I had a middle aged patient (neurologically intact), who rang the bell and said "Can I have my nurse in here?". I replied "What is it that you need?" (Because sometimes you walk in there and find it's something you could have brought for them!). He said "I really need to see her." So once I walk in, I find out that he had a bowel movement and needed to be "cleaned." This is a man capable of asking for the bedpan or getting up to the bathroom!
It truly bothered me that he had a bowel movement on himself. Long story short, I told him rather frankly that he needs to ask for the bedpan in the future. Next day, I hear from other nurses that he was really upset with me and said I was nasty and cruel towards him.
If your capable, do it yourself.
I worked yesterday and found out the behaviour continued, I guess some nurses didn't give the "ask for the bedpan or bathroom" speech. He even asked one nurse to move his left leg closer to his right leg in the bed (Are you kidding me???). He was admitted with heart failure and recovering well....
This was not an acutely ill individual. She had just had a baby and was perfectly capable of getting up to the bathroom on her own. It's not like she even had 'accidents' in the bed. Sorry, I draw the line somewhere.
This was not an acutely ill individual. She had just had a baby and was perfectly capable of getting up to the bathroom on her own. It's not like she even had 'accidents' in the bed. Sorry, I draw the line somewhere.
Oh, I completely understand the issue with her suddenly not being able to do her own ADLs when she would be discharged within a day or so. I was taking issue, like Leslie, to the idea that her husband should do it without an objection by her or her husband even when he's seen all her naughty parts. There's something more at play here in that situation.
Oh, I completely understand the issue with her suddenly not being able to do her own ADLs when she would be discharged within a day or so. I was taking issue, like Leslie, to the idea that her husband should do it without an objection by her or her husband even when he's seen all her naughty parts. There's something more at play here in that situation.
ETA: My definition of acute may not be medical. It's when someone completely healthy is then in a situation where they are debilitated due to a medical condition or procedure. In this situation, it would be post c-section. I've never had one (both kids delivered lady partslly with episiotomies), but friends' experiences has shown me that they are more painful and restrictive than lady partsl deliveries.
Oh, I completely understand the issue with her suddenly not being able to do her own ADLs when she would be discharged within a day or so. I was taking issue, like Leslie, to the idea that her husband should do it without an objection by her or her husband even when he's seen all her naughty parts. There's something more at play here in that situation.
I agree with you that there was something more going on but I don't even think ANYONE needed to help her. Not me, not her husband. Her hands worked perfectly fine, so I drew the line and said no. I'm one of those people that would much rather have my spouse or even my mom help me with something like that if I were temporarily in a situation where I couldn't.
Like I said - a true accident in the bed, or a fresh post-op, different story. This was none of the above. Yeah, c/sections are harder to recover from, but she was at that point ambulatory. It was just weird. I'm sorry - you have a baby and you're perfectly mobile, you get to clean your own bum.
I agree with you that there was something more going on but I don't even think ANYONE needed to help her.
I just want to clarify. I agree with this.
I'm one of those people that would much rather have my spouse or even my mom help me with something like that if I were temporarily in a situation where I couldn't.
My point is that some people don't want their husbands to wipe their butts when temporarily debilitated. In the situation you describe, the patient could have done it herself. I understand that. What I'm saying is that spouses and children of adults might not be the best ones to deliver basic care for those who ARE unable to do it themselves temporarily. I can see where they are coming from.
I did it for my husband because I didn't even think of calling a nurse to hold his urinal. He needed me, I was there, but it DID affect me considerably.
If I had been at my father's bedside when he was in the hospital, I would have called a nurse. My father's image in my mind completely prevents me from holding his urinal. My husband refused to give his mother a bath while she was living with us. I understood that, so I did it all. The substance of the relationship with sick loved ones is the barrier to family members rendering basic care.
I had a middle aged patient (neurologically intact), who rang the bell and said "Can I have my nurse in here?". I replied "What is it that you need?" (Because sometimes you walk in there and find it's something you could have brought for them!). He said "I really need to see her." So once I walk in, I find out that he had a bowel movement and needed to be "cleaned." This is a man capable of asking for the bedpan or getting up to the bathroom!
It truly bothered me that he had a bowel movement on himself. Long story short, I told him rather frankly that he needs to ask for the bedpan in the future. Next day, I hear from other nurses that he was really upset with me and said I was nasty and cruel towards him.
If your capable, do it yourself.
I worked yesterday and found out the behaviour continued, I guess some nurses didn't give the "ask for the bedpan or bathroom" speech. He even asked one nurse to move his left leg closer to his right leg in the bed (Are you kidding me???). He was admitted with heart failure and recovering well....
Sorry but no, do it yourself.
:jester:I AM ROLLING. Was this guys last name Simpson, first name Homer? [there is an episode of the Simpsons where Homer visits his father's nursing home and decides nursing home patients "have the life". He throws his dad out of the bed and pretends to be him and goes through a few days of receiving "complete care" until he is figured out. There is even one scene where he is requesting a bedpan and tells the nurse to hurry.]
Another good example of how "customer service" is killing the healthcare industry/patient care. In hopes of raising their bonuses, administration has pushed this Bed+Breakfast image to the point where people feel justified soiling themselves and telling care staff to take care of it, never mind the primary purpose of returning people to their highest level of functioning. Then again............I don't know any B+B that offers that service, and I'd have my concerns about one that did...................eh, but you get my point.
