the others as well.  I've only been in the dialysis world for a short time, but I've spent my days doing research...reading, reading, reading...so that I can be an active participant in my own care.  But in talking with others on my shift, I don't think I am typical at all. 

As for the sharing, I don't mind chit chat with the nurse while I'm getting hooked up at all.  But there is a tech that will occasionally just approach me to talk out of the blue.  Sometimes I feel a little awkward about it.  I know she is just being friendly, but there are times I just don't have the energy to work up the polite responses.  KWIM?

[ReneePa]

tbarret and Subeat...THANK YOU!  I have tried so hard to get my coworkers to shut the hell up about personal life!  I will engage in small talk- but it's centered around my patient. 

And you're right!  We are there to car for YOU! 
I appreciate the input!   

[Riki]

I would like to ask everyone a question. 

When you're at D, what are your thoughts when your Tech or RN tells you EVERYTHING that's going on in their life...family, kids, shopping, what they did the past weekend....very personal things?

I live in a small place.  One of my nurses is also a neighbor, and several of them I've known longer than I have my best friend.  Others have mutual friends with me, and/or I know their children, because I went to school with them.  I don't mind hearing about their family, or about how their vacations went. 

What are your thoughts about more education during treatments?

Depends on who's doing the educating, and what the subject is.  I have educated them on many different aspects of Star Trek, and I have had a conversation with one of them on which type is the better vampire.  She likes Vampire Bill, I like Lestat. *shrugs*

Do you want to be involved in where the clinic's standings are?

I don't know what that means.

All in all, I have a good relationship with the nurses that work in my unit. They're all friendly, fun-loving, they don't mind joking and laughing.  I think you need that in order to build the trust that is required to have these people stab you with drinking straw needles 3 times a week.  For those who say that it's not social hour, why not? For me, it's the only time I get out of the house

I also think your question probably should be spliced into another thread of it's own.. but I'll let the moderators decide on that one. *G*

[ReneePa]

Riki,
Thank you for your input.  I am still kinda new to the site (2 days)  and thought this was the right place to post... 

When I spoke of the clinic standings...  Each clinic is scored on different aspects of the clinic.....  hgb, accessess, no shows, hospitalizations...  Our Regional manager always says that the patients in his other clinics are always asking about it. 

Again, thanks. 

If I'm in the wrong area, I'm sorry. 

[kitkatz]

My dear friend looks at me and says: "I just can't get enough to drink today, you know!"
I said: "I wish"
What do you mean?
I explained the limited fluid I have during a day then dared her to do it for a day!

Wanted to slap her upside the head as she was into my ice supply heavily that day!

[brandi1leigh]

So my whole life I have struggled with diabetes, although it's not what caused my kidney failure. When I started dialysis, my blood sugars magically dropped and I was taken off of all my diabetes meds. After 2 years, my sugars have started crawling back up, so I called my general practitioner this morning. I talked to his Physician's Assistant. It is important to note that she is a trained medical professional.
Me: I've been monitoring my blood sugar and its running high. What does Dr. X want me to do?
Her: Well are you symptomatic at all. Have you been urinating more?
(Pause) Me: I'm in kidney failure. I don't really urinate.
Her: So you're not symptomatic?
Me: Well I've been taking my sugars and they are high.
Her: But you're not urinating more.
Me: My kidneys don't work.
Her: I guess I'll leave a note for the doctor.

Please do! Jeez. Really inspires confidence in my medical "team." I understand that she works for  GP and probably doesn't see a lot of ESRD patients, but really I had to tell her twice. Shouldn't she know something about how the body works?

[The Noob]

DH enjoys hearing all the news, and we have developed a close relationship with most of nurses/techs there. i think this is a key to the better care he gets. he asks questions and they train him as they go. some of the other patients who come in and ask nothing, talk to no one, show no interest, i think they just get their treatment and leave.
our HH nurse who will train us, was our PD nurse also. we know all about her and her family and she likewise. this way we are more than a chart. it makes us real and we all feel more part of a team.

[tbarrett2533]

DH enjoys hearing all the news, and we have developed a close relationship with most of nurses/techs there. i think this is a key to the better care he gets. he asks questions and they train him as they go. some of the other patients who come in and ask nothing, talk to no one, show no interest, i think they just get their treatment and leave.
our HH nurse who will train us, was our PD nurse also. we know all about her and her family and she likewise. this way we are more than a chart. it makes us real and we all feel more part of a team.

