Things You'd Like To Tell Visitors . . . . and get away with it

GET OUT OF MY ROOM! Yes, I know your loved one is agitated and wigging out. Well, guess what? HE WAS FINE UNTIL YOU CAME IN HERE and started with waking up your father (who is intubated) and asking him "When are you going to get out of here? Who's going to feed the dog and pay the bills?!" I know this is a stressful time, but you live with him, so who broke your legs and rendered you helpless?

Well guess what?! If you had an ETT shoved down your trachea, you had previously been resting peacefully, and the last thing on your mind was paying the bills, wouldn't you be agitated too!?

Can I give both your father and you some Ativan? 1 mg for the patient, 1 mg for the family!

No, I can't give him a shot to make his heart stop beating and cause him to die. I can give him a shot of Morphine to make him more comfortable, but no, I can not kill him for you.

this post made me LOL

GO HOME!!!




please?

Your family is in the hospital because they are sick. Stop walking them up, stop pulling on their equipment, turn down the tv and lower your voices. And stop eating in front of them knowing they can't eat the same right now. Have some respect for the patient.

Great thread. Totally agree that visitors ask about the most inane, minor things when their loved one is hanging by a thread--it's as if they can't see the vent and the ventric coming out of their loved one's head, etc. I want to say things like, "I don't give a crap that your dad takes metamucil at home every day--today I'm going to concentrate on making sure he breathes and his heart pumps blood and maybe tomorrow we'll worry about whether or not he has a bowel movement.

To a son whose mother is in LTC:

"STOP using her toilet. You are peeing all over it and the floor. Its gross and she slipped last time she went to pee. WHY? Because your pee was all over the floor. Not only that but she doesn't have the physical ability to hover her bum above the seat which you have peed on."

To the same son:

"Buddy, as you insist on using the toilet in your mom's room please shut the frigging door! I have no desire to see you doing your business. Also, WASH YOUR BLOODY HANDS after you pee. Were you raised in a field?"

NO-I am not your babysitter (to those that want to leave kids with the patient), and I'm not your maid/slave/cook either! I will gladly take care of the patient, and your needs related to the patient, but I am not a personal slave to all the guests