Ignorant things people have said to you

[kitkatz]

I think ignorance is catching!   

[Zach]

I think ignorance is catching!   

And some times it's us kidney patients, as well.
 

[ILOVEFLUID]

True, true, true

The patient next to me one day, commented on the bottle of Diet Coke, sitting on my table (while in all honesty was my fiances).  He said, you know, you aren't allowed to have Diet Coke on the renal diet.  Meanwhile, I have nicknamed him Pizzaman because every shift he comes up with two huge pieces of pizza from the cafeteria.  I said, "Thanks for your concern, but I am pretty sure we shouldn't have pizza either."

[thegrammalady]

actually the pizza is worse.  1 slice of pizza has 198 mg of phos and 171 of potassium.  12oz (standard can) of cola 36 phos and 7.2 potassium.  i really think the problem is the cola is empty calories, nothing usefull for anyone, my neph goes ballistic if he even thinks i'm drinking coke, but then i'm not supposed to eat pizza either. too much calcium. (slightly off topic, but oh well,)

[stauffenberg]

In Canada, where I live, the federal government requires the provinces to provide all 'medically necessary' services free of charge if they want to receive federal funding for healthcare.  But at the provincial level, where the influence of right-wing forces is especially strong because the governments are smaller and less powerful than the federal authority, there is a campaign to define more and more services as "not medically necessary" in order to privatize them.  Then the capitalists are happy, since they can't stand such a giant cash cow as the demand for healtcare to go unexploited as a source of their private profit, no matter how many patients would be denied any healthcare at all under a for-profit system.

While I was on dialysis, a nurse from Alberta, one of the most right-wing provinces which had defined away the largest number of services as "not medically necessary," said to me: "I think it's a good idea that patients in Alberta now have to pay for part of their healthcare costs, since that teaches them to take better care of their health."  Well, what would have been the use of charging us dialysis patients $20 per treatment?  Nothing anyone could do could save us from these treatments!  And most of us, myself included, could not have done anything to prevent our renal failure, no matter how high the cash incentive or how long in advance we had had the warning!  Even the typical doctor has to say to the patient: "You may feel fine now, but the tests show that in five years you'll be on dialysis."  If he can't do anything for any amount of money to prevent that, how can the patients?

[kimcanada]

"I think it's a good idea that patients in Alberta now have to pay for part of their healthcare costs, since that teaches them to take better care of their health." 

This is so typical of someone that is healthy, I am 100% sure that that same person would not utter those words if she or a sibling or a child of hers needs dialysis, I am so freaking sick and tired of people that have no experience in what they speak get on the highest soapbox and make others listen to their crap

Kim 

[BigSky]

While I was on dialysis, a nurse from Alberta, one of the most right-wing provinces which had defined away the largest number of services as "not medically necessary," said to me: "I think it's a good idea that patients in Alberta now have to pay for part of their healthcare costs, since that teaches them to take better care of their health."  Well, what would have been the use of charging us dialysis patients $20 per treatment?  Nothing anyone could do could save us from these treatments! 

Evidently the person cannot see the difference between those with chronic conditions that must be treated to live and those that people do to abuse the system, such as emergency room treatment without actually being an emergency.

[ILOVEFLUID]

My friends were trying to plan my wedding shower.  I explained to them that it would have to be on a Sunday as i have to travel 3 hrs to get there and i have dialysis on Saturday.  One of them could not get a babysitter on the Sunday and she actually said that i could just miss dialysis for a weekend as it would not kill me.  so she expects ,me to go from Thursday until Tuesday with no dialysis.  It may not kill me but I would be so miserable that I might have to kill her.   

[Razman]

My friends were trying to plan my wedding shower. I explained to them that it would have to be on a Sunday as i have to travel 3 hrs to get there and i have dialysis on Saturday. One of them could not get a babysitter on the Sunday and she actually said that i could just miss dialysis for a weekend as it would not kill me. so she expects ,me to go from Thursday until Tuesday with no dialysis. It may not kill me but I would be so miserable that I might have to kill her.

"My friends ......"    I think you may want to change that description or at least take one off the list.  She doesn't sound like a friend to me.  It's your shower and they should be thinking about YOU !!!

[Amanda From OZ]

My friends were trying to plan my wedding shower. I explained to them that it would have to be on a Sunday as i have to travel 3 hrs to get there and i have dialysis on Saturday. One of them could not get a babysitter on the Sunday and she actually said that i could just miss dialysis for a weekend as it would not kill me. so she expects ,me to go from Thursday until Tuesday with no dialysis. It may not kill me but I would be so miserable that I might have to kill her.

I have a lot of friends that just dont undestand how dialysis works, and how important it is.......Ignorant ppl!!

I have had a few ignornant comments also... i got told it was "A shame that i was sick, and i was a waste" ... some ppl are so kind!!

[jbeany]

"If you're on the list now, does that mean you still have to go to dialysis?"

I managed not to burst out laughing when I heard this, but it was an effort!

[Sluff]

It just amazes me at some of the things you all have heard.

[thegrammalady]

i overheard the dietitian telling a patients wife, "if he eats any cheese his phosphorus will never go down" i just kept walking, my ears rolled over and hid!