I once had a similar problem. An older gentleman with a foley came to our unit from the ICU. The long term plan at the time was for him to be D/C'd with the foley. The foley required Q4 irrigation. Obviously, any nurse worth their weight in poop see's the need for education here because he will need to irrigate it at home. Unfortunately, he had a friend who was a self proclaimed "pt. rights advocate" who kept beating his ear about making all the hospital staff do their jobs and give him the attention he needed. So, of course he interpreted this as telling nurses "(Fudge) you, that your job" whenever someone tried to educate him on irrigating the foley. It got so bad, the doctors sent him home without the foley, but to do so required extra hospital stay days and him going home in a less than ideal situation (foley would have been in much longer). He was so concerned about getting his fair share of "customer service", all focus on his health was lost. So, he got his irrigation done for him while at the hospital, went home without the health concerns being addressed properly, had complications and returned a week later. To add insult to injury, the week he came back was the exact week Obama and the powers that be started chirping about reducing repeat admits:lol2:.
I have to say, one of the hardest places (for me, I know every dept. and nursing role has its own difficulties) to achieve "customer satisfaction" is M/S. The above stories are great examples of why. People come to us as the last stop in their care path. We D/C a lot of people, and often find ourselves in a position where we have to explain to people "Sorry, you are not in the ICU with a nurse watching 2 patients anymore, so no, you are not going to see me as often. Yes.......you need to start doing for yourself, you are perfectly capable of getting up and turning the light out yourself. You are close to being D/C'd, its time to stop calling the nurse to adjust the blinds for you and time to start worrying about how you are going to do for yourself at home." Some people get this, others are so under the B+B spell cast by administration, they act as though you physically abused them when you tell them to put the creamer in their own coffee. How receiving good "customer service" came to be interpreted as pretending you are a quadriplegic is beyond me, but we spend a lot of time........too much time in fact, educating people about the reality of their situation.
i wouldn't want my husband cleaning up my fecal accident...no way.
sex and nudity are altogether different and cannot compare to cleaning up loose stools.
if my husband or i were critically ill with self deficits, then yes...we are there for each other.
but to clean up my mess in a much less critical situation...never...different dynamics altogether.
but that's me...and obviously one other person as well.:)
leslie
Couldn't agree with you more! I considered posting something to this effect but figured I would get blasted for it. I'll just keep some dignity and clean my own poo for as long as I can. Would be mortified if my husband had to do this (and I don't think he could do it anyway, the wimp).
I had the exact same situation w a middle-aged female pt! A&Ox3, admitted with LLE cellulitis.
She would be incont of urine in the bed (I think) just to get attention and have a staff member in the room (either myself or the nurse). She had anxiety problems and most likely a lot of other psych issues... She would ask us to stay in the room with her just until she calmed down, which was quite impossible on a BUSY med/surg floor and so she would wet the bed. She claimed it was because she was taking lasix. I asked her if she was incont at home and she said no, so I said, if you have ANY warning that you need to use the bedpan, you need to let me know IMMEDIATELY. And don't you know it, she called for the bedpan the rest of the night! Not one more occurrence of incontinence! Then I had her the next weekend and she was getting up to use the BSC and then claimed that she couldn't wipe herself because her arms were too swollen (they weren't at all)! I got some wipes for her and made her do it herself. I will absolutely NOT enable someone to be lazy and not take care of themselves to the best of their ability in the hospital!!!!
I for one, am getting VERY tired of the pt's with so-called "anxiety problems". This should really be termed, "the babyfication of Americans."
More and more people can't seem to deal with stress, ordinary aches and pains and normal problem solving without freaking out and needing 6 prescriptions for mood-altering substances; and then deciding they are disabled and applying for lifetime SS benefits at age 30.
I for one, am getting VERY tired of the pt's with so-called "anxiety problems". This should really be termed, "the babyfication of Americans."
More and more people can't seem to deal with stress, ordinary aches and pains and normal problem solving without freaking out and needing 6 prescriptions for mood-altering substances; and then deciding they are disabled and applying for lifetime SS benefits at age 30.
Somehow, things have gotten HORRIBLY skewed.
I had a thread awhile back in which I said a lot of the same things. The "medical emergency" my patients were suffering from was that they couldn't fall asleep at will.
Hmmm...........spend the whole day on you call light refusing to get out of bed and do anything for yourself ("Nurse, hand me that tissue two feet from my hands please"), drink Pepsi like water, take three two hour naps during the day, refuse PT/OT................maybe you just are not tired.
There's something more at play here in that situation.
:jester:I AM ROLLING. Was this guys last name Simpson, first name Homer? [there is an episode of the Simpsons where Homer visits his father's nursing home and decides nursing home patients "have the life". He throws his dad out of the bed and pretends to be him and goes through a few days of receiving "complete care" until he is figured out. There is even one scene where he is requesting a bedpan and tells the nurse to hurry.].thumb.gif.a0171653eaae518ecf728198d692fc48.gif){kind=avatar}
Elvish, BSN, DNP, RN, NP
4 Articles; 5,259 Posts
This was not an acutely ill individual. She had just had a baby and was perfectly capable of getting up to the bathroom on her own. It's not like she even had 'accidents' in the bed. Sorry, I draw the line somewhere.