Remember when I wrote this post about how upset I was with the hospital the day of my mom's surgery?
I have come to the conclusion that there are some people in the health care profession that shouldn't be there. In the good old days, when dinosaurs roamed the earth, and I was a wee elementary school aged child, there was a thing called COMPASSION. I remember our doctor would make house calls. They cared about you. Even better, the nursing staff was wonderful.
Now don't get me wrong, there are a lot of nurses that will go over and above the call of duty. Like Kimberly at All Work And No Play Makes Mommy Go Something Something. Here is a health care professional that was trying to help save someones life and got hurt in the process. Only to have the hospital where she worked make her life a living hell, and now is in constant pain from the back injury.
We need more people like her.
My mom was supposed to be FINALLY getting her hip ball and socket put back in today. It was cancelled. They have been giving her blood thinners since her last surgery and, oh my goodness, her blood is too thin to do the surgery. What? Really? Then why didn't you take her off the freaking cumin or cuminden or whatever the hell it is called a couple of days ago? Now my mom has to wait 5 more days.
Why is this a big deal you ask? Because, there are people in the health care field that shouldn't be. I don't even know why there are nurses anymore. From what I can see, the only thing they have to do is give out the pills and change dressings.
The rest of the care is now done by the CNA's. As in all things, there are good and there are bad. My mom has had her share of the bad, and it makes it a little bit worse because SHE HAS NO FREAKING HIP!!!!! What part of that do these health care providers not understand. It's like her leg is just hanging there. It hurts when she moves it. Why? Because it is pulling on all the muscles and tendons and such.
Another thing that is really truly bothering me. Health care providers are used to urine and poop. To them it is no big deal. Human anatomy and all that.
Most people have dignity and find this to be something they don't want to have people help them do. Especially their children. When you have to go, you have to go. When you don't answer the "call button" people will try to get there. This one CNA has been a totally rotten person when treating my mom. I wasn't there the last time, but my brother was. They pushed the call button and no one came. Finally mom sent him out to find someone. He came back and said, she said she couldn't come right now she was doing something else. My mom said, I have to go. We are not talking peeing people. She has come to the point that she will just do that in the depends if she has to. My brother had to help her in to the wheelchair, get her into the bathroom, help her get out of the depends and get on the toilet. FINALLY Miss Don't Bother Me With Your Bathroom Problems, came in and starting getting mad at my mom. "I can't just drop everything whenever you need something".
My mom has finally had enough. To her, it is one thing to have her daughters help her, but for her son to have to take part in something like this, totally upset her. She started screaming at the girl to get the hell out of the bathroom and never come back to her room. I'm sure the rest of the wing heard it. I am so upset right now. I feel it is my fault she is there. We picked this rehab place because it was close to me, and would make it easier for me to get there everyday. She told me she was glad I wasn't there because she knew that I would have been arrested, I would have blown a gasket. She is also pleading with me to not yell at people today when I go over.
I won't scream, I won't yell, I can't guarantee that I won't swear. I will talk to every administrator there today if that is what it takes.
It scares me to think that there are people there that don't have family members coming to help them. I'm not just going to be fighting for my mom's rights today, but every patient there.
I am very grateful for the staff that has been nothing but good to my mom and the other patients. They will get my respect, and my praises to the administrators.
The others, well, watch out. Dazee is on the warpath!
Count to 10 before you go...make that 20.
ReplyDeleteHope your mom gets fixed up and gets home soon.
Ah, the coumadin. Tony's on that for life. Do you know what a pain that is for every little thing? And surgery. He's been having surgeries for the past four years. Every time, I have LEARNED (the hard way, like you now) to ask about the coumadin. Sometimes, even when he's not taking the coumadin his blood is too thin. Then he has to take this microscopic bit of vitamin K to thicken it up. Do you know how many pharmacies in the valley carry that? One!
ReplyDeleteSo, yeah. Breathe. Count to 100. You don't want to yell at those people because they will only make it worse on your mom. Write a nasty letter to the administrator and name names. But only after your mom is gone from that place and will not be coming back.
Better yet file a formal complaint with the state on their lack of caring and help. They do have state standards they must comply with. Like the previous poster said wait until she is out. Name names and dates. Keep a journal if you have to. Nail them to the wall.
ReplyDeleteThere is little more frustrating than having inept or worse yet dangerous people treating a family member who is sick or broken. Just make sure all the family members keep their eyes and ears wide open; and question everything- all the time while she is there. Most people that work in a hospital have too many patients eah shift and it's so terribly easy to make a bad mistake. good luck.
ReplyDeleteBeing on the health care side there is good and bad. Unfortunately with all the industry jobs going over seas they are telling the workers to go into the healthcare scene because it's a guaranteed job. Unfortunately most of those people are there for the money and those are the ones that lack the compassion. I am sorry that you have encountered this with your mom.
ReplyDeleteBut on another side the hospitals have also made things worse for the CNAs and the nurses. They have cut staff in order to make more money for themselves. Leaving one CNA to take care of 15 patients. It never fails everyone's light goes off at the same time and taking 2 people to the bathroom at the same time is near impossible. I have multitasked as a nurse, CNA, Plummer, phone operator, teacher, mother and many other jobs rolled in one. I work in the ER with at least 4-5 patients. Most who are extremely sick. I have to choose who I help first and try not to piss of the other that come in second. I would love to see the patient/nurse ratio improve. I would love to go back to the time where you have time to sit in the room and comfort the sick and spend extra time with those that need comforting. There are many shifts I may get to pee once on a 12 hour shift and be lucky to get a 15 min break for lunch.
If the CNA and nurses are cutting up and jaw jacking behind the desk and ignoring the lights...Report them. But if you see them running around with their head cut of please cut them some slack and report to the hospital that their staff is over worked. Maybe if enough people did that they would staff the hospital better.
Sorry so long...my 2 cents. I was not there I don't know what you have been through. I do pray you never have to go through it again. Its very hard to have a sick loved one in the hospital. I hope she gets out and has a speedy recovery.
Good luck. The CNA sounds like a jerk, even though what Suzanne says is so right in a lot of hospitals. Hell, everywhere.
ReplyDelete*rant check*
I hope your mom's luck improves so that she won't have to deal with the hospital anymore. Praying for you guys. Just remember, if you do kill anyone: most hospitals have incinerators. You know, so that you don't have to hide the body on short notice. (^_~)
As a nurse, I have nothing to add to the above. I will pray for you all.
DeleteHope you are okay Dazee. You are very quiet. xx
ReplyDelete:( I'm so sorry Dazee and Mom of Dazee. I can imagine how hard it would be to have to watch your mom go through that. I hope that she's able to have the surgery soon and recover quickly so she can go home soon!!
ReplyDelete