- Messages
- 432
- Type of diabetes
- Type 1
- Treatment type
- Pump
Hi All,
Hope everyone had an excellent Christmas and New Year.
Mine was:
Good - saw lots of friends and family and had time off work
Bad - the time off work was due to sickness and time in hospital
For the last 2 years I have obediently trotted to my GP surgery to receive my annual flu jab. Due to forgetfulness and a lack of time, I didn't get my jab this year. On Monday 22nd December I was admitted to hospital with a temperature of 101.4 (38.5 Celcius) and high ketone readings from my urine.
My blood sugar readings had been unpredictable from the Thursday/Friday before and on Sunday night, with a headache, I was contemplating staying off work on Monday. Having taken my temperature on the Monday morning I duely made an appointment with the doctor - not my own GP, but whoever was available. She confirmed I was suffering from a flu-like virus and that I should stay off work, take paracetemol and see it out. There was no diabetes-specific advice though. By the evening I was feeling a lot worse, so went back to the surgery to be seen by another doctor. She recommended I test my urine for ketones. Back at home I did the test and unfortunately they were high (+++). On phoning NHS Direct I was told to get to hospital immediately - otherwise they'd send an ambulance!
Two hours later, and having explained my symptoms to several doctors, I was eventually afforded a bed on the Medical Assessment Unit. Once in, they were fantastic. The care I received was first class and I will continue to sing the praises of the NHS. It may be a struggle to get seen, but once they're convinced you are a worthy case, the staff and care are brilliant. After a night on a drip feeding me saline solution and insulin, my blood sugars were back to normal and ketone levels were moving away from dangerous and towards manageable. They let me go home the following day after lunch and a lot of advice; the stuff they tell you when you're first diagnosed, but you forget, because you think it'll never happen to you. I spent the following week monitoring my blood sugar levels and giving myself correction doses of insulin. I've never had proper flu before and never want it again.
The moral of my story?...
Intensively monitor your sugar levels during sickness.
Make sure you know your adjustment doses.
Monitor ketone levels.
And
DON'T DELAY THAT FLU JAB!
Happy New Year,
Sam.
Hope everyone had an excellent Christmas and New Year.
Mine was:
Good - saw lots of friends and family and had time off work
Bad - the time off work was due to sickness and time in hospital
For the last 2 years I have obediently trotted to my GP surgery to receive my annual flu jab. Due to forgetfulness and a lack of time, I didn't get my jab this year. On Monday 22nd December I was admitted to hospital with a temperature of 101.4 (38.5 Celcius) and high ketone readings from my urine.
My blood sugar readings had been unpredictable from the Thursday/Friday before and on Sunday night, with a headache, I was contemplating staying off work on Monday. Having taken my temperature on the Monday morning I duely made an appointment with the doctor - not my own GP, but whoever was available. She confirmed I was suffering from a flu-like virus and that I should stay off work, take paracetemol and see it out. There was no diabetes-specific advice though. By the evening I was feeling a lot worse, so went back to the surgery to be seen by another doctor. She recommended I test my urine for ketones. Back at home I did the test and unfortunately they were high (+++). On phoning NHS Direct I was told to get to hospital immediately - otherwise they'd send an ambulance!
Two hours later, and having explained my symptoms to several doctors, I was eventually afforded a bed on the Medical Assessment Unit. Once in, they were fantastic. The care I received was first class and I will continue to sing the praises of the NHS. It may be a struggle to get seen, but once they're convinced you are a worthy case, the staff and care are brilliant. After a night on a drip feeding me saline solution and insulin, my blood sugars were back to normal and ketone levels were moving away from dangerous and towards manageable. They let me go home the following day after lunch and a lot of advice; the stuff they tell you when you're first diagnosed, but you forget, because you think it'll never happen to you. I spent the following week monitoring my blood sugar levels and giving myself correction doses of insulin. I've never had proper flu before and never want it again.
The moral of my story?...
Intensively monitor your sugar levels during sickness.
Make sure you know your adjustment doses.
Monitor ketone levels.
And
DON'T DELAY THAT FLU JAB!
Happy New Year,
Sam.
