Category: Health and Wellness
Every time I go to the doctor, I get the same nurse who treats me as if I'm five. She'll tell me, "Good job," just for stepping on the damn scale, or she'll hang on to my arm and steer me in to the room, or pull me to help me avoid hitting a door frame with my cane. That's what it's for, right? Annoying doctors or nurses, anyone?
I know what you mean. Especially nurses, doctors seem to be better at letting you be yourself.
One time I went into the hospital for gall bladder surgery. When I was waking up I heard someone at my bedside doing something. Kept drifting in and out of sleep, but I think she said once "can you see me?" and I mumbled something.
Soon after that I heard feet running out of my room. Later on, I heard someone else at the head of my bed doing something, and I said "what are you doing?"
She was writing on my chart "patient is blind." Apparently the first nurse couldn't make eye contact and freaked out. <lol>
Good topic.
Bob
Generally, you're both absolutely right. My internist worked for a blind professor when he was in college. It was such a pleasure when I met him the first time, because I didn't have to go through all that stuff. My mother is in a nursing home. I'm amazed at how much I have to explain to people there about what I can and can't do. When I was going to the eye doc on a regular basis, he was probably the kindest doctor I've ever seen, but really didn't know a thing about blindness beyond the physics of the eye. It's very very annoying.
Yes, it is very annoying. Good story, Bob.
I've been in the hospital a few times over the past five or six years. I generally find doctors less daunted by my blindness than the nurses and aides who come into the rooms. And the stupid rule about me not being allowed to get up by myself to go to the bathroom! I hate that. Usually if I am in for very long and am not too groggy from the after effects of surgery, I just get up and go on my own anyway. I am usually placed in the bed on the same side of the room as the bathroom and only have to walk a few steps to get there. The nurses/aides are usually ticked off when they find I went by myself, but they get used to my independence.
The last time I went to my doctor's office for a physical including blood work, the lady from the lab who took my blood insisted on leading me back out to the waiting room. She would not let me take her arm no matter what I said or how I kept trying to position myself so I could hold the back of her arm. She kept getting in front of me, grabbing both of my hands, and then walking herself backwards to lead me into the waiting room. I finally decided I was causing more of a scene by arguing than by just going along with it.
Wow, I hate that rule about not getting up to go to the bathroom by yourself when you're in hospital. And the nurse who insisted on walking backward while holding your hands? That's just rediculous! I have no idea what's wrong with some people.
Yeah, you'd think people in the medical field would be a little more aware of how to deal with blind people and people with other disabilities.
A couple of things. First, I didn't know about that "rule". If I had to go in the middle of the night, I just got up and went. Last time I was hospitalized, I was in this huge room all by myself. I don't know how I found the bathroom, because I was pretty groggy when they brought me back from recovery, but thank God I made it.
As for the general ignorance of the practitioners in the medical profession, I think of them like car mechanics in terms of the way they understand disabilities. When your car is broken, that's al the mechanic knows. He doesn't know what it means in terms of what you need it for, or how much of an inconvenience or hardship, or the temporary loss of the vehicle will impact your life. Doctors and nurses only know that you have a disability (You're less than hole). They really don't know anything about how we live our lives with a disability.
Loube
No, they don't, and I hope they never have to go through losing their vision.
When I went for a blood check with the nurse she talked to me like I am a little girl. I hate that. I have found the doctors talking like as if I am not there. But then again it isn't just them. Anyone does that reily.
Motifaded, Loube? <lol>
boB
OK, Bob. That's what I get for not reading what I write all the time. Besides the ve stands for vile exam. any questions?
Seriously, I once hd an experience where the hospital wouldn't let me go back into the emrgency room with my wife. I don't know why I didn't call back the next day and really raise hell over that one, but I just took it and said nothing.
Lou
In my recent hospital stay, I found that the skilled professionals (nurses, doctors, and radiology technicians, for instance) had no issues with my being blind. The aids, orderlies, transport folk, and the like mostly treated me like I was not only blind, but, mobility-impaired and mentally "not all there".
Sometimes, medical staff are smart in one respect but the opposit in others. I mean, if you've been operated on, you can't tell them otherwise because you're so zonked from the anesthesia or whatever the hell you're given.
To clarfy my last post, nurses in hospitals have to help their patients when they're still partially sedated, but I think if you've recovered from that, they should just tell you where the bathroom is in relation to the bed and leave you alone unless you call them or they're checking your vitals and writing in your chart.
Don't you hate when they write stuff down on your chart and they never tell you what's wrong with you or what's your prognosis and they start prescribing shit? And you're like what the fuck? The hell is this for? I hate that with a passion. At my eye doctor's office this Jamaican or African or whatever he is, I have to blurt out stuff from my mouth, cause if I don't I'd never know what's wrong with my eyes. Whereas my medical doctor she says with you have with no problem, and when she prescribes you know why she's prescribing.
Yeah, I'm not too fond of that.
Neither am I.
The last time I went for a physical the doctor didn't even touch me. I actually overheard her telling one of the nurses "he's creepy."
