Nursing makes me hate fat people

OCNRN63, RN · Nov 5, 2013

Ok, first off let me say I know this topic will probably generate a lot of strong opinions. I will also state that I am not a perfect person and don't take care of my health 100% so please don't think I am trying to be an elitist or something in posting this.
Disclaimer aside, I want to know if other nurses sympathize with me.
I am going to try and be as brief as possible in my story. First of all we have 2 resident patients on my floor that have been there over a year. They are obese and have suffered strokes. They require total care. These particular patients are about 250lbs and 1 has hemiparesis and the other has use of 1 arm (not sure what to call that).
The patient that really has me over the edge is one that is over 300lbs, vent dependent, unstageable sacral (of course, no one wants to turn this patient which is a whole other issue), lower extremities contracted with knee replacements, on dialysis, PEG feeding, restrained because she pulls any tube in sight, and contact isolation for c diff and acenotibacter. This patient has been on the floor for 3 months so far because no LTC facility will take her (understandably).
Not to mention all the cellulitis patients and other comorbities we deal with on admissions.
I am a 25 year old male and starting to feel back pains. This really has me over the edge as a combination of lazy/uneducated coworkers and heavy (literally) care.
Please share how you deal with these kinds of patients and what I can do to reverse my growing animosity towards these patients.

Nursing makes me hate mean nurses.

RNperdiem, RN · Nov 5, 2013

This is where I go to the charge nurse at the beginning of the day to enlist their help. "As you know, Mr. X is 260Kg, I will need your help in recruiting the 6 people I will need to turn him and change his dressing."

The hardest part is rounding up the extra people you need to perform safely.

LaRN · Nov 5, 2013

in the past I had a HUGE pt with sacral wounds and itchy legs. she absolutely refused to be bathed or whirlpooled more than once a week or less. after doing her sacral wounds, she would turn back over really fast, which created a gust of pure funk. then she would pull out the bottle of lotion from somewhere under her and hand it to you "here, put this on my legs and ruuub them".

I would rub them as long as I could hold my nose.

schnookimz · Nov 5, 2013

I think floors should have a policy in place regarding weight and assistance. For example, if they weigh less than 100 lbs then 1 assist. 100-200 lbs is 1-2 assist. 200-300 lbs is 2-3 assist and so on.

NotMyProblem MSN, ASN, BSN, MSN, LPN, RN · Nov 5, 2013

We have a 'frequent flyer' that always ends up on our floor. That patient is assigned only for the sake of the assignment because when it is time for her care, the entire floor is paralyzed. Everyone on unit has to report to the room. Even the secretary is on standby to grab extra linens, soap, etc. Our 600-lb limit bariatric bed barely contains this poor soul. It literally takes one person on each side to hold each boob, each extremity, (except for the legs...those take two people each), and to bathe each side. It is not uncommon for us to call for help from other units for bath time. In comparison, our little bath basins are like bringing a 25-foot garden hose to a 4-alarm fire. But the nurse 'assigned' to the patient approaches every member of the team on the floor to orchestrate an agreeable bath time. The only thing that is done with this patient by one person alone is vital signs and meds. The only thing about having that patient that upsets us all is when the doctor wants daily weights when we have no bed that will weigh a person of that magnitude. Even if we did, daily weights? On a person that size? Maybe weekly or monthly. But daily? Ok. The weight for today is 653.60 pounds. Yesterday's weight was 653.61 pounds. Do we revise the Lovenox dose now, Doc? :sarcastic:

NotMyProblem MSN, ASN, BSN, MSN, LPN, RN · Nov 5, 2013

in the past I had a HUGE pt with sacral wounds and itchy legs. she absolutely refused to be bathed or whirlpooled more than once a week or less. after doing her sacral wounds, she would turn back over really fast, which created a gust of pure funk. then she would pull out the bottle of lotion from somewhere under her and hand it to you "here, put this on my legs and ruuub them".
I would rub them as long as I could hold my nose.

The situation itself is not funny. So please don't think I'm cold-hearted or heartless. But....:roflmao::roflmao::roflmao::roflmao:!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

NotMyProblem MSN, ASN, BSN, MSN, LPN, RN · Nov 5, 2013

I think floors should have a policy in place regarding weight and assistance. For example, if they weigh less than 100 lbs then 1 assist. 100-200 lbs is 1-2 assist. 200-300 lbs is 2-3 assist and so on.

