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.My grandmother is a patient at Feresenius Dialysis in Wilkes-Barre Pennsylvania. I have experienced nothing but problems at the clinic.

My grandmother is prescribed to Lasix, so naturally she'll have to use the bathroom. Sometimes she has to use the bathroom a few times, too. She literally can't help that she has to go. One or two of the nurses and a few techs are wonderful.

They never give her a problem. Then you have the ones that seem to not like the idea that she has to use the bathroom. They even go as far as to make her wait for extended periods of time until she actually almost goes in her pants. Its pretty sad when your 76 year old grandmother calls you crying because the staff at the clinic that's supposed to be taking care of you with compassion refuses to do so.

I understand that there's more one patient at the clinic. I understand that the techs or nurses can't run right over and tend to her. But, there is absolutely no reason whatsoever to make her wait 10 minutes or longer. Especially when there is 4 or more techs and nurses standing at the desk babbling on.

With my grandmother going to the bathroom once nor more time during her session, she has repeatedly been taking off her treatment early a number of times. Once I can understand. Twice or more, and then the amount of time that she's been taken off treatment early; 15 minutes or more is ridiculous. Its uncalled for.

I consistently hear them tell patients about the repercussions and issues of leaving treatments early, and then they go and do the same to her. A few times citing that they need the chairs for other patients. Spare me the excuse, as I've seen empty chairs for hours. After being consistently taken off treatments early for a few weeks, while at home and developed a horrid cough and was short of breath; more so than than usual.

Her symptoms had gotten so bad that she could barely walk a few feet without being completely exasperated. It took over a half hour before she could breath normally again. This eventually led her to calling an ambulance. She ended up in the hospital for 7 days for a severe fluid overload.

The next day in the hospital they did in house dialysis there. She was so loaded with fluid that she had 4 consecutive days of dialysis. They had taken off 4 kilos the first day, 3 kilos the next two days, and then finally 2 the final day. All while she was prescribed a heavy dose of intravenous Lasix to help with the fluid.

While in the hospital, a few nurses and doctors there had asked me if I knew why she was so loaded with fluid. If she had been following her 32oz fluid limit. Which she had. We are very strict with that while sheโ€™s home.

I had informed them what had been happening with her being taken off early from her treatment so many times. The conclusion was formed that that situation had led to severe exasperation and the fluid over load. She was schedule for her normal tuesday treatment in two days at her outpatient clinic. I am the only person that's available to take her other family members don't have a flexible work schedule like I do.

On Tuesday morning we had arrived 15 minutes late to her normal scheduled time. I drive over the road at night and had been held up. During this treatment she had not got off once to go to the bathroom. Even though she had to go, she held it in for three hours and forty-five minutes.

I say three hours and forty-five minutes because the tech had come over and started taking her off with 15 minutes still left on the machine. He had stated that were were 15 minutes late, and they needed the chair for someone else. Meanwhile, there was a slew of other empty chairs, and a empty room with a machine. For some reason, they had only taken off 1.2 kilos off her during this treatment.

I was informing the nurse what had happened, the conclusion that had been formed to as why she was in the hospital and loaded with so much fluid, and he had abruptly come off and said something along the lines of โ€˜....we can't take that much off her, he's always going to the bathroom. The bathroom breaks need to stop.โ€™ I bit my tongue, I'm the person you want to *** off, especially when it pertains to my grandmother's well being and health. I left it go. We came back twice more to her next to scheduled treatments.

She hadn't use the bathroom at all, and again the minimum amount of fluid was taken off. Somewhere in the middle of the two previous treatments she had developed a horrid cough and the exasperation had come back with and without activity. Again, she was unable to breath well and ended up calling an ambulance and going back to the hospital only a week after her first stay there. After a day, they realized that she had yet another fluid overload and her lungs sounded like they were loaded with fluid.

The next day they ended up taking 6 kilos of fluid off. And then 2.2 two days later. I was informed by the doctor there that her dry weight was lowered. It came down to her weight not being correct at the outpatient dialysis clinic.

That accompanied with her being removed from treatments early led to the second hospital stay hospital stay. Excuse my lengthy rant, but on to the second part. I had made friends with a gentlemen there who spoke with my grandmother and kept her busy when I wasn't there. Usually after dropping my grandmother off, I would and get her her โ€˜morning coffee,โ€™ and a *** to eat for breakfast.

This man, also a patient had asked me if when I was out, if I could grab him a sandwich. I had no problem with this. He told me hated the food they had been feeding him where he was staying and doesn't eat it. For weeks without a problem I had gotten him his food.