Well, what the hell was that for? Something's wrong with that doctor.
I was with my husband one time at the hospital Family Practice Residency program. A doctor came in with a thick East-Indian accent and saw me reading a braille book. She spoke to me first, asking me why I was there and I told her my husband was the patient. She told me I could not be married! Then I told her I had worked in medical transcription for 20 years at that time and she said that was impossible and started yelling at me. I finally stood up and yelled at her "I am not your patient, pay attention to your patient and forget about me.
Hmm I have never had the bathroom restriction. I had a nurse show me where it was the first time and it was out the hall because I was in emergancy and drunk. They still let me go on my own. Lol, I did need the help the other time right after my surgery though. Poor nurse I just missed puking on her after I had my eye removed.
A few weeks ago I was at a Gynicologist's office, and she asked me what birth control I was using. At the time I wanted a swich and she said I quote.
"blind people have babies too"
I was thinking, ur yes and your point is?
Odd, I have not had this type of experience with nurses or doctors, not for the longest time.
I went for a pet scan and the nurse came in telling me they wer going to give me Zannex, I politely refused it and explained I did not need it as I didn't feel the least bit clostrophobic. After that I was treated "normally" by the staff. The nurses here just make fun of me when I go for treatments.
I've found, generally, that you gain people's respect if you know a lot about treatment and your specific condition. Therefore I've done some google studying before I come in, whenever I get a presecription I check out the drug online to see its effects, side effects etc and I've never had issues with medical staff not explaining to me what the regiment is for. I guess may be I'm just lucky or my wife is with me most of the time and she's sighted so they feel more secure. Either way I'm happy I'm not treated like a rather dumb witted 3 year old in hospital, nor anywhere else for that matter.
cheers
-B
I hate it when nurses talk down to me! I hate it with a pashion! there like,
"Now we are going to have you do this can you do that for me?" Now don't get me wrong, I like to know what they are doing, but god don't talk to me like I'm 2 or something! or when they just start to do something with out worning. I actually almost slapped a nurse once when she tried that one! (LOL)
I had a rather interesting experience with a nurse at the clinic I attend.
She came across as rude, sullen, and disgusted by my blindness, and myself.
She entered the room, took the usual vital signs, and then left.
Upon her return, she appeared to cheer up a bit .
I'm unsure of the catilist for her change, but their certainly had been an attitude adjustment.
Now,we are rather friendy, and whenever I see her, I call her nurse rachat!!!!
Lol!!!!!
Just goes to show what a bit of braking the ice can accomplish!!!!!!
maybe her superviser had a nice little talk with her? who knows.
Nurse Ratchet, good one
oh wow. alot of these stories r crazy. oh god, puking after eye removal. i am getting mine taken out in a few weeks. i hope i dont puke.
depends on how you react to the anaesthetic. Just follow the pre- and post-operation instructions, and you should be all right.
I definitely agree with Wildebrew, in that i'venot had this experience for a long, long time. Sure, the odd person will try the "you'#re 2" act with me, but people do that wherever, so it's not isolated to the medical profession in particular. It's definitely all to do with your attitude. If you're polite, but firm regarding the help you do and don't need, and if you explain yourself to the nurses/aids, the majority of them take it on board. Thing is, they don't, nor will they ever, know what it is like to be blind. Yes, they see a lot of disabilities, but imagine what they're thinking. "this person't in hospital, they don't know where they are or the environment they're in, there's a lot of unfamiliar noises, they must be scared. So, i'll be as helpful as I can." Working in the medical profession, I can tell you that this is the motivation behind most nursing. So, if they give you too much help, smile, have a laugh and a joke about it, and tell them politely that, "No, I don't need you to feed me, but thanks all the same. I do appreciate your thoughtfulness. Now, while you're here, could you just walk to the bathroom with me, so that i'll know how to get there next time?"
So, you've been polite, and also let them know, without saying it directly and rudely, that you will not require a constant escort to the bathroom.
I've just come out of hospital, and, if anything, I was treated with more respect because of my blindness. No pushing or prodding without prior warning, my own room with no other patients to get in the way, move things, and generally mess up the environment, and, wait for it, a whole bathroom to myself! So, to sum up, I do believe it's all in the attitude you have. Come across as confident, controlled and sure of yourself, and you will have far less problems.
FM
i asked the nurse where the bathroom was. i had to unplug the i v pole for her to show me because i had to take it in the bathroom with me because the i v tubing was not able to reach that far even though the bathroom was a few feet away from my bed. it got annoying having to unplug that thing every 10 minutes or so to go to the bathroom because they had so much fluids pumping in to me. 150 mL/h i think.
i haven't had experiences like that since mom is always in the room when i have my doctor's appointments, by the way she is always there because she to has questions to ask.
but, mom is trying to find a femail doctor who can understand my concerns better. but one thing i hate about doctors is that they never tell me what they are writing down on the chart like my blood pressure and weight and stuff like that
oh and another thing i hate is that they talk way to fast for me to process and i can't understand half of what theyare saying, and neither could my parents.