I think wheather or not people like or dislike (I am a dislike) small talk, sharing of personal business, etc is based on every indivdual!! 
Me......... I really could care less what someone else has got going on in their life when I have so much going on in mine that its hard to keep up with all of it so i would rather that they just hook me up, and leave me alone (when I was doing in-center Hemo) 
I also think that some people confuse being friendly as something more than what it really is..... me personally I always change the subject real quick when someone starts talking about their personal lives, but that's just who I am   

[CebuShan]

Me? I enjoy talking to people. The funny thing is, I tend to be private about my own life. I have worked with the public all my working life & I discovered many years ago that people love to talk about themselves. When I was working in gas stations, my co-workers used to tease me that I could get a person's life story in 2 minutes or less. Even the police mentioned it one day! There had been an incident at the station & the cops asked me about the victim (who I had never seen before. They were surprised & a little suspicious at the amount I was able to tell them. That is until they stood there & watched me work. They commented on how much info I got from people. I just love people. I find them interesting especially the elderly. They have experienced things that are just "history" to me. However, I DON'T want to hear about things that I consider particularly private eg. Your sex life!

[Riki]

A few weeks ago, one of the nurses (who is younger than me) hurried out of the treatment room and into the waiting room when I arrived, with her phone in her hand.  My chair would still be a few minutes, but she wanted to show me a picture of the ultrasound of her baby.  She's due in February.  A year ago, she was showing me pictures of her wedding.  I enjoy this.

I only see one of the nurses outside of the unit, and that's because she's a neighbor, and lives up the street from me.  I was in the unit before she was, and I only knew her to see her before she started.  I found out later that I also went to school with her younger brother.

[cassandra]

I had to go for a ultrasound of my lower abdomen. The radiologist rang if I could drink as much as poss cos my bladder needed to be full. I said I couldn't cos I have no kidneys, so no liquid gets to my bladder. She said, well just try....

[kitkatz]

So....
Phone call from dialysis clinic: Would you like to come to a Care Plan meeting?
ME: Yes. But at a time I can come.
Them: How about 10:45 a.m.?
ME: Not going to happen I work 6:50 to 2p.m.  How about we make it when I can come?
Them: I'll get back to you on what the doctor says.

You would think they would schedule it when I CAN come!  It is MY care plan after all.

I have a 6:30 p.m. meeting on Wednesday.

[jbeany]

I had to go for a ultrasound of my lower abdomen. The radiologist rang if I could drink as much as poss cos my bladder needed to be full. I said I couldn't cos I have no kidneys, so no liquid gets to my bladder. She said, well just try....

   Don't know why it's not working for you - after all, she tried to talk with her foot in her mouth, and it worked for her!

[Brightsky69]

I had to go for a ultrasound of my lower abdomen. The radiologist rang if I could drink as much as poss cos my bladder needed to be full. I said I couldn't cos I have no kidneys, so no liquid gets to my bladder. She said, well just try....

 
That was pretty stupid on her part. Just goes to show that most people don't listen.






EDITED: Fixed Quote Error - Bajanne, Moderator

[MooseMom]

I had to go for a ultrasound of my lower abdomen. The radiologist rang if I could drink as much as poss cos my bladder needed to be full. I said I couldn't cos I have no kidneys, so no liquid gets to my bladder. She said, well just try....

Oh, you have to tell us what happened next!

[CebuShan]

I had to go for a ultrasound of my lower abdomen. The radiologist rang if I could drink as much as poss cos my bladder needed to be full. I said I couldn't cos I have no kidneys, so no liquid gets to my bladder. She said, well just try....

. Well? Did they get upset that you didn't follow their instructions?

[PorkBun]

I just have a hard time trying to understand the comments when people learn of your fluid restrictions.  Usually the reaction is "OH MY GOD - I would just DIE if I couldn't drink my diet coke/Mt Dew/Water/whatever."  I want to ask them "do you walk up to people in wheelchairs and say OH MY GOD I would just DIE if I couldn't walk..."   

Of course I don't mind people eating and drinking things I can no longer partake in - but the comments and ensuing discussion don't make it any easier. 

I had just gone back to one of my volunteer activities and had a similar reaction from someone there.  Within seconds of me telling her of the restrictions - she got up and said "I'm getting a water, do you want one?"  I know- she did it out of habit and not malice....but really, only seconds had passed.

I was visiting friends who normally invited me over for dinner - I kindly explained that I would kindly defer on the meal but I would stop by for socializing afterwards.  They simply would not believe that i was to restrict fluid because he had heard that water was good for kidneys. (FUNCTIONING kidneys, I kindly reminded him) and when I refused all offers for a drink - he still brought me a 44 ounce cup filled with ice water and sat it beside me.   GEEZ!  I can't imagine what he would do if someone identified as an alcoholic.   

[CebuShan]

I hate it when someone says to me, "But you don't look sick!". Just how am I supposed to look?!