We call a code overhead: CODE LIFT. That means every available staff throughout the entire hospital needs to come, including security whenever there is a need to lift or transfer a 'special' patient for any reason...not just falls. We don't use this for baths and personal care, though.

imintrouble, BSN, RN · Nov 5, 2013

Nursing makes me hate mean nurses.

The simplest answers are always the best:)

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RNlove17 · Nov 5, 2013

I havent' read the other responses (i'm sure you got some people mad at you lol).

But yes sometimes I resent them. Well, at my old job which was a transitional care/rehab unit aka a dumping ground from med-surg. They don't annoy me in general, there's lots of overweight and obese people and many of them have been my favorite patients. What I hate are lazy ones. I am a smaller woman (although at 5'1 and a size 6-8 I was considered overweight myself, per the lovely BMI scale) so it was so frustrating when a 300+ lb man would want met to lift his dead weight - when he was fully capable of helping me (you are in REHAB!) I am also pregnant and that would just add to my frustration. Like... how can you not feel bad making a small, pregnant woman try to roll/move/lift/pull your giant body?? Not that patients should feel bad if they really need help I'm not saying that, I mean the demanding ones who COULD move themselves and just were too lazy to do it, and would be annoyed when I said hang on I need to get help. It would get me though when you walk in a room and pt is like "pull me up!" or reach out their hands while laying down so you can pull them to a sitting position (AND THEY CAN DO IT THEMSELVES)

Obviously, I wouldn't do it alone, I would call for help (although even with 2 of us, especially if it's another smaller woman, it was a lot of work to move some of these patients.)

I work at a school now and don't have to deal with that. My back loves me. I recommend just setting limits with patients that need them and always getting an extra hand to help move people (even tho sometimes 2 people isn't enough!) I love how the hospital says we shouldn'tbe lifting more than like 40 lbs... um yea 300lbs / 2 people =150 lbs each.

They love to talk about "safe patient handling" but you can not safely dead lift 100s of pounds, that just won't ever happen. "Proper body mechanics" can only go so far when the weight is just too much for you to lift. A lot of pts are pure dead weight, so using the 300lber example, when is the last time you dead lifted 150lbs at the gym? This is why nurses get hurt and have so many back problems!

There's always going to be obese patients and always going to be lazy patients. Just think of yourself and your body before taking on any patient's weight.

joemomma35 · Nov 5, 2013

You're a 25 year old male? So am I. Hit the gym and do full barbell squats and deadlifts with proper technique (either get a coach or view a bunch of youtube videos). These exercises will strengthen your lower back significantly and make it much harder to hurt your back if you are lifting properly. Use proper body mechanics when lifting patients on the floor. I'm a strong guy and sometimes even I ask female nursing aides to help me with certain patients, and I tell them to do the same. Take control and don't sit back and let back pain sideline you so early.

I don't inherently dislike or hate someone for being fat but in most cases, I do see obesity as a general sign of laziness and lack of self-respect. It does upset me to see patients who are in the hospital by their own accord that still don't take control of their own health; especially the demanding and rude ones who are taking up my time with other patients. The reality is, however, that they are a big part of our patient population. For practical reasons, all of us have to know how to handle overweight and obese patients. There has been a lot of good advice in this thread. I don't believe that we can truly remove our judgement of these people; we're all human and we all judge others by nature. Just remind yourself that you're a nurse and thus you're providing a service to provide good healthcare to these patients regardless of how they got there.

Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN · Nov 5, 2013

I think what disturbs me the most I hear "Oh my aching back" "Me, me, me" and "it makes me hate fat people" and not "Oh My God....that poor patient with a unstageable wound" to her backside from those who feel they deserve less care because they are obese and they can't pawn them off......as "no one wants them"..... although....."I don't inherently dislike or hate someone for being fat but in most cases, I do see obesity as a general sign of laziness and lack of self-respect"

It's all great at age 25 to judge the world when it's lying at your feet.

How HORRIBLE! How sad..... :angrybird3:

I'm beginning to believe that Obesity doesn't have a higher mortality in and of itself....... it's the lack of care they receive because they are obese and deemed lazy and unworthy.

I mean really they brought it all on themselves.....didn't they? :no: