Im still having problems!! Need some help here!!!

[Neo]

Ok so now because that tech fell asleep i feel that I am being forced to change my schedule for it. Now before this happened most of the lights would be off(this is nocturnal dialysis) in the unit, and I have a flashlight that I shine out from where Im at if i need assistance. This was working fine until the incident with the tech falling asleep as you all know. I get to dialyze in the isolation room because I have seniority, Ive been at this unit since it opened which is about a year and a half ago. So since im in there I usually get the door closed and its all basically windows anyway so I just shine the light when I need assistance. But since I complained about the tech, I went into my treatment last night and they kept all the lights on and my door open and wouldn't let me close it. HOW AM I SUPPOSE TO SLEEP LIKE THAT!! I was in that room because its quieter and opening the door defeats the whole purpose..So I have a meeting planned with the director, my doctor who has the final say on everything at the unit,the nurse, and my mother. So what I need from all of you is things that I should say in this meeting. Because why should I have my whole routine changed like that because someone's not doing there job?? So please  need to be prepared for this because you know that the tech is gonna deny sleeping and I cant exactly prove she was because I dont have a picture of her sleeping so its my word versus hers'..Now all I want is to have the lights off and my door closed and have a tech sitting at the nurses station..Is that too much to ask???So let me know what you think and if there are any organizations i should get a hold of like a patient advocacy group or something..thanks im really upset because its the only nocturnal dialysis in town so I dont want to leave and do days...thanks

[rose1999]

Do you have PALS (patients advocates) like we do in the UK, each hospital has one? If so then try speaking to them.  But you have a mother and if she's anything like most of us she will see that no-one walks over her son.   

I would start by politely explaining that you have been having trouble attracting the attention of this  tech and you think she may be dozing, or if not (if she denies it) then she is  certainly not seeing your flashlight, and all you want is a system whereby everything can be as it has been but so that you can get attention when you need it. Explain that the flashlight works for the other techs.  I'd say that she stands more chance of seeing the flashlight if it is dark so putting the lights on isn't helping, added to which it is making it difficult for everyone to sleep. 

Ask what happens to other people on a different night shift who use your room, how do they attract attention, has anyone else had this problem?.  Ask if they (the DR etc) have any suggestions such as a walkie talkie for use IF the flashlight doesn't attract attention, or a mobile phone or pager so you could ring that if absolutely all else fails (I know you mentioned a mobile phone in one post).   Could they rig up a small bell - one of those that doesn't need wiring in (doorbell type) so she has it plugged in a socket  near her desk and you push the bell which can be taken anywhere within range?  You would only need to use it if the flashlight was ignored so as not to distrub others.  I can imagine it is hard to stay awake when it's relatively dark and quiet but she must, so can they give her something to keep her awake, like one of those things you can wear in a car that buzz when your head starts to flop (I wish I could remember what the are called).  These might all be daft ideas but I can't think of anything else and you might just see one as being useful.   

Tell them you have a right to treatment and to expect the staff to be alert and respond to your trying to attract attention and it is up to them to find a way round it without disrupting your routine. 

If all else fails get your Mum to use kit's stick and give them hell. we Mum's are good at that.

I hope you can sort this,I don't know if I've been any help at all but I hope knowing we are all on your side will give you the support and confidence you need to get what you want and what you are entitled. to. Good luck.

[Hawkeye]

The unit I am currently at has an isolation room though we have no patients that require isolation.  Since the tech that has that room also has 3 other patients in a pod nearby they cant always watch that patient as closely.  To solve this when the room was built a call button like you see in hospital rooms was installed so they could notify someone if they were having an issue or needed something and the tech didn't see them.

[willieandwinnie]

Neo, I'm so sorry you are going through this. The situation is just plain wrong. The whole purpose of nocturnal is for the patient to get dialysis during sleep to free up their days. If they are going to keep you awake all night, you might as well go back to your old schedule. I can't believe that the Director or a Doctor hasn't made a surprise visit to see for themselves. I'm praying your Mom can straighten em' out. Wish I had some words of wisdom for you, but I do wish you good luck with getting this fixed. Keep us posted. 

