Dangerous to be in hospital

[ladym680]

After having severe diarrhoea for 5 weeks I ended up in hospital severely dehydrated and put straight on a drip. My eyes were really opened at the very basic knowledge of diabetes care by some of the staff. I was put on a Gastroenterologist ward, fortunately a room of my own. Had many tests and basically on fluid drip all the time I was in for 12 days with no diagnosis.

The diabetic nurse came to see me and suggested how much insulin I should take and also for my long acting, however I was eating nothing and if I did it came straight out Why would I give myself insulin and probably go into hypo, ignored advice. The nurse kept coming in with syringe full of insulin about 12 units I told them I would manage my diabetes myself .

This is the thing that really worried me. I was told I had to be nil by mouth as I was going to have a Gammer scan (where you swallow a capsule and are scanned 3 hours later) I had not eaten or drank anything for 13 hours, I was given a leaflet telling me what I had done and it said YOU HAVE BEEN NIL BY MOUTH FOR FOUR HOURS etc I asked the nurse why I had been NBM for 13 hours given I was an insulin dependant diabetic when I only needed to be for 4 hours. I was furious, by now it was 3pm I had not eaten for 15 hours managed half a sandwich then was told at 6pm was nil by mouth again for another test the following morning. I refused asked to see the doctor and told him I was discharging myself due to the fact I did not feel safe and no one had taken into consideration my diabetes.

The nurse that looked after me most of the time was really interested to learn about diabetes and asked me lots of questions and how I injected my self, it seems their training is very basic.

I made a complaint to the Chief Executive of the hospital raising my concerns at the lack of knowledge of how to treat a diabetic and our different needs. It's very worrying you may come out worse than when you went in.

 

[copepod]

What was in your fluid drip? Normal saline? Dextrose? Any IV insulin?

 

[ladym680]

What was in your fluid drip? Normal saline? Dextrose? Any IV insulin?

Mom look in

Just saline to keep me hydrated, when my sugar level dropped so low the day I was nil by mouth they gave me a energy milkshake drink as the nurse realised it was no good me being unconscious when having the scan !

 

[Robinredbreast]

After having severe diarrhoea for 5 weeks I ended up in hospital severely dehydrated and put straight on a drip. My eyes were really opened at the very basic knowledge of diabetes care by some of the staff. I was put on a Gastroenterologist ward, fortunately a room of my own. Had many tests and basically on fluid drip all the time I was in for 12 days with no diagnosis.

The diabetic nurse came to see me and suggested how much insulin I should take and also for my long acting, however I was eating nothing and if I did it came straight out Why would I give myself insulin and probably go into hypo, ignored advice. The nurse kept coming in with syringe full of insulin about 12 units I told them I would manage my diabetes myself .

This is the thing that really worried me. I was told I had to be nil by mouth as I was going to have a Gammer scan (where you swallow a capsule and are scanned 3 hours later) I had not eaten or drank anything for 13 hours, I was given a leaflet telling me what I had done and it said YOU HAVE BEEN NIL BY MOUTH FOR FOUR HOURS etc I asked the nurse why I had been NBM for 13 hours given I was an insulin dependant diabetic when I only needed to be for 4 hours. I was furious, by now it was 3pm I had not eaten for 15 hours managed half a sandwich then was told at 6pm was nil by mouth again for another test the following morning. I refused asked to see the doctor and told him I was discharging myself due to the fact I did not feel safe and no one had taken into consideration my diabetes.

The nurse that looked after me most of the time was really interested to learn about diabetes and asked me lots of questions and how I injected my self, it seems their training is very basic.

I made a complaint to the Chief Executive of the hospital raising my concerns at the lack of knowledge of how to treat a diabetic and our different needs. It's very worrying you may come out worse than when you went in.

