You know youre a cancer patient when....
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YKYACP when you could have written the last two posts. Went to bed with a slight fever (100.2) and woke up an hour later. So now it's 1:30 Pacific and here I am. My ooph is Oct. 21.
YKYACP when you know the difference between good nurses/techs and bad and you've never been to nursing school. I always watch them put on a new set of gloves between patients. I haven't had to speak up yet but I know I would if they didn't put on new.
YKYACP when you really miss the previous MA. She was an energetic, fun loving 50 year old with 29 years of experience. The Cancer Center merged with the hospital and medical center so they updated job requirements. She had to leave because she never got the two year degree for being an MA. Her knowledge was great! So the new MA is straight out of school. She's going over my med list and I tell her she needs to add Amoxiocillin, that I'll be taking that for 14 days. She quickly asks back if I take that "as needed". Huh? You don't know what Amoxiocillin is? Can't even regonize the "cillin" part of the drug to know it's an antibiotic? My jaw fell open and all I managed to say was a simple "no". Do I have to educate the educated personnel? I want Cindy back!!!
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YKYACPW... Altho your Wii still gets used every single day.... It's for Netflix, and NOT Yoga...
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Gingerbrew-by all means make a complaint. You also have the right to have another nurse do your blood draw. Mention the hand santizer incident, too, since the santizer needs to be rubbed in until dry, usually 30 seconds to a minute, to be effective. If she was moving so fast that it flew off her hands she probably isn't leaving on her hands long enough to be effective. Have the receptionist or another nurse make a notation on your record that you are not to be cared for by staff in a rush due to fear of infection and mistakes. If you MUST have the same nurse, tell her to slow down. When a patient complains, someone will see it as being a problem, but all patient complaints have to be taken seriously. Talk to the unit manager about the incident, or the hospital's patient advocate. You do NOT have to put up with this! If others have complained about the same thing it can be dealt with. If yours is the first complaint, the nurse will be educated and counseled. But DO make the complaint, please. Without this kind of info management has no way to know what the staff is doing to patients.
AStorm-I, too, dress "up" for class and when I go into the hospital to set up clinical assignments, for the same reason. When I look out over a class and see torn jeans, garish t-shirts, bare midriffs and fly-away hair I cringe inside and wonder if any of them take what they are moving into seriously. My school has a 2-3 year waiting list, but it's not at all surprising. By state regs one instructor can take no more than 8 students at a time. Then there are only so many hospitals with many nursing schools competing for time and space for clinical experiences. I was making $65,000 working as a home health nurse, now I make $40,000 teaching, and I'm considered well paid in the field. It's hard to get a nurse with a master's degree to work for about half what they can make in just about any other setting. Still, teaching has many rewards that I wouldn't get anywhere else.
Lowrider-sorry to laugh at your, but that is a funny story! And I can laugh because I am so often frightened by odd noises in the house that the dog doesn't react to. When I investigate, after many minutes of fear and thinking about all the old B-grade horror movies I've seen-"No! Don't go into the room with the noise! That's where the monster is!" I find out it was the new dishwasher or that the clothes washer was running and I forgot I turned it on when I went to bed, or something equally normal and embarrassing.
DesignerMom-thanks for the support! I can't make my students polish their shoes, but I can make them wear unwrinkled scrubs, and my group know that if they don't have their name tag they better come up with something to replace it BEFORE I see them. Can I use your example of the tech not changing gloves or washing hands with my students? I've got some that don't understand (yet) that protecting the patient is the primary goal, self protection is secondary. I wouldn't use any names, I would say "a patient once told me about an experience" etc. Real life examples really have an impact with students. And we shouldn't have to deal with the nonsense. Like you, I am too tired and stressed out by the whole thing that I don't care if I'm perceived as a "good" or "bad" patient. Sometimes "bad" patients get better care and treatment.
KittyDog-I hear you about stressing before surgery. If you've got a while to wait you might want to get a sleeping aide or a anxiety med to use between now and then. I would not be able to get through all this stuff without my bottle of xanax, even if it does just sit in the medicine cabinet. The little bottle with 3 pills in it in my handbag is my sericty blanket. You'd be surprised how much it helps just having something to take, even if you don't take it very often!
AnacortesGirl-contact your center and tell them about the MA's lack of knowledge and that it makes you feel uncomfortable, and that you want the previous MA back. Sometimes experience is more important than schooling. At the least the old MA needs to be kept on long enough to get the new one up to some minimal level of competency. Management needs to hear about this kind of thing so they know that the quality of care they are providing is dropping since the merger.