[IrishGirl]

I would say exactly what you said in your post. I want three things. The sleep, the lights off and a tech at the desk. Is that too much to ask? Certainly not. Anyone with a brain knows that a person with a chronic illness needs, above all else..... REST. You should NOT have to modify your schedule because a person isn't doing their job appropriately. You dont have to be rude to get your point across. Let the tech deny....it will be her word against yours. And, I would argue this: WHY would you make up such a story if it weren't true? What would be in it for you? What would be the purpose? There would be no reason for you to lie about it.....your life is hard enough, you have enough stress without going thru all this nonsense. Tell them that. Explain you dont want to do days. Explain you have no reason to make this up. Be firm and polite. Explain to them you are only asking for safety. You must look out for your health and it requires rest, and a secure environment. You do not feel, at this point that you are in a secure environment. Tell them, "I am asking for myself only what any patient would ask for themselves." If it were me, I may even pose a question to them. "If you were ME what would YOU do? Is there another way to solve the problem? I am open to suggestions !"  That way nobody has to get all defensive.....go in looking to solve a problem and be willing to work with them, be willing to be open to suggestions. Tell them you both want the same goal: Safety for their patients. What medical worker does not want that? Be fair....and certainly you should Admit you have NO idea whats going on in this techs life. (She could have a husband at home dying of cancer and 4 small children) She could be taking care of her dying mother and exhausted. She could be working 2 jobs to pay for her rent......Admit you do not judge her lifestyle but you do not feel secure with her being asleep, not on the ball, not available when you need her.  You will seem sincere, honest and forthright.......and fair. But dont forget.......... This is about YOU. Her problems must be left at home when she arrives at work.   Do not let them drop the ball. Good Luck !!!!

[twirl]

listen to the HID comments and you did a good job of explaining things in this post
it is not her job to sleep during your treatment; it's your job
do not settle for this, I know it is some kind of discrimination
are you being punished for telling the truth when your life in is danger
they need to be grateful to you for stopping a situation that could have been tragic - IrishGirl is so right, reread what she wrote
are you like being taught a lesson for "blowing the whistle"
do not go back to days
maybe she has had other complaints you do not know about, I bet she has
tell them what you're asking for
you know, they could transfer her to days instead of screwing you over
you are right----demand to be treated with respect and decency

[paris]

Neo, your post was perfect.  And IrishGirl's.  Print them and keep them with you for moral support when you have the meeting.  They are trying to make a point, but when a person has their blood leaving their body, well, I just think another person should be awake to monitor the patients.   Like I said before, my DIL would lose her job if she was sleeping while working with newborns.  They are depending on her, like you are depending on your staff.   Glad you Mom is going with you    No matter how grown we are, we need our Moms.  Let us know how it turns out.  Hoping for the best

[flip]

When all else fails, call Medicare. They do the inspections and probably have more clout than anyone.

[kitkatz]

Remember to take the IHD.com stick with you when you go in to talk to these people. 

[Neo]

UPDATE::My mother, me nad the director ,thenurse and the doctor are all having a meeting on wednesday and my mother is coming in with me tommorow night and staying all night!! This should solve something!! So wish me luck i'll keep you updated, you all know I need ya!!

[Neo]

Irish girl made a great point! im making notes off of that post you wrote and bringing it with me to the meeting, I just got off the phone with the doctor and he is clearly on my side so I think I will get this handled.MY MOTHER also thanks all of you for you support..And I would do the same for anyone of you. I swear you all mean so much too me you dont even know..Your amazing people all of you!!!  SO IF YOU COME TO FLORIDA IM TAKING YOU OUT TO EAT ON ME..LOL ALL OF YOU!!!

[Neo]

I printed out all your posts so your voices will be heard in my meeting wednesday..

[rose1999]

We're all behind you........I'm in the UK, I wish I lived in Florida (well who wouldn't wish they lived in Florida!!) and I'd come and sit with you one night as an independent witness.  I'm so angry on your behalf, I'm a carer so I don't know exactly what you go through, and I won't pretend I do,  but I know enough about it to know that you don't need this sort of hassle on top of it.  Glad the Dr seems to be onside. Hope Wednesday sees an end to it once and for all. 

Tell your Mum we're all behind her too, as a Mum of 2 sons I know it can't be easy for her to see you being treated like this.

[okarol]

  Give 'em hell Neo!

[Sluff]

Hang in there Buddy.. Let us know how it turns out.

[devon]

I am just posting a reply so I am on the invitation list for dinner. 

Seriously, I share your pain and support you in advocating for yourself and for better care.  The key to getting what you want in this world is "name it and claim it".  These replies are perfect in that regard.  You did right to follow their advice.

It appear the center needs a new broom to sweep it clean.  Perhaps that'll happen.  I appreciate that you're not being the complacent type and just accepting what you get. 

Go for it!

-Devon

(I like breakfast too... btw.)

[twirl]

Can we eat with Donald DucK?

