I'm sick of taking care of people who don't care

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I'm really feeling burnt out on taking care of people who are self destructive and have no interest in doing anything to make their lives and health better. I'm sick of a system that is like a big, enabling wet nurse to people who are going to go right back out and continue with all the bad habits again, only be back in the hospital to suck on more of the healthcare titty that puts them back together again so they can go out and continue to screw up their health some more. I'm sick of the total lack of responsibility I see every day I work.

I was talking to my stepbrother who is a chiropractor. His clients are a different group. They are interested in health maintenance and are motivated to improve their health through their own efforts. He's really doing something for people. I'm not. Sure, I have a good bedside manner and manage to connect with my patients and gain their trust. But basically I hate the American healthcare system totally and completely. At this point I'm a nurse only for the money.

Specializes in ICU/Critical Care.

People who don't care....They are the hardest to care for because they are noncompliant and I find myself often thinking to myself "why do they bother coming to the hospital if they aren't going to follow the docs orders". It's very frustrating.

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Specializes in LTC, Med/Surg, Peds, ICU, Tele.
Hey, I'm living proof of that---actually, it wasn't a voice so much as a set of numbers that finally got through to me on the issues of food and weight. The number was 516. As in my triglycerides. After 30 years of battling compulsive eating, I saw those digits in black and white, and suddenly I knew with complete certainty that something TERRIBLE is going to happen to me, and within this next five or ten years, if I don't change what and how much I eat.

That was two weeks ago, and I swear everytime I even think about eating something fatty or sweet, that number pops into my head, and that's the end of it. Ironically enough, since I changed what I was eating I've dropped eight pounds already and feel like I've detoxified my body. Who knows...........maybe a few more pounds down the road I'll feel like doing some exercise or something. Lord only knows where THAT could lead. But the lights are on, and at long last, somebody's home!

I hope you keep up with the good work, Viva. We all like you a lot and want to keep you. :redbeathe

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Also, inform them about using cinnamon to help cut cravings. It is sold in capsules at Walmart now for blood sugar stability (which probably won't hurt anything. ) I have used this on family members and it cut a 2.5 pack a day smoker to 1 pack and he didn't even know what I was doing (he's one who doesn't set goals or think he has any control over his life).

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RE Sick of taking care of people who don't care.

How sad this is to read. I guess you really are in need of a change in career.

You almost sound like you are slipping in your over all mindset about people.

I surely hope that you can talk with someone who can help you to find yourself.

If you are able to crawl outside of yourself, you may be able to grasp what it is that you wish to really do in life.

macspuds

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Specializes in LTC, Med/Surg, Peds, ICU, Tele.

If I'm able to 'crawl outside of myself'?

Nice... :rolleyes:

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If you are able to crawl outside of yourself, you may be able to grasp what it is that you wish to really do in life.

macspuds

i have found that when you crawl inside yourself, the truth is revealed.

fs, don't you crawl anywhere.

you stay right where you are.

leslie:)

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Specializes in LTC, Med/Surg, Peds, ICU, Tele.
i have found that when you crawl inside yourself, the truth is revealed.

fs, don't you crawl anywhere.

you stay right where you are.

leslie:)

Thanks Leslie. :redbeathe

:kiss

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I think it's awful. I wish SOMEONE in this country would grow some balls and simply say NO to these people. NO to healthcare for you if you don't watch your sugar, your weight, or you continue to do drugs, smoke, etc. I don't care if your'e poor -- get outside and grow a vegetable garden. Fresh fruit is as cheap as a fast food meal. I'm sorry -- it comes down to a lot of laziness --and in America, we continue to reward it.

I'm not for universal health care, and I'm definitely NOT for telling people how to live, but I AM for allowing people to suffer the consequences for poor choices.

I would like to start a program along the lines of: three visits for "fixing" you, and then you're OUT. Evidence of drugs, uncontrolled sugars in spite of numerous educational attempts, and/or no attempts to quit smoking, and that's it.

I know that if I see my weight starting to creep up on the scale, I immediately put on the brakes with eating. I just do -- and I've maintained my weight for years. I'm not super thin, but I'm not overwhelmingly obese either. I COULD let it go -- but it's about the choice not to overindulge. And hey, I'd just LOVE to smoke, would LOVE to sit around doing nothing, just doing drugs all day -- but it's a sense of common decentcy that sort of prohibits me from doing these things.

I'm also for a moratorium on narcotics, DILAUDID IV especially. I am seeing more and more these crazy loons who go seeking from ER to ER -- they just bamboozle this system and get themselves admitted to the hospitals for their "fix" -- and no one seems able to stop them. They are like pidgeons to me -- an absolute annoyance -- just someone who takes up my time all shift long, asking for their "pain meds" for some unspecified mysterious "headache" that wont' seem to quit, whining and crying. It's ridiculous. And here we have to run ungodly expensive tests on them (MRI's, etc) to "prove" to them that nothing is wrong with them before we can send them home. It's robbery!!

Something has to give -- these people, along with the illegal aliens, are breaking our healthcare system. They are bankrupting taxpayers, and robbing from those who paid into the system. It's unbelievable and I've had more than one doc vent to me about it in the last few months. Doctors are being driven crazy by it -- and I feel badly for them also.

I have tried to detach myself from it, but I get incredibly angry. I have a son who is autistic, yet we have to BEG to obtain even something as simple as speech therapy for him. Meanwhile these no-goods just get EVERYTHING.

I'd just say -- thank the trial lawyers. They've made our system so litigious that it's all about CYA now, and seemingly nothing else. I feel all we do nowadays is run from lawsuits.

Perhaps legal reform is what we need MORE than healthcare reform.

Think of all the money that could be saved if we'd just reverse these lawsuits, prevent them, say NO to these people.