So sorry to read of your horrendous time in hospital. Well done for complaining to the chief executive about your concerns regarding diabetic care and treatment, one wrong move from the nurses and doctors and it could be all over for a type 1, with diabetes or lives seem to be truly in their hands and it is a frightening prospect. It is liken to the Victorian times, as patients who went into hospital, very often didn't return home and as we are in the 21st century, times should be moving forward, not backwards.
I hope you have made a good recovery and you are feeling a little better now, take care.

 

[ladym680]

Tank

So sorry to read of your horrendous time in hospital. Well done for complaining to the chief executive about your concerns regarding diabetic care and treatment, one wrong move from the nurses and doctors and it could be all over for a type 1, with diabetes or lives seem to be truly in their hands and it is a frightening prospect. It is liken to the Victorian times, as patients who went into hospital, very often didn't return home and as we are in the 21st century, times should be moving forward, not backwards.
I hope you have made a good recovery and you are feeling a little better now, take care.

 

[ladym680]

Tank

Thank you for that.

 

[hornplayer]

That's terrifying. So glad you were on the ball enough to stick up for yourself! I have an absolute horror of hospitals. Hearing about your experience just made me even more determined to stay away from them.


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[ladym680]

Not all hospitals are the same, but I hope when any of you do have to stay in just remember you know how to manage your own diabetes, do not allow them to bully you. They are not always right. By the way I did get an apology and was told they would be looking to improve thier care for diabetics.

 

[Mep]

So sorry to read you had this horrible experience. I can relate to the lack of understanding as I also seem to have problems in hospitals. They often don't check my sugar levels when I'm there even though I state clearly I'm an insulin dependant diabetic. I hope your scan went ok and they found the cause of the diarrhoea for you at least.

 

[CarbsRok]

The diabetic nurse came to see me and suggested how much insulin I should take and also for my long acting, however I was eating nothing and if I did it came straight out Why would I give myself insulin and probably go into hypo, ignored advice. The nurse kept coming in with syringe full of insulin about 12 units I told them I would manage my diabetes myself .

Obviously you need insulin even if not eating so you def need your background insulin and any bolus for correction purposes. 12 nits is hardly a syringe full anyway is it?
Sounds to me as if a lot of crossed wires in the circuit somewhere.

Being nil by mouth for 13 hours should not cause a problem as you are on MDI so can't see what your problem is in that dept either. Each to their own though.

Just saline to keep me hydrated, when my sugar level dropped so low the day I was nil by mouth they gave me a energy milkshake drink as the nurse realised it was no good me being unconscious when having the scan !

So you were not nil by mouth thus the scan was a complete waste of time and money!

 

[ladym680]

Obviously you need insulin even if not eating so you def need your background insulin and any bolus for correction purposes. 12 nits is hardly a syringe full anyway is it?
Sounds to me as if a lot of crossed wires in the circuit somewhere.

Being nil by mouth for 13 hours should not cause a problem as you are on MDI so can't see what your problem is in that dept either. Each to their own though.


So you were not nil by mouth thus the scan was a complete waste of time and money!

 

[ladym680]

Thanks for dissecting my experience and view of my hospital stay. Of course I was taking my insulin, as I said, I was managing it myself and did not need another 12 units on top. No problem being nil by mouth for 15 hours, but point was, it was as I had explained, going to be another NBM back to back from 6pm that evening until 1pm the following day when next test was booked, another 19 hours add that to the 15 = 34 hours. I think a non diabetic would have found this very hard.

Oh your right, scan was a complete waste of time, doctor decided it was not necessary after all

 

[Sue61]

Glad all ok. I'm T2 but had a stay in hospital recently and they were great. First on surgery list because your diabetic they said. Offered food which was a couple of biscuits and then a sandwich. High carb though I suppose to push sugar levels back up. Regular BS checks but they didn't know what normal was. But they tried.

 

[ladym680]

I suppose it's luck of the draw and I think my experience was definitely not the usual, but I was hoping to highlight things that can happen. Nice to know your ok

 

[alison.81]

I agree about the NHS policy on diabetes.