One day, one of the nurses that is very down-to-Earth had informed me that he had the flu. That I shouldn't be getting him food. And some sort of infection protocol I was breaking. Ok.

She had also told me that my name had been coming up with other techs and nurses. I assume because I get him and my grandmother food, and that it may pass infection. What my problem is, is that if they're so worried about outside infection from me coming in and out, why are they not concerned with themselves passing infection? I know that infection can be a serious problem with dialysis patients.

Shouldn't the nurses and techs when hooking people up to the dialysis machine always have a facemask, gloves and a sterile gown on? Shouldn't the door from the waiting room into the actual treatment floor always be closed? I couldn't even begin to tell you how many times I have see a tech or a nurse not wear the gown or facemask while reversing my grandmother's lines. Wouldn't not wearing a gown be a way for infection to travel into her line and possibly through her system?

I've withheld with this complaint for sometime now. But it's gotten to the point where itโ€™s unbearable to hold in anymore. I've also had many conversations with other patients family members concerning their family members that are also patients there. They've expressed some of the same problems and negligence that goes on with that staff at this clinic.

I do understand that it may be a hard job.

But, if you can't do your job to the fullest, don't be in the field. Especially a job that deals with the survival and well-being of that patients that need these service to simply live.

Reason of review: Poor customer service.

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Guest

An tidbit of information, every time your mother pauses treatment to go to the restroom, she is receiving extra fluid in the form of saline when her blood is returned. This can be a contributing factor to her fluid overload in addition to shortened treatment times.

Guest

As a former employee ,all I can say is there is no accountability for the actions of these staff. The Clinic managers are always praying no staff call out sick,the paperwork is overwhelming these days,and the worst of it all, is the adhering to and sticking to the scedule,like it's a factory...so many widgets must be completed in the time allowed,that's why removing nana is a big pain in the *** for them ,nuff said

Guest
reply icon Replying to comment of Guest-1300651

I recently started taking care of my mother since she left her husband and was wondering why my mom wasn't on a fluid pill, I know she used to take lasix and when I asked the doctor about it he said that dialysis takes fluid off a patient and didn't want too much fluid to be taken off because it would cause painful cramping in her legs which this dialysis center done anyhow without her being on any fluid pills. Some of the staff there are rude and really hurt my feelings this morning when I called to ask some questions the lady was hateful asked me why I haven't been down there to talk to the dialysis doctor acting as If I wasn't doing what I should and that really hurt because I have only been taking care of her since January 15 and she's been in the hospital twice both times for a week and I've also been sick for two weeks and felt I was doing my best with hardly any help from family or friends and no means of transportation, I understand their job can be stressful and people get hateful but being a caretaker is very stressful as well probably more so than their job because I stayed with ny mother the whole time in the hospital the first time and only got maybe an hour of sleep a night, the nurses aids almost took her bp in the arm with the fistula which could cause serious problems then they gave her 2 pieces of French toast with regular syrup & 5 packets of sugar for her coffee and she's a diabetic so with all that going on I didn't feel safe leaving her on her own & couldn't get family to help which stresses you out more then we came home & shortly after she starts coughing & coughing really bad & since she was just in the hospital for congested heart failure the home health care nurse & I was concerned thinking it was fluid in her lungs so about a week of being home she ends up back in the hospital & still not much help at all from family and no means of transportation I stayed most of the time with her in the hospital not getting any sleep by the time she was being released I was so sick I didn't want to move felt like the flu but still I managed to drag myself out of bed every morning and take care of my mom, cook her breakfast, give her all her meds, get her dressed & had to deal with transportation being late every Tuesday, Thursday & Saturday's for her dialysis & find transportation for doctors appointments & grocery shopping and dealing with her husband stressing us both all this while I was so sick, was the hardest thing I believe I have ever had to endure and I really don't think the lady that was rude & hateful had any reason for talking to me the way she did, I've got enough stress to deal with & being in the medical profession she should know how to talk to people in a caring tone & not make the only person willing to take care of my mom feel like I'm inadequate when I have done everything just about all on my own & every home health care nurse, occupational & physical therapists even the social workers all told me what a great job I was doing & could see that my mom has gotten so much better. Some people I will never understand, that lady ruined my day & I was in a great mood feeling good finally & she took the happy good mood I was in because she's irritated with me for not getting transportation to go talk to the dialysis doctor, this lady really needs to think a little more before being so hateful to someone who surely doesn't need any more stress whatsoever!

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