Eat Before You Get Here!

z's playa · Jun 2, 2004

Parkland (in Dallas) has a MCD's within the hospital :)

Totally unhealthy! Did you hear of the guy that ate all MCD'S for 3 months and got liver damage? Heard it the other day. No matter how many SALADS they put on their menu, when I smell those fries, salad is the last thing I want!!! :)

moia · Jun 10, 2004

I have the biggest problem with visitors to the CV ICU. The surgery was arranged many months previously...this occurs at 1 am 12 hours after successful uneventful surgery... They park themselves in the waiting room and start ...can I have a blanket?...sure...can I have a pillow...if we have an extra one...it's cold out here I noticed my loved one has warm blankets can I have a few of them?...I might be able to find you one...just one? I really need two...nope just one...why? because the patients need the warm blankets...oh..you can't miss just one can you? well yes,yes I can... see...because you as a tax payer keep voting for a government that really couldn't care less about health care except two weeks before every election we have whats called a linen budget...we only get a set amount of blankets...usually barely enough..so we don't have extra.

They leave unit with one pillow one regular blanket and one warm one *****ing all the way.

2 am... HI!the cafeteria is closed...why yes yes it is....could I have a tray? well no no you can't...conveniently we have a 24 hour coffee shop that sells sandwiches and salads right downstairs...oh..they are too expensive...well a 24 hour McDonalds is conveniently located 2 blocks away...I don't have a car...2 blocks away...easy walking.... I have a bad back..bad hip..bad something that makes it impossible to walk 2 blocks...so can I have a tray?...no you can't..why not? because we have food available for you to purchase and once again...because the tax payers have once again voted in a government that has repeatedly lied about health care but you couldn't resist giving them one more try we have a dietary budget...we have enough money to have food available for the patients..thats it!

I'm hungry....sorry.

next hour...I can't sleep here...oh?... these chairs are very uncomfortable...well yes..they are chairs....where are the beds?...the beds? I need a bed to sleep on..I have a bad back,hip..whatever.... We don't have beds for family members...why not?

Well...as an adult with a 3 month notice of the surgery we just assumed that if you needed a place to sleep you would use your bed at home or would get a hotel room.....oh.......we have hostel beds available would you like to have one of them? Okay...they cost 30/night...oh I am not going to pay for a bed...well I guess you are sleeping in a chair then.

They won't go home and they want better service than the patient..I have had family ask for pain meds, anti anxiety drugs..refills for their BP meds....

I have these same people call every person they have ever known, every obscure family member 20 times removed. co workers...to "come on in and see Bill he looks great " despite being handed the visitors policy that states 2 visitors per DAY.

Then the s**t hits it when all 70 of these more than creepy hospital stalkers shows up and they are told they cannot come in...crying sobbing fights breaking out..insults for everyone..cruel heartless nasty nurses..nevermind the infection risk to the patient from being exposed to a neverending chain of small children and complete strangers.

Then there is the family of the patient who is clinging to life by their toes...that family asks for NOTHING..in fact they have to be forced to accept anything.

The other one...why do they get the private room? Why do they get the water jug with ice...how come she has a warm blanket?

They haven't got even a basic amount of awareness of anyone else other than themselves to see the pain and devastation around them. All they see is someone got something they wanted.

weirder..their loved one? usually a very nice person.

**canoehead, BSN, RN** · Jun 10, 2004

Moia, you deserve a cocktail, and a nice solid bat.

BabyRN2Be · Jun 10, 2004

Then the s**t hits it when all 70 of these more than creepy hospital stalkers shows up and they are told they cannot come in...crying sobbing fights breaking out..insults for everyone..cruel heartless nasty nurses..nevermind the infection risk to the patient from being exposed to a neverending chain of small children and complete strangers..

This reminds me of an incident which happened in the CICU waiting room when my dad had quintuple bypass surgery. This hospital had an awesome waiting room - if you could get there early enough to snag one of the recliners. This waiting area was for immediate family only, but one family's sense of immediate is not necessarily what the hospital defines as "immediate." Some family members had as many as 20 in the WR. This was insane. While I was waiting on word from my dad, this lady, who brought her 3 children (all under 5) got into a big argument with a nun who was overseeing the WR. This lady was yelling and stamping her feet because they wouldn't let her bring back the 3 kids. I remember her yelling to the nun that they were there to see their grandpa and won't they just once let 3 kids into the room at once??? Oh? Why not?! Just because my kid has a cold is no reason why he shouldn't see his dying grandpa! My sarcastic mind is thinking, "Yeah, and the rest of us want to be here instead of the beautiful park across the street because we are all fond of hospital antiseptic smells..."

My mom, who was an RN, would always say every time we passed a huge group of family members in any hospital waiting room: "This must be the vision of the ideal family reunion in this state." :)

moia · Jun 11, 2004

someone please explain me to me why they bring small children into an er or icu?

They are babies for gods sake...they don't know grampa...they can't hold their heads up by themselves yet but it's deadly serious business that they get to see grampa sleeping hooked up to a ventilator.

Say no to them and you take your life in your hands

My absolute favorite is the patient that has lived in the country for 20 years but doesn't speak a word of english..........until the family leaves...and amazingly they can say..blanket,hungry,thirsty,pain,pee,telephone,television and the list goes on....family shows up and bam no english......what is up with that?