My dad in April of this year was scheduled for an endoscopy and colonoscopy. He is a Type II. When the appointment first arrived it was for 3:30pm! I rang and rescheduled saying he is diabetic, he can't go without food for over 24 hrs. They then said they had rearranged it for 8:30 that morning so on the day after he fasted and cleared himself we were asked why we were there this early as his appointment was at 3:30? I then hit the roof.

My poor dad had to go through the same thing the following week. Everything went ok and his results were clear but the stupid man on the phone obviously did not reschedule the appointment with me on the phone.

 

[eddie1968]

I can honestly say that having being in a General Ward, High Dependency Unit and the Intensive Care Unit the only time I felt 100% safe was in ICU as the nurse to patient ratio is 1:1. In ICU I had a nurse standing at the end of my bed with a lecturn 24 hours a day when in a coma or awake.

 

[donnellysdogs]

I had worse than that...

Day of mastectomy was allowed my injections before going in..

They then attached drip!!

I warned them I would go low. I did go low. They took no notice... They upped the insulin.

Person came to collect me to walk to theatre... I was stumbking down the corridor. I tod the anaethestist and surgeon they would kill me on the table. They had left my drip behind, the last I remember was asking for my blood monitor and them sating "she's under 2.0"....

Never got chance to look at my breast for one last time as I had wanted to...

I too put a huge complaint in to my CEO. It took 6 months for them to respond and their letter was full of apologies and said they had learnt lessons...

I will never trust hospitals again. Never.

 

[donnellysdogs]

There are many tests that they should conduct from the symptoms you list...
I have a superb gastroenterologist thankfully and never have to have admittance...

Were they conducting tests for gastroparesis?

Are you able to keep food down now? It may be to keep you hydrated that you need to make some smoothies, as the water from any fruit, veg, ccoconut water, yogurt etc would keep you better hydrated....

The bulk of my food is soups n smoothies...
Don't eat any fruit with skins on like grapes, peaches or apples...

 

[NinaB73]

Speaking as someone whom has unfortunately gone under the knife a few times, my experiences have always pretty much left me in control.
Not always easy as I found out when I was offered a ceasarean one morning sat in the maternity unit awaiting imminent birth, just had a whopping morning jab, (and they were whopping during pregnancy) and told 'nil by mouth' Horror! I promptly went hypo which they treated I.V, (quickest hypo I've ever recovered from!) But I did continue to hypo all through my birth which I had under spinal, had a lovely anaesthetist who just took my word for it and put some more glucose in. Could of been avoided I know but wasn't the end of the world.
I recently had another op and was first up on an afternoon list, so nil by mouth from midnight for food but later for fluids, the hardest part for me was dealing with my Dawn Phenomena and not over doing it, they won't operate above 13mmol. I'm used to taking quick acting insulin first thing despite breakfast so was worried sick about going either too low or above 13! I managed it though and I had really good treatment and even after the op when I felt like SH*T my doctor said 'whats your sugar levels? have you tested? I did feel like telling him where to shove his testing kit but sluggishly obeyed!

 

[Tanny35]

It is worrying when in hospital at the lack of knowledge these medical professionals have of diabetes. Esp when they try and force you to take insulin when u have already taken the required dose. It's like we put our life on to the hand of a bunch of muppets.
The best I had recently (wasn't in a hospital stay) but I was shocked. In a joint renal/diabetic clinic you would assume they know about diabetes. How wrong was I. The doctor wrote down on a urine test that I was type 2 and I am type 1. So I told the nurse, and said I'm actually type 1 will that make a difference to the test if they think I'm 2. She replied I don't know what it means. They went on to tell me that it meant they were testing me for type 2. So when I said why would they do that when type 1 supersedes type 2 she told me I might have type 2 as well. Then another nurse came in and she asked him what it meant. He said it was something to do with the kidneys. That day I lost faith altogether!
Hope you are feeling better now, and they have sorted u out


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