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Specializes in LTC, Med/Surg, Peds, ICU, Tele.

When I wrote this thread I had come off of a shift with 4 patients, two of whom were full blown alcoholics, one of whom was a prescription drug addict, and I forget the other patient. Three were of working age but none had jobs, and all three of them were on social security disability due to their self destructive lives. The other was a older alcoholic woman who had fallen, and who spent her days drinking at her favorite watering hole. She was complaining heartily about being 'held prisoner' in the hospital.

Yes, it's discouraging.

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"I would like to start a program along the lines of: three visits for "fixing" you, and then you're OUT. Evidence of drugs, uncontrolled sugars in spite of numerous educational attempts, and/or no attempts to quit smoking, and that's it. "

I like that! What if gov medical funding was stopped for non-compaince? has any other country tried this? Has it worked? It makes sense. People learning from the consequences of their risks. Risks and consequences, a theme taught in 4th grade.

It reminds me of when I was on a free prescription-(acne med-not life threatenting) becasue I had free medical insurance in my state. Then I moved to another state where I got no gov insurance. I stopped using the med-costs $50 a month. Guess what my skin looks the same. I didnt need it afterall.

And I kick myself for not appreciating the free counselling I got. I cancelled apptments sometimes and even missed a couple. How disrespectful to the counselor and the system who paid for it. either she lost a session in pay or the gov did. And now free counseling is not available to me. I'd never abuse the priveledge again.

But if you look at the countries that have national health insurance-all of the developed nations do but us, they also are a lot healthier than us. I dont know why? Dont know if it is linked. I know they walk more cause they cant afford cars and so ammenities are more closer and there is wonderful public transportation. The kids are out playing cus they dont have nearly as much electronics. They eat better cus its part of the culture to do so.

How is Obama planning to overhaul our costly wasteful health care system.

I'm so glad there is more interest in home gardens. Ive been vegetable gardening for about 12 years now cept the 3 years we were in an apt. I love it.

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Specializes in Utilization Management.
I think it's awful. I wish SOMEONE in this country would grow some balls and simply say NO to these people. NO to healthcare for you if you don't watch your sugar, your weight, or you continue to do drugs, smoke, etc. I don't care if your'e poor -- get outside and grow a vegetable garden. Fresh fruit is as cheap as a fast food meal. I'm sorry -- it comes down to a lot of laziness --and in America, we continue to reward it.

I'm not for universal health care, and I'm definitely NOT for telling people how to live, but I AM for allowing people to suffer the consequences for poor choices.

I would like to start a program along the lines of: three visits for "fixing" you, and then you're OUT. Evidence of drugs, uncontrolled sugars in spite of numerous educational attempts, and/or no attempts to quit smoking, and that's it.

I know that if I see my weight starting to creep up on the scale, I immediately put on the brakes with eating. I just do -- and I've maintained my weight for years. I'm not super thin, but I'm not overwhelmingly obese either. I COULD let it go -- but it's about the choice not to overindulge. And hey, I'd just LOVE to smoke, would LOVE to sit around doing nothing, just doing drugs all day -- but it's a sense of common decentcy that sort of prohibits me from doing these things.

I'm also for a moratorium on narcotics, DILAUDID IV especially. I am seeing more and more these crazy loons who go seeking from ER to ER -- they just bamboozle this system and get themselves admitted to the hospitals for their "fix" -- and no one seems able to stop them. They are like pidgeons to me -- an absolute annoyance -- just someone who takes up my time all shift long, asking for their "pain meds" for some unspecified mysterious "headache" that wont' seem to quit, whining and crying. It's ridiculous. And here we have to run ungodly expensive tests on them (MRI's, etc) to "prove" to them that nothing is wrong with them before we can send them home. It's robbery!!

Something has to give -- these people, along with the illegal aliens, are breaking our healthcare system. They are bankrupting taxpayers, and robbing from those who paid into the system. It's unbelievable and I've had more than one doc vent to me about it in the last few months. Doctors are being driven crazy by it -- and I feel badly for them also.

I have tried to detach myself from it, but I get incredibly angry. I have a son who is autistic, yet we have to BEG to obtain even something as simple as speech therapy for him. Meanwhile these no-goods just get EVERYTHING.

I'd just say -- thank the trial lawyers. They've made our system so litigious that it's all about CYA now, and seemingly nothing else. I feel all we do nowadays is run from lawsuits.

Perhaps legal reform is what we need MORE than healthcare reform.

Think of all the money that could be saved if we'd just reverse these lawsuits, prevent them, say NO to these people.

If it makes you that angry, you might want to try a counseling session or two. Your anger is certainly hurting you way more than them.

You also might want to keep in mind the few patients I've had who c/o pain and were treated very judgmentally by staffers (and even got me feeling a tad resentful) and then lo and behold, the tests themselves were wrong, put on the wrong patient's chart, or had other problems. One in particular springs to mind -- every test known to man was done and came up negative for her ab pain, and then finally, another consultant came in and reordered the very first test done -- she had a huge kidney stone that was hidden by something in the very first X-ray!!

Then there was the elderly lady in the nursing home who literally cried every day in pain, and whose family members didn't want her all doped up. She turned out to have a huge tumor on her spinal cord. To this day I feel guilty that I poo-pooed her pain and made her get out of bed for weeks before a doc finally listened and got her an MRI.

I learned my lesson about judging patients' pain levels then and hope that some of you might think about how much like myself you sound -- before I saw those results.

My final solution was to just give the meds, do the teaching, and let. it. go.

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Specializes in LTC, Med/Surg, Peds, ICU, Tele.

Here's an interesting article on a fat fighting program in Japan. Probably wouldn't fly in the U.S. however.

Fat Fines: Could Japan Plan Work in U.S.?

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