[paddbear0000]

Neo, your post was perfect.  And IrishGirl's.  Print them and keep them with you for moral support when you have the meeting.  They are trying to make a point, but when a person has their blood leaving their body, well, I just think another person should be awake to monitor the patients.   Like I said before, my DIL would lose her job if she was sleeping while working with newborns.  They are depending on her, like you are depending on your staff.   Glad you Mom is going with you    No matter how grown we are, we need our Moms.  Let us know how it turns out.  Hoping for the best

I'd use all of your posts as proof. I seriously doubt they will think you made it all up for strangers on the internet.

[IrishGirl]

I like Devon's comment....hah. How about taking that "Clean the house up" comment a step further
and you walk in carrying a nice kitchen broom. Tell them you are bringing it so they can clean
up their house.     Sorry. Just had a moment there. Okay, so that will put them immediately on
the defensive and wont' accomplish much but to see the looks on the faces of the administrators
would be poetic, would it not?  I really think you will get excellent results if you go in there sincere and honest and as a patient advocate. Not just for yourself but for everyone on dialysis, and for all of us.
Someone has to be a patient advocate and improvement has to start somewhere. The squeaky wheel really does get the oil. Dont let yourself get angry, when I get all mad and nasty my voice raises and I start getting more heated and well.....MAD. Then I start whipping out the mean comments and some people are not capable of it..... but I seem to do it really really well. Thats gets people really defensive.
I know some people can speak really well in public and others find it more difficult.
You can practice what your going to say ahead of time if your the type who stammers like my husband..he stops while speaking to think for a second and everyone assumes he is done speaking and they step right in. Then he doesn't get to finish his sentence. Me, I dont even think, the stuff just rolls
out of my mouth automatic-like. If you stick with the agenda and keep it about yourself it should go well. You really are not asking for too much. Your insurance company is paying out a lot of money for your care. You should feel like you are in competant hands while you are there. If something bad happens there to  a patient while they are under the care there, and there is a lawsuit, millions of dollars will be spent and there will be bad publicity and far-reaching consequences. You are helping them solve this problem before it gets that far. You are doing THEM a favor. Places have been shut right down over billion dollar lawsuits and in this day and age, they should not be taking chances. Better to can an employee and train a new one, its cheaper in the long run. Is the real problem they need more staffing on the night shift? There is a shortage right now in healthcare and everyone is bent on saving dollars and cutting costs. But are they doing it wisely?  Even a new tech or a new aide is cheaper then a lawsuit.

[kellyt]

Ok so now because that tech fell asleep i feel that I am being forced to change my schedule for it. Now before this happened most of the lights would be off(this is nocturnal dialysis) in the unit, and I have a flashlight that I shine out from where Im at if i need assistance. This was working fine until the incident with the tech falling asleep as you all know. I get to dialyze in the isolation room because I have seniority, Ive been at this unit since it opened which is about a year and a half ago. So since im in there I usually get the door closed and its all basically windows anyway so I just shine the light when I need assistance. But since I complained about the tech, I went into my treatment last night and they kept all the lights on and my door open and wouldn't let me close it. HOW AM I SUPPOSE TO SLEEP LIKE THAT!! I was in that room because its quieter and opening the door defeats the whole purpose..So I have a meeting planned with the director, my doctor who has the final say on everything at the unit,the nurse, and my mother. So what I need from all of you is things that I should say in this meeting. Because why should I have my whole routine changed like that because someone's not doing there job?? So please  need to be prepared for this because you know that the tech is gonna deny sleeping and I cant exactly prove she was because I dont have a picture of her sleeping so its my word versus hers'..Now all I want is to have the lights off and my door closed and have a tech sitting AWAKE at the nurses station..Is that too much to ask???So let me know what you think and if there are any organizations i should get a hold of like a patient advocacy group or something..thanks im really upset because its the only nocturnal dialysis in town so I dont want to leave and do days...thanks

In my opinion that says it all. I modified it a bit.      Good Luck.   

[Lori1851]

Neo,
So how did it go??? Or is it this coming Wednesday the meeting is? Well GOODLUCK HON!!!!!!!!!
Lori/Indiana Givem Hell 

[twirl]

an old time Texas cheer                      RAH   RAH    REE
                                                       KICK THEM IN THE KNEE
                                                       RAH   RAH    RASS
                                                       KICK THEM IN THE
                                                               :sir ken
                                                     
                                                      (other knee)
                                                           

[twirl]

an old time Texas cheer                      RAH   RAH    REE
                                                       KICK THEM IN THE KNEE
                                                       RAH   RAH    RASS
                                                       KICK THEM IN THE
                                                              
                                                      
                                                      (other knee)