July 23/23
🍁 VHL Please stop it!
Some of my RN’s lower my bed at the end of a dialysis session for ‘safety reasons’ without any warning. Something kinda bugged me when they did this (doctors, too). It wasn’t until recently that I pinpointed my issue.
For me, I expect just a brief ‘I’m gonna…’ or ‘Can I…?’ Although I’m in a mechanical bed, without physical contact, a nurse or doctor is still doing something to me (or making me do something) in the healthcare/medical context.
For example, I almost fell reaching for my shoes and a RN said to me ‘Henry, do you need some help?’ came towards me, listened to me then swiftly pressed the button on my bed to lower it without a word.*
Me: ‘Hey, please stop! My shoes are underneath my bed...’
RN: ‘That’s why we lower it… well, why didn’t you get your shoes out of there first?’
Me: ‘But…’
Ever get frustrated when you get into an ‘argument’ with your nurse or doctor? Which fact is right or wrong, etc? (They’re always going to be ‘right,’ anyways)
I already feel a bit vulnerable and ‘less’ from being sick - with so many years of treatments and hospitalizations.** When a RN does something like this, it is not so much about the ‘safety’ argument; rather, I feel like I’m not treated like a normal person! It may be a little thing, but it hurts and upsets me. You know what I mean.
I let one RN know how I felt about the ‘lowering… thing’ and the next time, the RN asked “is it ok to…?’ first then pressed the button to lower the bed! It felt good!
😊
Henry
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*sometimes, my RNs (Registered Nurses) will just lower the bed so that my shoes get partially or totally caught under it!
**I’m in a hospital bed for 3 nights or 21 hours a week! 1) these beds are in rough shape. 2) I hate being in the hospital because I associated it with negative stuff… It’s hard to feel like a real person sometimes especially when I’m hospitals so much.
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