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I couldn't breathe , they didn't care. I was in a little rock, Arkansas hospital for 10 days, I yelled, I cried, I pleaded with the perfume staff not to come in my room. why didn't the administration of the hospital help me. I can never go back into a hospital, I will be to affaird. I was on pins and needles all the time. I don't understand hospital staff that are there to care for patients can be so abusive. On the 6th day one of my doctors put un a sign do not enter with perfume on or if your clothes was dried with perfumed dryer sheets. Then about 1/2 of the staff stopped coming in with perfume. the 1/2 and the administration didn't cared if I died, from asthma or allergy that I have, I started yelling so I can't breath, I can't breath, many didn't care. I think the personnel of a hospital that intentional harms a patient should be fired. The administration should be fired for allowing a 70 year old or any patient to go thru the paid of having trouble breathing, that could have had another anaphylactic shock, it was in my records I had had them. I am lucky by the grace of God I survived. My experience in the Little Rock, Ark Hospital. I am afraid and I am mad.

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Thank you and I am really sorry for what happened to you. I know that a lot of the staff that took care of my mom got fired.They just moved to a different area and do the same thing there. At the time I was not sure who to complain to when the staff was so horrible.Sometimes the ombudsman can help. Our hospitals are known to be bad in the cities that we are from which I did not realize or I could have talked my mom into going to a different hospital. I'm not sure if the entire state is bad or just our area. I have heard that other hospitals are good just not in the cities we are from.The state does have a lot of problems with medical issues like if a person needs to sue to get medical help because they were hurt from a mistake and the person is alive, they only have a year which is not much time and there are other laws that need to change also.
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Your allergy sounds pretty severe. My mom is severely asthmatic / COPD, perfumes bother her, but not all the time and some worst than others, so I believe you and feel for you. She does not wear perfume, but the world does.

Most people have some sort of scent on their clothes. I can smell the dry cleaning, or detergent on my own.

Your allergy is difficult because it involves controlling other people's behavior. I do not think it is attainable to find a hospital were the nurses do not wear clothes dried with dryer sheets. Most ladies wear some sort of perfume, or lotion, or powder.

I am glad to hear you got through it, best of luck with dealing with your allergy.
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Holy Cow. No, in Arkansas we are perfectly capable of putting a sign on a patient's door stating NO perfumes or strong scents, upon patient's request, AND respecting it. Every hospital should have a grievance procedure posted and a patient-family representative to help with these kinds of complaints.
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I am truly sorry you had that trouble. I live in Arkansas and we use St.Vincent. Of course sometimes it is how much your doctor will help. My husband has had two major by-passes and 15 stints. With diabetes, he quick a lot wrong with him. I will have to say we have always had good luck with St. Vincent and if there is a problem, I go directly to the Directior. Of course if you have no one to help you it could be hard. I just demand to see someone else.
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There are medical staff who truly don't care about their patients like the ones who took care of my mom. They hurt her many times and did not care. The staff you dealt with sounds like the ones that took care of my mom. Our staff was in a different state though. Hopefully you can find another hospital and have someone like a relative that you feel comfortable with go with you and stay with you.
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You need to put your concerns in writing, to the director of the hospital. I am asthmatic. You can't be the only one that was bothered by perfumes.
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Now I wonder if it is a culture thing for an area?

Where I live, I do volunteer work for a large regional hospital system. In all the years I have been there I can't recall one time where anyone was wearing perfume/cologne/after-shave. Nor have I seen the RN's, LPN's, Aides, Tech's, Security, or volunteers wearing any jewelry. In fact, make-up is done lightly if at all. Same with off-site x-ray imaging centers and doctor offices.
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I can appreciate your concern. When i went through nursing school we were actually taught proper dress and hygiene for the medical workplace. We were told to be clean, well kept, nails short, hair in a bun, no jewrey, even what color and shape our underware should be....and no perfume. I see many nurses with multiple rings and braclets hanging over their gloves, long nails and dizzying perfumes. The perfumes really bothered my dad when he went through chemo. I wonder if they even teach proper ediqute in nursing school anymore.
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Well, first of all I'm pleased to see that you lived to tell the tale. And I'm sorry that you had this extremely unpleasant experience.

What are "the rules" about personal hygiene standards for nursing and medical and healthcare staff in general? I'm actually really interested in this question, because the dizzying fragrances my mother and I encountered quite often made us exchange glances, to put it mildly; but I never did work out a way to broach the subject. Isn't it unprofessional? Can't a hospital, or an HCA agency, lay down the law?
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Whenever you go to a hospital, tell them about your allergies during admission, with a note from your primary MD. Avoid confusion by telling them up front and ahead of time.
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If for any reason you need to go to a hospital ask to be placed in a different one. What you experience is far and few between, and not the norm.
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