Hellllllo Nurse, BSN, RN · Jun 11, 2004

I worked a 12 hour day without time to eat! Yes, other people besides nurses have high stress jobs. As I came home my two year old started projectile vomiting with green stuff coming out her nose! Next I waited an hour at the Childrens Hospital Oakland ER with no sign of any help or evaluation! My daughter spewing green stuff out her nose onto the floor in front of the nurses desk made no impression! I left Oakland drove the kid to John Muir ER in Walnut Creek! They were great. I watched her stop spewing vomit for the first time in three hours as they put a dose of phenergan in her vein. They admitted us to the pediatric ward. I got a few hours sleep on the floor next to her bed. Now 24 hours without food Im getting a little hungry. The kid is happy now. She is spinning around in circles trying to pull the IV out of her arm. The nurses do nothing to stop this. I ask them to take the IV out and they say nothing. They dont refuse or explain they just look at me and walk away. I have had no food for 30 hours! Excuse me I should know to EAT BEFORE I COME HERE! Or maybe I just have bad habits cause IM A MENTAL CASE!! MAYBE I USED MY WELFARE CHECK TO BY BOOZE AND CIGARETTES!
If you really feel this way about your patients you need to find another line of work.

Once you become a nurse, you will have a completely different view. Right now, you don't have a clue.

ayndim · Jun 11, 2004

I worked a 12 hour day without time to eat! Yes, other people besides nurses have high stress jobs. As I came home my two year old started projectile vomiting with green stuff coming out her nose! Next I waited an hour at the Childrens Hospital Oakland ER with no sign of any help or evaluation! My daughter spewing green stuff out her nose onto the floor in front of the nurses desk made no impression! I left Oakland drove the kid to John Muir ER in Walnut Creek! They were great. I watched her stop spewing vomit for the first time in three hours as they put a dose of phenergan in her vein. They admitted us to the pediatric ward. I got a few hours sleep on the floor next to her bed. Now 24 hours without food Im getting a little hungry. The kid is happy now. She is spinning around in circles trying to pull the IV out of her arm. The nurses do nothing to stop this. I ask them to take the IV out and they say nothing. They dont refuse or explain they just look at me and walk away. I have had no food for 30 hours! Excuse me I should know to EAT BEFORE I COME HERE! Or maybe I just have bad habits cause IM A MENTAL CASE!! MAYBE I USED MY WELFARE CHECK TO BY BOOZE AND CIGARETTES!
If you really feel this way about your patients you need to find another line of work.

The nurses do care about their patients but you weren't the patient, your child was! And nurses are not waitresses. If someone other than a patient needs to eat they should be able to fend for themselves, IMHO.

CHATSDALE · Jun 11, 2004

Adriym I Hope That Yhour Dtr Is Feeling Better Now The Porblem Is That The Nurse At First Facility Could Do Nothing Till Seen By Md

D/t Shorage In Staff Most Pedi Admit Facility Require That A Parent Be With Child At All Times....most Floors Send Up A Tray For Caregiver With Child....it Is Possible That They Were Remiss In Not Ordering You A Tray After Child Is Admitted....they Deal With Situation In Which A Single Parent Or A Case In Which One Parent Is With The Pt And Other Parent At Work Or With Other Children And They Should Have Been Prepared....perhaps You Should Call Hospital And Tell Them You Might Be Doing A Favor To Someone Else Down The Line

**canoehead, BSN, RN** · Jun 11, 2004

If your child was flapping her arms and trying to pull out her IV perhaps you as a parent should have distracted her with a toy or a book.

Nurses won't interfere with parenting your child but they will be happy to get you what you need to do it yourself, like a tray, or a coloring book. Bringing in a couple of quiet playthings from home is always a good idea, because you know you'll have to wait at any hospital ER.

Betty_SPN_KS, LPN · Jun 11, 2004

When my son Steve was hit by a car 5 years ago at the age of 5, I don't remember asking the hospital for anything for myself, even though I was breastfeeding Steve's baby brother. I might have, though, if my husband had not been able to bring me something. I didn't plan to have to ride an ambulance with my boys and spend a whole day in a hospital 20 miles from home.

kids · Jun 11, 2004

I had major surgery on 4/19.

I did well advancing to a regular diet until post-op day 3 when I developed N/V.

I was on ice chips & Zofran when my (regular diet) lunch tray was delivered. My son was there and I told him he could have what he wanted off of it, the person delivering trays overheard me, came back in and took the tray and said he couldn't have MY tray (that I couldn't eat) unless he PAID ($6.00) for a guest tray. My son didn't need to be fed but crud, what mom is going to let cookies & milk go to waste when she can feed it to her kid.

I know the hospital doesn't want visitors eating the patients food as it interfers with I&O but come on, I wasn't able to eat, nursing knew it and it was a simple case of the order to hold the tray not making it to dietary before the tray came up.

No point, just griping.

BTW, it was the worst hospital food I have ever encountered (yes, it was a unrestricted diet). I "survived" on the fresh fruit, cookies, icecream cups & 2% milk they sent on the trays. The sad thing was this hospital doesn't have a cafeteria, it has TWO fancy (and spendy) "Bistros" and a "Cafe" on the main floor.

**canoehead, BSN, RN** · Jun 12, 2004

That's pretty stingy, I'd say.

Sometimes it's better to keep quiet until the tray police leave the room.