YNYACPW-you are willing to have 2 web browsers on your computer b/c your support group site doesn't work well on the one you like better, and you're not willing to give up all the good stuff on the support boards.
Mine looks a lot like this, but with a blue strip on the top.
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Oh my I don't know the last time I saw a nursing hat being used. My sister is a RN from the old school days. I do have xanax but it is just a low dose at bedtime. I think I am going to see if the onc. can put me back on it twice a day until surgery.
YKYACPW you are excited that your big toe nails finally fell off. LOL Yes I am happy they are finally gone. They started looking bad in July and I lost all but the big toes. The last few weeks they hurt. It also makes me feel like I am finally moving forward in my journey.
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when you play bingo at the campground and only pick cards that have B9 on them.
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...when your dog has a better memory than you (lol lowrider!! I too am a victim of chemo-brain!!)
Don't dogs have the brain function of small children? I guess that answers our earlier musings about our chemo- I.Q's... And we're driving around and operating household appliances like this?!
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... when you find out that your poor cat has allergic flea dermatitis which is making him anemic and causing him to lose all his fur because you are afraid to use chemicals to get rid of fleas. Fleas and gophers -- they'll kick you when you're down!
... when you wake up at 4AM chilled to the bone after waking at 3AM burning up and realize that you are now capable of sleeping between the 2 events
... when your 17yo DD aces her medical terms and abbreviations exam in Health Careers without studying... they've all become household words
... when you are wishing away a week of your life to get to Friday faster so you can confirm that the lump is nothing to worry about even though you know that every day is precious
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YKYACPW you go to renew your license and find yourself wondering if you'll expire before it does:(
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I too had a nurse that couldn't access my port without having to try like 5 times. Ever since then I tell them anyone but her. She must have tried 5-6 times before giving up and letting someone else do it. She is nice and all, but always had a problem getting the needle in the port on the first try. Mine has tilted to the left and I take a 1 inch needle. So when she was fishing around in there and moving it this way and that way it kinda hurt ALOT. Ever since than I ask who my nurse is for that day. That's when I tell them anyone but her. They have no problem with it. They have been very nice about it. I may still get her for the rest of the visit but not to access the port. I think as long as you tell them you would prefer someone else, they wouldn't have a problem.
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YKYACPW you have chemo gray hair mixed in with your now black hair that use to be brown...who is that in the mirror?
OH NO! I was sitting in my car with the sunroof open today. There was just enough of a breeze to blow my hair up in the air....and then I noticed in the mirror something white...oh no chemo did give me gray hair. lol It is all mixed in on the underneath side. I can't believe I haven't noticed it before today. Now if it would just curl!!!!!
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Astorm - I hope your lump is benign and you can go about enjoying each day!!!
When some woman compliments your "hair" and asks if it's natural....NOPE! LOL! She kept asking me about my hair and who my stylist is. I finally told her that it was a wig.
when you get more compliments on your fake hair than you did on your real hair!!!
when almost of all of your new hair growth is gray. YIKES!!!
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My mom had problems with her port and had to get some of her chemos through her veins in her arms as well as the blood draws. she learned really quick which nurse could access her veins easy and would find out which office she would be at when she was getting her chemo (the onc has 3 different offices in the neighboring cities) and would go to that office to get her blood draw and chemo.
Sheila
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YKYACPWhen......................you get a two-for-one operation deal ! Get a benign lump removed from upper ear at the same time as having a lump removed from a mx scar.
NativeMainer, a couple of years ago I heard an older nursing sister on talk-back radio one day talking about how these new nurses straight out of College expect to be in charge from day one. The fact that they have very little 'hands-on' experience has very little to do with it.
Then she went on to tell the tale of the nurse who was told to give Mrs Smith an injection at a certain time. When Mrs Smith didn't show the required reaction to the medication and was asked if she had had an injection yet, she told the older nurse that she had only been given a rather sour orange. Apparently, the younger nurse had never been taught how to give an injection so she did what she had been taught, injected the med into an orange then cut it up and gave it to the patient to eat.
Yep.........true story..............straight from the horses mouth!
Sheila.
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KittyDog, AnacortesGirl, good luck on your surgeries.
KittyDog I remember the nail pain & lost all my toenails too.
Astorm - I ditto kittycat...I hope your lump is benign and you can go about enjoying each day!!!
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When..I've never been a boob flashing kind of gal, until a co worker made the statement " if I ever have to get cancer, I want it to be the smooth kind like Susie had". What? Smooth Kind? I have no boobs anymore, only foobs! It took every bit of self control in me to keep from pulling up my top and saying exactly what part of this is the smooth part! Just because you don't whine all the time, doesn't mean you're not carrying the scars, both physically and emotionally.
