LotsofExperience

Yeah!! Another dignity hero! I think it's very current to this discussion to see all the ads at the top of this page advertising DIAPERS. Why can't they use "Briefs" or "Incontinence products"? Is it because they've been called DIAPERS in the past??? Well big hairy deal!! there have been a lot of changes in the practice of medicine in the past 30 years and this is another thing that needs to change.

I want Cherrybreeze to be my nurse when I need long term care!

Yes, I've had a few very pointed conversations about my dad's care. It's so upsetting and disappointing to see nurses do such a shoddy job caring for patients. I'm a great cheerleader for the nursing profession and I know how good nursing care can positively affect patient outcome. So far, the big-city MAGNET status hospital my dad is in has placed a urinary catherter when none was ordered, dropped his meds on his table for him to take himself when he couldn't move his arms and had a swallowing deficit, made an error transcribing a medication error so that he recieved 3 days of 3 X the normal dose of one med, and he ended up with local inflammation at the site of an IV that had been left for 5 days and had no label stating time and date. Suffice to say...there have been some high ranking executives talking to me this week. And there are a couple of posts in this thread doing what I perceive to be Griping because things are changing, and why should they use the word "underwear" for diaper. Let me be the first to say this -- The medical profession changes on a regular basis - if you thought you were working in a static field you are mistaken. Things are a lot different now than when I graduated from college and it will change another 360 degrees before I get out of this profession. If you can't deal with change OR the improvements that are constantly being rolled out -- you need to get out of this profession. We change because we are trying to do better by our patients -- not stay stuck in some rut because that's the way you "used" to do it. And our patients, their care, their dignity and their safety should be the first thing we things about...not fighting to keep the same old bad habits.

I am helping out a friend and giving her the Progesterone injections her doctor has ordered - I've done the safe and usual things like asked to have the order written out so I can see it ...but I am concerned that she has had so much pain from the last 2 injections. I did not give them so it's possible there was bad technique, but I am wodering if any of you have experieince w/ docs ordering a bit of Lidocaine to be drawn in the syringe in the beginning and at the end of the med. I've worked for docs who did this with deep Iron injections and things like Rocephin, when there's an expectation that the injection could cause extended pain. I've searched around a bit on the web to see if there is anything written about this practice and I can't seem to find anything. Please tell me what you know -- I have several methods I use to help decrease pain with injections and I will be using all of them, but if adding Lido is an option I'd like to get an order from the doctor so my friend can be more comfortable post injection.

For all of you "A Rose is a Rose" people - let me tell you that the words DO make a difference. I will be honest and say that I am very upset to see so many of those kinds of responses. If you think along those lines we could still call people who have mental disabilities "Retards", right? or use a variety of racial and ethnic slurs because the words don't matter - everyone knows what group you are talking about anyway -- It's only words so why should it matter? While that's a rather extreme example it is an EQUAL example to those who want to constantly remind adults that they are wearing a DIAPER (or nappie or pamper"). I'm sensative to this topic right now because my 80 year old Father is now in the hospital with a brain lesion. And the placement of that lesion has caused him to be incontinent of urine. He was a sucessful businessman, raised 6 children and all of us went to college. He taught classes in church, served on the city council. He always took care of himself and was once nominated for the "best dressed" list of a local charity. He is alert but weak and having to wear "Diapers" is humiliating and embarrassing to him. The insensitivity of the nursing staff towards this issue is absolutely appalling. They think nothing of entering his room while he has visitors and asking everyone to step out because "it's time to change his diaper". or rolling him over while I am in the room to "check for pee pee in your diaper"...and while I am a long term nurse, I am still his daughter and he's still a grown man who deserves not to be treated like an infant! Call those things "underwear", "paper underwear" - it takes no more effort than calling them diapers and the difference is allowing someone a bit of dignity, and whether you think it's necessary or not doesn't really matter - it's our patients that matter.