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NHS - Biscuits For Recovery

dbr10 said:
Yes, really. They are supposed to be aware that the patient is diabetic. When my late father went to hospital last year, he was offered a drink because he'd been waiting so long. The nurse asked if he was diabetic before offering a biscuit.
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Last time I checked, Diabetics can eat biscuits.....
 
Last week I had the same procedure. I was also offered tea and biscuits. Don’t drink tea (or coffee) so had water. Biscuits were in own packet so could eat or leave. Having been nil by mouth since night before I ate them gratefully.
However what DID bother me was that I had to be admitted (planed for reasons I don’t need to go into here). For lunch was offered a sandwich and yogurt..... opted for cheese - was given a very poor cheese sandwich on white bread and loads butter. Given high sugar yogurt. This WAS a planned admission and known I am T2D. Was very concerned and for that reason and couple of others ended up discharging myself. Dread to think what I would have been offered for dinner!
 
Alasdair said:
Last time I checked, Diabetics can eat biscuits.....
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They can eat anything they like; but, whether the choice is a wise one is another matter. I made mistake of having a small biscuit with a coffee this afternoon. What could it hurt? BG 8.1 and I didn't even like it because it was too sweet. Just a reminder to leave these in future.
 
Bev007 said:
Last week I had the same procedure. I was also offered tea and biscuits. Don’t drink tea (or coffee) so had water. Biscuits were in own packet so could eat or leave. Having been nil by mouth since night before I ate them gratefully.
However what DID bother me was that I had to be admitted (planed for reasons I don’t need to go into here). For lunch was offered a sandwich and yogurt..... opted for cheese - was given a very poor cheese sandwich on white bread and loads butter. Given high sugar yogurt. This WAS a planned admission and known I am T2D. Was very concerned and for that reason and couple of others ended up discharging myself. Dread to think what I would have been offered for dinner!
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Basically, they would have tried to poison you. You are safer at home.
 
We were offered chocolate biscuits on my DESMOND course. I was the only one who politely passed the plate round without taking one. It is personal choice and also situation. I have a packet of crisps after giving blood, it's the only time I eat them.
 
When I had both of my cataracts (two different months) removed at the day surgery unit at the Mater hospital, the staff offered me ham and salad sandwiches and a cup of coffee afterwards.
 
KK123 said:
dbr, in an ideal world it would be lovely if the nurses knew everything about everyone. All diabetics are not the same as each other though, some will eat biscuits or whatever, some won't. I really don't see anything wrong with them offering a diabetic 'unsuitable for some' food, you can just say no. Also from my Mum's experience in hospital for non related issues (and she was a very brittle diabetic), it was difficult enough getting the nurses to remember to give her her insulin on a given day and I am not joking. I do agree that of course they should know their diabetic patients but even when they remember, how do they know which one would love a biccie and which wouldn't? If a nurse asked me if I was a diabetic before offering me a biscuit I would be annoyed that she thought I couldn't have one if I chose! Poor nurses can't do right for doing wrong sometimes.
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When I’ve been in hospital for a couple of (non diabetes related things), I was forbidden from having the regular puddings offered to non d patients, I was only given the option of sugar free jelly. I explained that I’d done the DAFNE course at that very hospital, so I was perfectly able to dose for whatever I was eating. But no. Wasn’t allowed the apple pie that everyone else got.
 
When you go in as a day case i think it might be protocol to have a drink and something to eat before you can leave and you must remember the nurses are not diabetic nurses either. It happened to me when i went in a cup of tea and 2 biscuits so i took the biscuits out snapped a bit off and put the others in my man bag and they said ok you can leave,
 
My experience is that the nursing staff are stressed out and overworked, and have to follow the protocols laid out for them. There is no point in my taking up any dietary queries with them, they have to toe the line. I think its unfair to expect them to behave in any other way. The target for change should be the ones who make the rules and guidelines that these poor overworked underpaid people have to follow. I drink the tea, pretend to eat something, and get out to eat some cheese or something by myself.
 
therower said:
Real world. Nurses no longer have time or resources to do this for every patient. If attending every patient they asked if they were diabetic then they would also have to check for all other eating conditions. religious beliefs regarding diet and personal choices. It's a hospital for people not just " selfish look at me diabetics."
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I agree. If they did treat people different they get accused of bias or prejudice. Nurse was kind enough to offer, in my eyes.
 
KK123 said:
I'm guessing that the majority of type 2's (or anyone for that matter) would have gratefully accepted the biscuits. I wonder what is the percentage of type 2s in the general population who are low carbing or at least not consuming high carb items. The person who offered them probably does so a hundred times a week and would not know whether a person wants them or not. My point being that maybe individuals should simply say thanks but no thanks. Like I do at work when I am constantly offered biscuits and cakes. I soon got fed up with explaining why. I guess it's better than a nurse saying 'You ain't getting any biscuits because you're a diabetic'.
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Yes I agree and I did say politely no thank you and I can hardly say I have never eaten a biscuit. However, this is the NHS and I would have expected them to offer an alternative to a diabetic, even fruit would be a better healthier option.
 
therower said:
How would it be if when eating out the waitress or waiter asked if there was any diabetics dining on the table.
A decision was then made to remove everything from the menu " off limits " for diabetics .
As a T1 I'm incapable of producing insulin.
As a T1 I'm not incapable of making my own choices regarding what I choose to eat or not eat.
As a diabetic it's my responsibility to tell people of my condition not for people to have to ask me.
Sadly the blame culture prevelant in society seems to be getting worse.
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She could have asked though! She didn't ask if I wanted the biscuits or give me the option to ask for an alternative or check if it was appropriate for me to have them. I was pretty drowsy and could have been allergic - she didn't check or ask!
 
ickihun said:
I agree. If they did treat people different they get accused of bias or prejudice. Nurse was kind enough to offer, in my eyes.
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She didn't 'offer' though just gave without checking or asking. The NHS are always banging on about lack of money and how diabetics are costing them a fortune and then they dole out biscuits! Hmm.
 
AdamJames said:
I think a point has been missed in recent posts:

Even if the people offering the tea and biscuits did ask if the patients had special dietary needs, and were told by the patient that they were diabetic, they would still offer the tea and biscuits. Because according to the NHS eat well guide, tea and biscuits are fine. One of the pictures of food types in the eat well diagram looks very like a packet of biscuits to me. It's under the pictures of bread, cereal and potatoes.

The elephant in the room, and the really burning question that needs answering, is whether the digestives that @Catlady19 was offered were plain or chocolate. If they were plain, then clearly she was being treated as a second-rate citizen as everyone knows chocolate are better.
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Sadly there were plain! ;)
 
Catlady19 said:
She could have asked though! She didn't ask if I wanted the biscuits or give me the option to ask for an alternative or check if it was appropriate for me to have them. I was pretty drowsy and could have been allergic - she didn't check or ask!
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I'm allergic to penicillin. I do not wait to be asked. If I'm conscious I tell anyone who may need to know, if I'm unconscious I currently have 3 sources of information relating to my allergy upon my person. It may not be enough but at least I've made the effort. I stand by my belief that it's done to us as individuals to be responsible for ourselves. If having a biscuit was such an affront then you should have made this clear before your operation.
 
There's times I'd use a Digestive biscuit to catch the tail from my morning injection, and find a rich tea at 7g carbs/sugars to be useful pre gym session depending where I am to my last jab/point of basal, and then there's other times I'd like one but my bloods wouldn't allow for it.

So I'd say yes or no, thank you.....
 
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