RN with GI condition

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I just started training for a new HH RN job and I am already afraid it's not going to work out due to a chronic GI condition that I've had since high school. In the hospital I was able to work around it, but I can see that in HH in order to get all your visits and charting in there is little time to stop.

The preceptor I'm with does not stop at all and says she goes to the BR before she leaves and then not again until she gets home. She also doesn't eat. So, I have basically worked 9 hours straight today and only got to go to the bathroom once because I asked her if we could stop. My stomach was hurting so bad due to a full bladder. She didn't give me a hard time about it, but I feel absolutely horrible from not eating or stopping enough to go to the bathroom, driving all around in the heat, going into patients homes with often no a/c, dust and mold, animals jumping on me and some awful odors.

I understand that some of this is just part of nursing anyway, but at least in the hospital I could go to the bathroom and got a break although not always when I would have liked to, but I could handle it.

Is this typically how HH RNs work? I'm really worried because I will eventually be working 12 hour shifts and expected to get 27 points per shift. I don't want to just give up, but I also don't want to get myself so sick that I can't function and am completely miserable.

I'd really appreciate input from other HH nurses on how they work and especially if it's possible to do the job with a condition like I described. Thanks!

Specializes in Med/Surg/Infection Control/Geriatrics.

Poor thing! I did HH for about 5 years. In my orientation in the field, I made it clear that I will not be torturing my body if I need to use the rest room, or eat. I do best when I listen to it and there's no room for negotiation. Of course, I said it with a smile and brought treats for the both of us on occasion to soften the blow. It was fine.

I good Preceptor will be kind enough to work around that. The upside to that is, you find out where the best bathrooms and places to grab food are!!

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I love saltines. In fact I am eating some now. I would never use a patient's bathroom either. I hate using public bathrooms period but if I have to I choose wisely. The nurse I'm with on the other hand will go at any gas station she sees. I am still seriously reconsidering though not just for my GI situation, but because of my allergies. I didn't think it would be so bad if I wasn't in the house all day, but I am already seeing being exposed to cat hair and dust in one house and then going into another that reeks of smoke is leaving me feeling horrible at the end of the day. I truly wish I didn't have these limitations but it's not something I can ignore. On the other hand, the thought of being out of work again after working so hard to get this job is not exactly the position I want to be in either. I am looking to see what else is out there but want to make a good decision before I do anything.

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She isn't mean but she doesn't seem to have any sensitivity for anyone with any kind of health issue. It's basically suck it up and deal with it or find another type of job. She didn't really say this, but that is her overall opinion she has expressed in different ways.

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Suck what up??? Nurses are batty!!! You gotta go then you gotta go for gods sake.

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Well, I am glad that tomorrow I will be going out with a different nurse since my nurse is off. I just talked to the new nurse and she said she does not do all her charting in the patients home and does do charting at home as well. She said you can figure out your own system as long as you're turning things in on time. So, I feel better about that. Too bad I wasn't put with this nurse because I already feel more comfortable just talking to her. We'll see how it goes!

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Good luck, hope you get a better experience dealing with this new individual.

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Thanks. I appreciate it!

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Yeah, not using the toilet or eating all day is weird. Thinking about you finding public restrooms in advance:

"Seinfeld - Magnificent facilities"

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I have a chronic GI condition myself and knew I could never do HH while doing my hospice HH clinical in nursing school. I work in acute care and like you can manage my condition since there is always a bathroom near by.

I can relate to your situation about your nurse not eating all day. I am orientating at a job now and even though we have a lunch break nurse, my nurse, who IS great BTW, never takes it and just eats when she eats. I just told her after the first 2 days of not eating, that I had to eat at some point, even if it was 15 minutes. I have to eat in small quantities for my stomach and can't eat a lot of bulky type foods so I can't go 12 hours because I don't eat much anyway. She was totally fine with it and I didn't tell her why I had to eat or about my GI issue, just that I get hangry if I don't stop for a quick snack.

Besides that, it's not healthy to not eat for 12-13 hours and go home to gorge yourself because your starving.

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I have a GI condition and microscopic bladder. I worked in the field for years, through pregnancies and super heavy menstral flow in mid life in a rural to semi rural area. I managed. I knew every bathroom and with patients I knew or lived remotely I used their BR to pee. They don't look at you like a freak when they know they're 30 minutes from facilities.

And I usually ate in the car, unless I felt like stopping. I had kids to get home to, I didn't want to push my day out any longer than I needed to.

We always gave the option to have the preceptee follow the preceptor. You could skip one visit mid day and catch up at the next stop.

Now if you have bowel control issues, that would not work for HH for me. I would not want to be in that situation.

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Well, I'm still trying to figure out if I can do it. Yesterday was actually a lot better. For one thing I was with a different nurse and I drove myself. We also had plenty of time to go to the br when we stopped to drop of labs and she said she always goes at those times. We also were in a much better, cleaner and safer area, so other than getting grass blown in my face from a lawnmower outside, my allergies were OK. I felt much more comfortable and more confident with this nurse which was also good. I also brought water in my car and sipped it throughout the day to keep me hydrated. I didn't realize how much more I'd need to drink being out in the car all day because I'm not one of those people that typically drinks water all day. The good news is that they decided to keep me with this nurse and they said I did a good job yesterday. So, I am going to give it a try and just take it one day at a time. Even if I can do it for a while to get the experience and my skills down in a less stressful setting, it would be worth it. It is reassuring to know that there are other nurses that can relate and figure out ways to make it work. Thanks!

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Sorry you also have a gi condition. It's tough, but like you I have tried to figure out ways to make it work. The nurse I worked with yesterday was great and had no issues stopping to go when she needed to. I also drove my car myself. I am not sure how it will work trying to do 12 hr shifts, but I am thinking that I will do most of my patients early in the day, go home to eat something go to the bathroom and then finish up the rest of my patients or documentation. I don't like to eat much if I'm out because I don't want to worry about having to stop more than once. If I eat at home and can go more than once before I go, I'm usually OK. I had a colectomy which unfortunately caused me to have a decreased capacity in what's left in my gi system, so I start feeling extreme pressure a few hours after I eat. It's not like I will have an accident, it just hurts. If my bladder is full, it also puts pressure on my intestinal system so I have to empty it. Sorry if that was TMI! If I could only have a gi transplant I'd be set!

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