Only Child Syndrome

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Ok so as some may know I work in a vent facility its crazy its like a hospital so some nurses that come from the hospital setting say. I have this one resident who is on the vent she's 80lbs of pure HELL!!! She has this bag on her chest that her esophgas drains in to because she had cancer or somthing at they had to remove part of her stomach and so the doctor just took and moved her esophogas in to this bag where what ever she eats/drinks goes in to the bag and then she has to empty it. one day her and I were talking (worked a dayshift and never ever again will I do that for as long as I live I swear to god) she asked me if I had any brothers or sisters I said no and she said niether did she and then she asked if I was spoiled I said no not really (just a little but my mom aand dad taught me that I need to work hard for my things and I need to be paitient and be nice to other people) I thought if I was spoiled I wouldnt be working here Id be driving a car that mommy and daddy paid for. so I see where she is coming from when she feels that we ignore her I see where she is coming from when she things no one likes her. but heres the other thing too she is ANNOYING!!! well needy. she yells and screams if we dont get her food Im thinking its not like you are getting nurishment from it so it can wait till Im done putting the sweetheart down the hall in bed. she puts her call light on and then yells your name when you walk by because she need a diaper change when she is perfectly able to get up and use the bed side comode or the bed pan. sometimes she has nothing in her diaper. she will report us if we arent in there like right now or if we tell her like it is or that she is going to have to take a number because there are other people setting in there stool because we have been in your room like clock work. she reported one of the nurses because aparently that nurse isnt nice to her and and dont give her her meds well I have seen this nurse crush the meds put them in a dixie cup put in the water took it in and flushed in through her Gtube with a smile and a how are you tonight? to her and yet she got reported for being mean. she reported me for not pulling her up in bed when I had done it twice while in her room pull her up fix her sheets pull her up fix her pillows pull her up fix her sheet ect I told her that I was busy I had time to pull her up once and that she was going to have to get comfy until I became a little bit less swamped one aide told her to go to hell and die, he got fired, but I dont blame him for saying that to her. I told her that pulling her up so many times was going to shear her bottom even more oh yeah she has a pressure sore. I told the social worker who pulled me aside to ask me what was going on with her this was when the one aide cussed her out I told the social worker that I told her that I didnt have time to keep pulling her up and that I could pull her up once and get her situated but then she would have to wait a while because it was going to shear her bottom even more the social worker agreed with me because she was an aide at one time too at the same facility. but last night I had the deep urge to really tell her off because she was all yelling my name when I was bussy and I was in her room like non stop couldnt get nothing done. the other night she told me that she wished she had a gun to shoot her self I told the nurse that one and because I was so wownd up I said to the nurse "and guess what I think Im going to go withdraw my entire savings and go get her one" jokeingly of course the nurse laughed because shes the nurse that got reporerted for not being nice to her. the resident was even telling me why is every one sh!ty around here and the one RT was in the room when she said that and he told me later about it and he like the reason we are all Sh!tty or seem like it is because you (she) want somthing every five minutes and he did it in her voice. like she will ask for fresh ice water every time you change her diaper and she aint even drank it all or the ice hasnt even melted since last time! Now Im thinking that if her and I are both only child shouldnt we get along better than we do shouldnt I be sticking up for her more but I just dont like her because of the way she is and that she reports us all the time. last night she fell out of bed I was off that night but I ran food in for the nurses and aides and they were telling me the one aide texted me telling me this before I got there and she was like yeah he is going to like to hear about this I laughed my butt off because it was her! I feel so bad I feel like Im going to go to HELL, is this normal to feel this way?

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Wow. To say you have your hands full is an understatement. I would bring it up to social work again about a change in the plan of care. This patient needs to be put in a gerri chair and brought out into the solarium, the hall, the something to keep her mind occupied. Apparently she is bored stiff--and that is NOT your issue. Or perhaps a facility that has more people her age....something. I would also try the "you are my first patient that I am doing up tonight, cause I KNOW you like to be first. So I have 20 minutes JUST for YOU!!" Do what you need to, chat with her about whatever---movies, music, what is going on as you put her on the bedpan, wash her up, get her water. Then be sure you say as you leave, OK, I will be back every 2 hours to repostion you, your bum is getting a sore, and we can't have that, so unless you need the bedpan again, or you are bleeding from the head, I am gonna put a movie on for you and I will be with other patients. I will be back, don't you worry.....and stick to it. Every 2 hours turn, repo, water bedpan..... and if she calls for you, I would say "what are you bleeding from the head? I will be back at you in an hour, you liking that movie???" and I would also bring up to nursing the possibility of some PT/OT with her to see if you can get her level of functioning up to at least be able to move it bed, help to wash herself, and such. And if you have community volunteers, put her on the list for a visit or 2--sounds like she is bored, and is looking to find anything to have some company. Too bad her family isn't in a position to spend more time with her....

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oh her family is there all the time she calls there there the one daughter b!tches all the time the other one is like really mom you have got to be kidding me there are like a hundred more people than just you. and your ideas sound good Im going to try it. I know she knows all the latest gossip. so I think I will discuss it with her and tell her apropriate things that dont breech patiend rights or what ever and just tell her like it is form time to time, reallity check her once and a while.

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Just take the ice water out of her room and come back with the same pitcher in like 2 minutes if it really hasn't melted. I don't see the sense in wasting water, especially if they haven't drank it all yet and it's still nice and cold.

With patients like that I've found that it's easiest to do what someone already suggested; make sure that you come in at regular intervals. That way, the person gets into a routine and she knows when to expect you and when not to expect you.

My first day as a new CNA, they threw me onto a rehab hall with a preceptor. Every 5 seconds, we would have patients go, "Where's my iced tea? You were supposed to get it two minutes ago!" when I had 9 other whining patients with knee/hip replacements also asking for various drinks and foods/the bathroom/to see the nurse/pain meds/ etc. etc. So I know what it's like having that ONE person drain all of your time like a vampire. :hug:It's all about time management and not letting them make a servant of you.

Yes, we are there to care for that person... as well as the 17 or 18 others.

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