u/_MissMeghan_

Today one of my worst nightmares happened right before my eyes and I don’t know how to feel about it.

I do in-center hemo and since being moved to the other side of the clinic I consistently have worse techs and it’s very stressful, on top of the stressors us patients already face I have to worry about incompetent people handling my lifeline and making mistakes like what unfortunately transpired earlier today.

When I sat down and learned I had this particular tech I was nervous but hopeful, nothing bad had happened as of yet but I never liked how she handled my catheter and seemed very unsure of herself. After aspirating the lines and uncapping a saline syringe she froze and seemed unsure of how to proceed realizing she had to take labs. She re-capped the saline and drew the labs but must have forgot to clamp the line when she was done because next thing I know I’m bleeding out of my catheter into this girl’s cupped hand and she’s asking me “Why is it bleeding?” I SCREAMED for the other tech to come over quick and thankfully just as he did it must have clicked that she needed to clamp the line.

I was so bewildered I didn’t even know how to respond.. Even though she’s well past graduated from training many simple tasks she seems to forget or not understand, like how to put the safety clip on after connecting or in this case drawing labs before doing a flush, which I often have to direct her on how to do. But today crossed the line into dangerous territory and I’m so shaken.

At the end of treatment I discreetly told the nurse what happened and he said he’d talk to her, but also agreed that shouldn’t be happening as she’s past training. The problem is she’s very dependent on the male tech I previously mentioned, following him around and asking him for help on every little thing, having him take over if she’s not confident enough. In my case he was over behind the desk when this all occurred.. but we all have a right to competent, safe care and I just feel this is absolutely unacceptable.

Has anyone else dealt with techs like this?

So I woke up a few nights ago, in one of those half asleep half awake type phases.. I always leave my bedroom door open when I sleep and in the hallway I could see my mom crouching on the top step. Except it wasn’t my mom, the face wasn’t right and it had these piercing wide eyes just staring at me. I tried to say “Mom?” but I realized then that I couldn’t move or speak. After a few seconds I willed myself out of the trance this thing had me in and when I blinked, it was gone.

For many years I’ve seen shadow people, specifically on the steps but always just out of sight. Like I can see a dark shadow on the wall like someone’s sitting there, and it’s always when I’m in between sleep and wakefulness. Sometimes I say “who’s there?” and then they just stand up and walk down the steps. If I run to see where the shadow went it’s gone before I get there. But this is the first time I’ve seen anything like this, where it’s in the form of someone I know.. Has this happened to anyone else?