Just a survey type question. We are sitting here in the infusion room getting my Keytruda and out at

GregP_WN

like a baby shower is going on. Lots if laughing, joking, and carrying on. It sounds like they are having a good day. My question is:
Do you think its great that they are all yapping, yapping, yelling and having fun while some people feel crappy and just want to go home

Do you not care one way or the other.

Do you want to take your IV pole out there and join the party.

Or, do you wish that they would shut the hell up and keep it down, some of us are trying to get a nap in?

Carool

Hahaha! Knowing me, my first reaction would be: I wish they’d shut the XXXX up. Then I wouldn’t care one way or the other. I hope the party will be over soon so you two can snooze if you want to.

Jayne

It's difficult to sit in an infusion room and listen to laughing, especially if you aren't feeling well. Having said that, with the current Covid craziness, our healthcare workers deserve a party now and then. So my vote would be "don't care one way or the other", but I'm many years out from treatment now so probably easier for me to say that.

MarcieB

My last infusions were done during the Christmas holiday season. I happened to have one when the facility was having a holiday decorating contest and they were to be judged within the hour. Their theme was the Nutcracker and they had all kinds of decorations they had handmade and some of them were amazing! There was a little Christmas tree filled with nut cracker baubles and they were all in such good moods - they LOVED pointing out all their handiwork to me. The doors were all decorated, the counters full of centerpieces. I told them they should all be dressed in tutus and play the nutcracker theme when the judges arrived (I really think that would have put them over the top). Anyway, I loved it. Their excitement bubbled over to me and I felt like I was with them in all of it. It might have annoyed me if I were not feeling well, but I felt fine - well...as fine as you can feel when you are nearing the end of the chemo regime! I wrote a blog about it on my Caring Network pages (I didn't know about this site then). I would post it here if there were an appropriate place...and if it were Christmas! (BTW - they got second place...they were robbed!)

LiveWithCancer

I would have likely been the one who was laughing and having a great time. I went every two weeks for infusions and was there for many hours. I knew a lot of the nurses and some of the others who were there getting infusions. It often was like a reunion or a party ...

One time, when I was there for an appointment, my oncologist and I were having such a fun time laughing our heads off at a Congressman who had recently told me that he didn't care if I died or not (during a presentation for the American Cancer Society). I think I had presented just before he did. Anyway, my doctor, who had solicited me to present at the conference, and I were incredulous that he had the audacity to say such a thing, especially as part of his speech ... and then, soon thereafter, he tried to get my doctor to do work for him ... and my doctor wouldn't even take his calls (big US Congressman couldn't believe he was being so snubbed, bless his heart)

We were having the best time ... and I have a loud voice under the best of circumstances that carries horribly ... and the more fun I am having, the louder I tend to get ... and pretty soon there was a knock on the office door. The head of the lung cancer department was there. She asked us to tone it down. She was having to deliver bad news to a patient and we were on the other side of the wall having a great time... Oops...

Carool

For my first chemo infusion I’d asked a close female friend to come with me (I never wanted my partner to go with me; I guess that for some reason I never wanted him to see me having chemo). My friend and I were laughing and having a grand old time during the infusion.

Another occasion, one friend had to have an infusion of gamma globulin every three weeks (she didn’t have cancer but had some illness that affected her balance and muscles). Another friend and I would sometimes accompany our mutual friend and stay for about an hour before she got sleepy. We had some very raucous and revealing talks, in loud voices, about sex or our youthful drug experimentation, etc. There were no partitions for the patients, only a row of reclining chairs not that far apart. I bet some patients wished we’d shut up!

po18guy

Yes. Yes. YES!!! Infusion nurse turnover, with rare exception, is quite high. Burnout looms ever-present over their heads. With good reason. A fair percentage of their patients are indeed dying and there is precious little they can do - except watch their decline. Then, one week that patient no longer arrives. Even those patients doing better are often chronic complainers. No patient presses the call button to tell the nurse that everything is peachy!

Those patients doing fairly well still have complaints. Were the nurses told of this? Of course, but that makes the experience no more enjoyable. I think that it is wonderful when they can actually enjoy their jobs. I carried badge and gun for 31 years and had to deal with nowhere near the level of death and dying.

It takes its toll.They need a break as often as they can, and they need that seratonin release. Our culture has become so disordered, so serious, so lacking in hope. We need some lightness of heart - even if only temporary. Far better than none at all.

Bengal

Nothing to do with infusion but the one and only time I had to spend the night in a hospital my room was right next to the nurses station. Middle of the night and they were just whooping it up. My door had been left open for "observation". I took only so much and got up out of bed and closed the door . Every hour a nurse came in to "check on me". Every time the door was left open. Every time I got up out of bed and closed it. Take the hint folks. This is a hospital. Some people don't feel particularly great. Some people are even trying to sleep. I was even asked WHY I got up and closed my door?????? Like, duh! BE QUIET!

legaljen1969

So I haven't been through the infusion situation myself, but almost every time I have had to be hospitalized, it has been around the holidays. My first surgery ever was a few days after Thanksgiving. I was so nervous, and I did want to relax and zone out. However, the nurses were talking about their Black Friday shopping and finds. I just decided to tune in and think about when I could go shopping. Less than a month later, I got cellulitis and ended up back in the hospital on December 22nd. I was so sad. I thought I was going to be in the hospital through my whole Christmas. My nurses were walking around singing Christmas carols trying to make people feel happy. I was in a military hospital, and there were even some recruits on my floor so having some spirit of Christmas was very uplifting for them. Being away from family was hard enough for them, but then getting booted out of their bootcamp cycle for an injury was even harder.