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when you are excited that you get to stop tamoxifen before your surgery and then the worry wart settles in what if it comes back while I am off of it for two months. Oh the joys of being a cancer patient.
Thank you mnmom....11 more days and I will have little estrogen running through my veins again.
when the first thing you do after a Dr.'s appointment is log on to these boards to find out if the info you read on your charts while the Dr. left the room is normal. I noticed he does do tumor marking test. Mine was a 24 in July.
When you curse the boards because you can't find that info. lol but goggle found the answer for you! Mine are below the normal range if I read that right.
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You know you are when you have to teach the onc resident that he's asked a stupid question. Which was "How much of you being more emotional is due to what you've been through and how much is due to the SE of tamoxifen?" How the heck am I supposed to know? Can we blank out the cancer experience to find out? I wish!
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KittyDog
I ask my Doc or Coordinating nurse to print out my labs every time so I can look through them at home. Levels are printed right on the list so you can see at a glance if anything has changed out of normal levels. It is no problem to get a print out. I hope the days of everything being hush hush are past.
I didnt know tumor marker levels could be too low. On the other hand I know very llittle about them.
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when your normally supportive friend acts like you're crazy when you freak out because you have to have another biopsy and you think "She doesn't understand she's never had cancer "
(It was b-9)
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when facebook asks, "What's on your mind..." you have to think ... hard
when you have stopped pointing out to your teen daughters that they are showing too much cleavage... enjoy it while you've got it honey...
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Leisaparis-it doesn't matter what anyone thinks of a request to not have a particular nurse (or doctor or any one else), we are required to honor that request. ALL patients have a right to know the full name and credentials of everyone giving them care and and has the right to determine if the person is acceptable or not. I just wish more patients would exercise that right more often.
Lvtwoqlt-I'm glad your mom was proactive enough to find out which officer her preferred nurse would be in and go there. At the same time it saddens me that she had to do that.
AussieSheila-oh, my, I am mortified that any nurse anywhere could graduate without learning proper injection technique, which includes locating the proper site so that nerves and such aren't damaged. At least she knew the medication needed to get INTO the patient as well as the orange. . .
KittyDog-which tumor marker test is your doc following? Different tests have different "normal" ranges, although in general the lower the number the better.
CandyB-the resident's comment is a prime candidate for the stupid things people say to you thread. Talk about STOOPID. . .
Gingerbrew-good advice, and all test and procedure results HAVE to be given to the patient upon request. I've got my PCP's office trained to have lab test reports ready for me at every appointment, and my BS does it automatically, which is really nice.
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I didn't ask for my results because I didn't want to read what they have to say. That has been my thoughts since Day One. I knew it was bad being stage 3 and left it at that. I was looking to see what my blood work was for today and just happen to see the CA 27.29 on the July blood work and new what that was. I couldn't help myself but to look.
So tell me what you know since I looked now!
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Lowrider.....OMG....I have so done exactly what you've done, only with my Christmas decorations last year - FUNNY!!!
YKYACPW....you take out the plastic containers to store left overs, walk to the food and realize that you have two lids, shake your head in disgust because you've done this before, look around for the container, you just had it in your hand. Give up and get a new container. Just as you're finishing your DH asks "is this what you're looking for?" Yep, it was on the counter the whole time - right next to me...............my kitchen really isn't that big.
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KittyDog, that is a good number. (((Hugs))) Keep it up (I mean down) ha ha. Darla
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Ca 27-29 normal results are less than 38 units/mL or SI Units. Less than half of women with non-metastatic bc have an elevated CA 27-29. About 65% of women with metastatic bc have an elevation. Elevation of CA 27-29 is also caused by benign breast disease, lung cancer, pancreatic cancer, ovarian cancer, prostate cancer and colon cancer (but at much lower rates), cirrhosis of the liver, hepatitis.
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Thanks...that is how I interpreted it. Next time I want look I promise. Actually I had wanted a copy of my pathology but I chicken out. Maybe my Dec. visit. Then it will have been a year since DX.
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YKYACP when you have a new appreciation for balding guys with comb-overs. :-)
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Ok, a comb over is NEVER a good thing...bald is better.
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LOL!! agreed - but you can understand why they do it...0
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You're on a first name basis with the docs who now share a pint with you at the pub...
The perspective of a biopsy keeps you awake as you now know that unfortunately sh** happens.
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