POST ONE
My open letter to DaVita Kidney Care, again,
Wednesday, March 20, 2024
How loudly do I have to shout it to the world already that I am AUTISTIC and this clinic is
still, after 6 years, inaccessible and sensorially UNSAFE for me to continue
treating there.
I AM AUTISTIC!!!!!! I AM NOT A BAD BEHAVIOR, SO PLEASE STOP THE ABA STYLE
BEHAVIORISM!!!!!!!
STOP SCOLDING ME AND ARGUING WITH ME WHEN I AM IN SENSORY DISTRESS
MODE!!!!!!!
PLEASE, I AM BEGGING YOU ALL!!!!!!!!!!!
Today, some of my team even shut me down and would not let me talk to them
for support when I didn’t have Larry or Kristen there today to support me during
the meltdowns I was having.
Nurse Cheryl and Tech Johann were very unhelpful with me today. And instead of letting me
explain and them being patient with me and willing to fix the things that were upsetting me,
they both argued with me and teased me. That was sensory NO-NO #1.
This all started 1 hour and 35 minutes into my 3 hour and 45 minute treatment, when I
urgently needed to use the bathroom because my stomach was exploding.
My machine took my blood pressure during this time, so there was NO need for Johann
to make me —- with my exploding stomach —- have to sit through yet another blood pressure
right on top of it just taking!
When my shoulder clamp that holds my lines secure to the left shoulder of my shirt
got loose, instead of fixing it, Johann made me sit there with it dangling loosely, which was another
sensory NO-NO, and proceeded to argue with me over it being moved off of me.
This caused me to yell more in frustration, because my stomach was cramping and I was being
argued with
instead of listened to and accommodated and taken to use the bathroom!!!!
Then —- even though I have great trouble getting my blood pressure to take on
the new machines, Johann forced me to sit through yet another one.
I refused the second blood pressure in a row — because I was exploding, needed to use the bathroom
NOW, and Johaan sat there arguing with me!!!!
This was too much for me, and I melted down.
Angel, head nurse, came over, not to help me, but to scold me, which only escalated my meltdown
to a screaming stage.
Angel who is supposed to have my back, couldn’t bring herself to just
come up to me ans ask what was wrong, and how she
could fix it, —- no, she chose to deliberately scold me, which she knows will escalate my meltdowns.
Johann kept moving the machine monitor without asking me first, which added to my distress.
All of the clinic noises and staff arguing with me was too much for me to take.
Then Johann proceeded to very roughly yank my blood pressure cuff off of my right arm,
did it very roughly,
and this too escalated my meltdown.
When I finally got to the men’s bathroom
—————————————————————————-
(I use the men’s bathroom because it is wide enough for me to
navigate in and out with my transport wheelchair. The women’ bathroom isn’t as wide and easy for me
to get in and out of, so I prefer to use the men’s bathroom.)
—————————————————————————-
the toilet was dirty, and instead of Nurse Cheryl
offering to let me use the women’s bathroom, which I have done before, she proceeded to unnecessarily
argue with me, telling me she doesn’t clean toilets.
I NEVER ASKED HER TO CLEAN THE TOILET FOR ME!!!!!!! STILL, SHE ARGUED AS IF I HAD ASKED
HER TO CLEAN IT!!!!!!!!
She was not thinking that she could have just simply said to me “Let’s use the ladies restroom, okay?” No,
she argued
that she was not going to clean the toilet for me. I exploded again, yelling, because I still needed to
fecking relieve
myself —— and ANGEL came up in my face again to heap yet another cruel ableistic generous
heaping helping
of grade school
scolding and judging of my “behavior”. Yet another NO-NO.
I have educated this clinic till I’m blue in the face on how to handle me when I am having a meltdown,
yet some of you continue to insist on treating my meltdowns as a behavior to scold, judge and admonish
instead of being compassionate and LISTENING TO ME AS TO WHY I AM IN DISTRESS IN THE FIRST
FRECKING PLACE!!!!!
I can’t handle dialysis anymore.
I cannot handle the early time I am forced to go in,
and I can no longer
handle the abrupt changes and the ABLEISM that I still get from
ANGEL, JOHANN, ELIZABETH, and CHERYL.
I still have a laminated list of bullet points of the DO’S AND DON’T’S of how to handle and treat me. It is still in
the drawer to the immediate right of where Nurse Cheryl sits. PLEASE take it out and READ it again.
And read it OVER AND OVER till y’all understand and get it.
I AM AUTISTIC….I AM NOT A BAD BEHAVIOR!!!!!!!!
I GO TO DIALYSIS FOR A LIFESAVING TREATMENT,
NOT TO RELIVE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL AGAIN!!!!!!!!
My comfort and feeling welcome and supported while I am there are my top priority, and the onus is on ALL OF YOU
to make sure these bullet points are adhered to!!!! Please, once and for all!!!!!
~~~~
POST TWO
Friday, March 22, 2024
5:05 AM wide awake,
scared,
with stress hives all over, and worried as hell about dialysis
so I cannot sleep again and my stomach is upset precisely because of how I got scolded and argued with on Wednesday March 20, 2024, instead of very neurodivergent autistic me being listened to, supported and them fixing the things that got me upset in the first place…..
Head Nurse Angel showed no empathy at all for me, just scolded me, and she made me cut my treatment short due to my “bad behavior” She cruelly and falsely accused me of being abusive towards Nurse Cheryl when I was having a damn meltdown!
I am scared shitless to go back to that center, because I KNOW there are staff there who hate my guts, and ANGEL, NANCY, CHERYL AND JOHANN are some of the staff who hate me and think of me as a behavior to scold and judge harshly.
I NO LONGER TRUST ANGEL TO TALK TO, BECAUSE SHE DOES NOT HAVE MY BACK, AND NEITHER DO CHERYL OR JOHANN. NONE OF THESE PEOPLE GET MY AUTISM AND MY SENSORY ISSUES AND NEEDS. NOR DO THEY SEEM TO WANT TO GET ME AND WORK WITH ME ANYMORE.
I was fully unsupported when things went downhill on Wednesday and then was forced to cut my treatment waaaaaaaaaaaay short, which if my treatments keep being cut short like this, and I keep missing my treatments because I am too afraid to go there for fear I will be scolded and treated with behaviorism, this could ruin what progress I have made. This could even cut my life way short!!!!My ending blood pressure was 191 / 127 with a heart rate of 96.
My next phone call is going to be to DISABILITY RIGHTS CALIFORNIA to get legal assistance because what is happening to me in your clinic is medical abuse, medical neglect, and medical malpractice.
Sincerely,
Melissa Fields
POST THREE
Again, I will not be coming in today, out of fear there will be a repeat of what happened on Wednesday.
PLEASE show Dr. Poonia both of these above emails.
The cruel ableism I am still being treated with at your clinic is KILLING me!!!!!I AM TOO FRIGHTENED TO COME IN TODAY BECAUSE OF HOW I WAS TREATED ON WEDNESDAY.
AGAIN, I AM AUTISTIC…..I AM NOT A BAD BEHAVIOR!!!!
And some of your staff do not give a rat’s ass about me.
Sincerely,
Melissa Fields
Melissa Fields, Autist 