[goofynina]

i ran into a friend who, when i told i was still doing dialysis told me, "Why havent you gotten a transplant yet?  I heard that people die without a kidney"  Grrrrrrrrrrrrr, goes to show the ignorance of the uninformed 

[ILOVEFLUID]

After i had my transplant,  my friends got together and threw me a party at out local pub.  Sorta a fundraiser/congratulations party.  A lot of the regulars were there and one of the woman actually said to me. " Oh, this party is for you, I thought you died, I am sure glad to see you still alive"  Why thank you so much for your kind words, you drunken slag!!!!!!!!!

[Jill D.]

I try to cut people some slack if their ignorant questions aren't rude or thoughtless, as I realize that if you or a loved one are not living with a particular disease you would have no clue about the details of treatments, syptoms, diet, etc.
HOWEVER.... since my transplant, I cannot believe how many people ask me if my "other" kidney still works OK. They are assuming that only one of my kidneys have failed. This is usually after I have stated that my sister donated one of her kidneys, and that you can live with one kidney, so if my "other" kidney was still working OK, why would I need hers? 

[Zach]

i ran into a friend who, when i told i was still doing dialysis told me, "Why havent you gotten a transplant yet?  I heard that people die without a kidney"  Grrrrrrrrrrrrr, goes to show the ignorance of the uninformed 

You can probably thank the National Kidney Foundation for that.  
The ends justify the means?  

[kitkatz]

"I did not know you were under stress."  a coworker.

Sheez, if they only knew.

[carson]

My mom's a bit of a bimbo. Whenever I go to visit my parents she will ask me if I'd like something to drink. Sometimes I'll say yes and have a small tea with her. THEN she'll bring out the cheese and whole grain crackers, or ask me if I'd like a sandwich made with whole grain bread, butter, cheese and some nice salty deli turkey. She'll put out a bowl of peanuts to snack on (my mom's one of these luncheon ladies who does nothing but specialize in hospitality).
I'll kid with her and say, "what, are you in a hurry to get rid of me?"

I also work with a bimbo who can't believe that I don't drink anything. She'll say something like "you need to drink or you'll get dehydrated" or "well, if you don't drink, how do you pee?" or "what do you mean you have 3 kidneys?"

Yes, I also get the "nice tan, have you been away?" Ever notice it's only in my face? My hands and neck are pasty white?

And finally, I did get (and only one time) the old "when are we expecting the little one?". Well, I'm only 5'2", 48 kgs but I have a little dialysis belly. I'm so glad it was the village loudmouth who asked because I was able to say, "I'm not pregnant you twit, it's from my dialysis"...

I have to admit, though, I do enjoy being able to go for a nice flight or long road trip without a pee break!!

[mdorn]

I've been asked a few times: Did you get bitten by a shark? (My old graft is in a big loop and looks like a shark bite!)

[okarol]

Yesterday I ran into an acquaintance who had recently heard that Jenna finally got a transplant.
Her question was, "So does she still have to do dialysis?"
Uhhh no, they kicked her out and won't let her back for now!
 

[jbeany]

One of my techs is pregnant, and she's having a hard time of it.  She was talking to a couple of us about it the other day, and asked us "Do you know what it feels like to wake up every morning and you don't feel bad, but you just don't feel right either?"  The two of us listening both paused, grinned, and answered a resounding "YES" in unison.  She realized what she had said and who she had said it too, and then we all started to laugh. 

[Krowbar]

Besides my closest family and friends and my boss at work, nobody is aware of my condition.  I'm so glad I don't have to put up with such moronic blather.

[George Jung]

I don't know if this is ignorant, but a girl at work approached me today and asked if my kidneys are okay.  During a very brief conversation (if you can even call it that) she said to me that if something were ever to happen to her she would be interested in giving me one of her kidneys.  She was trying to converse onward and mentioned a friend of hers who is diabetic, and her commitment of one of her kidneys to him. 

I really didn't even want to talk about it, she came at me out of nowhere.  All I could say was that if you are interested to learn about donating I could print something off for you.  Her intentions were there but I suspect she hasn't a clue.

[tweetykiss]

I have a list here.....

1)  Just barely a week after my husband was released from the hospital after his aorta surgery (auto accident), who I thought was my best friend says "Oh we were just talking about it here that 'Mike and Anita have it made' 'Mike and Anita have it made' ".....Ok I almost lost my husband in a tragic accident and we have it made...eff her and the canoe she sailed on.......we are friends again though since many things got worked out.....but proir to we really had some verbal knockdowns and dragdowns and I have the emails to prove it...lol...

2)     I happen to be talking to one "friend" on the phone and she knows about my depression problem and she asks me smiling very sweetly "What are you doing this weekend?"  "Kim, I have a lot of errands to do", she said smiling very sweetly "Well you need to do something fun".......You stupid lady, I don't need that cr*polla from you.......she is the world's biggest idiot and she is too pollyanna for my tastes...sorry Charlie Lady.......

3)    When I was teaching and had to fill in one class, one of the kids stole my cell phone, then in the teacher's lounge I happen to mention it to one teacher who I thought was alright and she goes "Didn't your mother ever teach you to not to put your purse out in the open?", OK Lady, for all you know I could have been raised in an orphanage or pinballed around in foster homes not that it is any of your buzwa to even begin with........now she is suppose to know better than to talk about people's mothers since we have to teach the children not to do that....

Don't worry I will think of more.....