My very first appointments to meet the radiation and medical oncologists were on New Years Eve 2019. We had to walk by the infusion area between the office of the radiation oncologist and the way up to the medical oncologist's office. The room was still decorated with Christmas decorations and they were playing festive music. I heard two of the ladies waiting who said they were so glad it was festive, because if they had to have infusions on New Year's Eve, at least there was some joy being spread. I always thought about that and hoped that if I had to go through something like that, I would have a few little reminders that the world was still going on and that one day I could hope to have the privilege to rejoin.

I do think maybe the nurses in your situation could have "partied" a little more quietly, but I think we have gotten to a point in this world where if someone is feeling bad, everyone else is expected to stop the world and feel sad/bad too. It is sad that we have, as a culture, developed the mentality that those who are going through good times should not celebrate them because someone else is going through a rough patch.

I was not hooked up to an infusion machine, but my neighbor's daughter found out she was pregnant just after I had my surgery. I really wasn't able to go over and celebrate with them. I could hear the partying and it made me a little sad that I couldn't be there, but I didn't ask them to stop. I think it was the first time it really hit me that I was done with my childbearing years and had never had children, and I was eligible to take AI's. Her joy hit my sad button hard, but that's my cross to bear- not hers.

I don't know. I guess I would feel differently if I were doing infusions, and I would probably definitely feel differently if I knew my condition were terminal. I can't imagine how I would react. I would hope I wouldn't let it get me down too much. I don't want to be the person to ask someone to minimize their joy to share in my sadness.

GregP_WN

MarcieB, you can copy that post from where it's posted and paste it on your homepage. And it doesn't matter if it's Christmas or not, post that puppy up!

MLT

I always enjoyed joyful noise in the hallways when I had infusions. Nurses are always so upbeat. I don't know how they do it! I privately celebrated with those getting their last treatment, even tho I know I will go from one treatment to another.

GregP_WN

I encourage a positive attitude and anything else that makes their job easier and their days go by faster. I've had more than one nurse that I suggested that if this was a representation of how their usual days went that they needed to consider an alternative line of work.

MarcieB

Greg, thanks for your encouragement - I posted it on my page and I have to admit I had fun re-reading it. I had forgotten the day began with some grumbles...we tend to forget those things, don't we? and speaking of grumbles...do you have any going on today?

legaljen1969

There are some professions that are truly a labor of love. There are some areas that people say "I would never...." I am sure that being an oncology nurse may be one of the most stressful areas of nursing one could find. I am thankful for the ones that choose that line of work, no matter how heartbreaking it may be at times. I know they also get to celebrate with the patients who make it.

Though it is not completely the same, I used to work in family law. I know a LOT of people who said "I could never do that. The stories are too heartbreaking." For me, it was the first practice area I ever worked with, so it felt like "home." I felt like our clients needed someone caring on their side when they were going through such a rough time in their life. I did see lots of difficult situations, but I also got to see some situations that worked out well. Most clients were thankful to have a compassionate attorney and paralegal to see them through their case to some sort of resolution. Somewhat like cancer, there are cases that stay active through the years and new issues pop up from time to time. We got back down in the trenches with those folks and worked our way through each issue.

Anyhow, I am sure the nurses see sadness, anger, agitation and lots of other things. I am sure they have days that they may even wish their own co-workers would "just shut up." LOL

Greg you are so right. Some of them do probably need to get another line of work when they get too edgy. I think oncology nurses need to rotate out and take some time away from time to time. I had a neighbor who was an oncology nurse. She would rotate out every few years just to take a breather.

TerriL

I think they should be able to enjoy themselves. They have a tough job and laughter helps.

Carol1286

Hearing laughter elevates my mood and helps me forget the present situation sometimes. My church brought me flowers once. I took them along to the infusion center. My husband and I went from room to room giving each person a flower, dragging along my pole, looking and feeling like death warmed over. Anything to brighten a day you know is hard enough.

GregP_WN

Carol, good for you, that's paying it forward and probably helped you as much as it helped them.

MarcieB, today has been a pretty good day so far. Yesterday was the long day, but I had a long day on Monday too. So we were worn out yesterday. I had a chill last night and was shaking like I was outside in the snow. Sweetie put some blankets on me in my chair and that was about the last thing I remember until 300 this morning when our big elephant of a dog decided he wanted to go outside. When I'm in my chair my feet hang off the edge of it and when he wants out he just runs into me.

Apparently, I fell asleep right after Donna put the blankets on me. She said when it was time to go to bed she didn't want to wake me. I usually only make it until about 3AM in bed anyway before I wake up and have to get in my chair.

valeriet

Hi Greg, I'm truly sorry for your situation ('bin there and done that) However, don't forget that the health care workers see sad, depressing things every day of their lives. If they had to suppress their normal personalities every day, it would drive them mad. Having said that, if you don't want to hear them, use ear plugs or headphones with music.I wish you well.

JustGrateful

I have a happy bunch at my clinic too. They are always carrying on laughing and hootin and hollerin about something. I don't mind that at all, I like to see them happy. I would much rather see them happy than grumpy. Remember, they are the ones that stick you with the needles!

robynr

If I was feeling like crap I'd want them to shut up also. You have every right to feel that way!! But try to be happy for them maybe it will help you feel a little better also. Ask to be moved farther away from them. Possibly they don't realize just how loud they are being so a gentle reminder of where they are maybe won't be so such a terrible thing either!