Hey, You!

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I can make a difference. My. Worst. Patient. Ever! said to me today, "I want to care about myself as much as you seem to give a **** about me". I totally agree. Your care is really difficult, you make it really hard for me to do my job. But, guess what, sucker? I'm not giving up. So, THERE!!!

If ever I wondered about being a LTC dialysis nurse, there it was. I could quit my job tomorrow but I won't quit you.

You are one valuable human being with a past I could learn from. You have lived a life that was screwed up from birth but somehow you struggle to get on. Nothing yet has gone right for you, yet, HECK! You're only 46 so there's potential for turn around. I've detected a heart so I'll assume a soul goes with it.

Patient! I am a nurse and you are a human being so all I have and know and am is dedicated to keeping you alive until you wake up to your world and decide you have a rôle in it. (Note the ô in rôle, I did start out in art school!)

If our patients only knew...

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Specializes in Nephrology, Cardiology, ER, ICU.

You are an inspiration - you totally rock!

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Shock! MOI?

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You have a great heart! Don't give up on anyone!! :)

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Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.

I LOVE the "difficult" patients. Most often, I can bring them out of it with geniune caring and conversation. Being geniune, sitting down at their chair with them, and asking them what's going on goes a LONG way to form a good, caring relationship. Dialysis is hard, being a kidney patient is rough, the diet and lifestyle sucks. I remember that most of these folks were like me, living active,busy lives and happy before their fortunes turned. I feel like we do make a difference every day in our patients' lives. They are much like family to me.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Tele, Dialysis, Hospice.

I agree with all of you, it is challenging working in a chronic dialysis unit with patients whose lives are controlled by whether or not they come for their treatments and what they put in their mouths. I feel deeply for them when they come in six kilos over their dry weight because, "It's been so hot out this week, and I've been so thirsty!" I mean, who can't relate to that, except that we can freely drink all the fluids that our bodies crave without any repercussions. We can also eat endlessly of the bounty of summer: tomatoes, melon, etc., while to a chronic dialysis patient, too many ripe, juicy tomatoes can mean death. How can you not have compassion for these folks?

I think it's worth mentioning also that acute dialysis nurses fill a very special role in their patients' lives as well. Not only do they deal with the difficult, chronically noncompliant patients who end up in the hospital over and over and are often times angry and depressed, but they have to be a stable, comforting presence to patients who are new to dialysis and consider it worse than a death sentence. They are so scared, because they have never heard anything good about being on dialysis, and often they are filled with myths and misconceptions that must be dispelled by a calm, competent presence. How do you deal with someone who just had a cath placed who tells you with terror in his eyes that his father died on a dialysis machine?

Our jobs are not easy, but we keep on keeping on because we know that these people need us.

OP, you are an inspiration. I'm glad you were able to get through to that patient. He is very blessed to have you in his life.

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