Ending it

[Dman73]

I complain occasionally at my Fresenius center and they generally accommodate me. The only thing that I have not been able to get them to do is raise the unit's temperature (69 degree) up a few points where we don't have to bury ourselves in blankets.

I don't know if I am blackballed or not but I do know that my reputation always precedes me so they must have this documented somewhere available to be read wherever I might go.

Battlescars... This is grossly unfair to you and you should channel your bad feelings back to them in some sort of legal action. They can't release you from their care until you have another unit to care for you. I would target the Davita's CEO Kent J. Thiry, cc the local director of your unit also the D network in your area, HMS medicare, and local media. They can't kick you out of a D facility unless you were violent.

I got released from a D center because I had a verbal altercation with my doctor because he wanted to shorten my treatment time ( from 4 hrs to 3.5) and increase my pump speed from 350 to 450. As he was walking away I told him in front of everyone in the center  that "the only reason he was doing that was for the money!". A few days later I received a letter that he was discharging me from his unit and would care for me until I found somewhere else to go. 

Years later from what I have read in IHD posts was that he was not justified in kicking me out of that unit as I was non-violent and had a good rapport with all the people there and they were shocked at what he had done.

Don't let it be that they write in your epitaph "done in by D clinic" .

Your name is BattleScars, a D person that will someday look back at this when you have received a transplant and this will all be old news.

You can defeat them!

I wait to read about you continued lifelong success.   

                                             

[MooseMom]

I ended up never having to go on dialysis, but that doesn't mean that I won't have to sometime in the future.  So maybe my comments/thoughts are irrelevant, but after reading through this thread, my gut reaction is to call my congressperson and lawyer up.  I'd SO sue them.  I've sued corporations before and won, and I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

[ToddB0130]

Having to do dialysis is enough suffering for anyone.  To be treated so harshly be *care* givers is unacceptable.   Use whatever resources you find here in this post and STAY STRONG, accept help from others and KEEP FIGHTING THE FIGHT.

A dialysis center is NOT the kind of place that should be able to say 'take your business elsewhere .... if they'll have you' ........... Sure, when you complain about a restaurant or a coffee shop,  they might get attitude and say 'don't ever come back'.   But usually it is the COMPLAINER who chooses to not use that business and to go elsewhere.   A dialysis center ?   Not so much ....... you're not perfect, Davita.  Suck it up.  (and why do you bother sending out those surveys if you don't want an honest response .......good or bad

[jeannea]

Do you remember when you were a kid in school and the threat was that everything you did would go on your Permanent Record and follow you everywhere? That's what it feels like we're talking about. Seems like we are little kids who need to be controlled in the dialysis center. Instead we should be adults involved in our care.

[plugger]

I wish I would have noticed this earlier, but yes Dialysis_Advocates can definitely help.  Arlene Mullin, a founder of the group, has over 15 years experience at helping dismissed patients, has the experienced legal help none of us could afford - and a patients' group you can talk to, to boot!  Don't let the turdballs win!

Phone:
800-847-8842
Washington D.C. - (202) 567-1616

Contact page:
http://dialysisadvocates.com/patient-contact/

[Bungarian]

Can we get an update?

[RichardMEL]

Seems a very blanket statement, and assumption, from the OP that they were discharged (banned?) from their Center because they complained. I'm sure there's more to this than that.

Either way, I hope they have not taken the drastic step they suggested - sometimes life IS tough and depressing and seems hopeless when you seem helpless, but there are ways to address this and I hope you've reconsidered and looked into this further, as Karol has suggested and provided some info on.

[Darthvadar]

Battlescars....

Haven't seen you for a while, and am wondering how you're doing....

Please get in touch with Plugger, he's one heck of a good advocate, and much as I hate to admit it, he's a nice guy, too!....

Thinking of you...

Darth....

[okarol]

I got a text on Saturday - he's going to go to the ER to get help, hemoglobin is at 8 and he's been feeling so low.

[RichardMEL]

That's good to hear - some fight in him yet. Thanks Karol!

[Darthvadar]

Thanks Karol....

Keep up the fight, Battlescars.... We're all rooting for you!....

Love....

Darth....

[Joe]

Yes, thanks for the update Karol!

[BobN]

I'm thanking God you got in touch with Karol.  Please don't do anything to hurt yourself.  There are better solutions.

In following your story, the one question that kept coming to me was where is your doctor in all this?  At minimum, he/she should be in top of your labs and insist that you get your epo.

My first step would be to contact either your neph or PCP and describe your situation.  If they are worth anything, they will take the lead in getting you some help, if not act on the situation themselves.

God bless.  Please let us know how you're doing.

[bhall777]

This post was 7 years ago.

Has anyone kept in touch with BattleScars?