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Another illinformed HCP

C

ClaireG 06

Well-Known Member
Messages
934
Location
Corby Northants
I ended up in A&E last night as i was having problems with my BG levels going up, had a severe headache,blurred vision, pins and needles in hands and tingly lips and ankles were swelling. Also had palpatations well there.
When i finally got to see a Dr i couldn't believe what he was telling me. He told me that all the symptoms i was experiencing and my very high blood pressure readings ( 175/100 then 209/125) were down to me starting insulin and that everyone who starts insulin gets these symptoms :roll: and that everyone gets big dips between levels.
I am shatterd today as headache is so bad i couldn't sleep very well. I still feel very unwell now but havn't a clue what to do. I can't get a GP appointment until Friday and neither of the DSN's are around to ask advice.
 
Re: Another illinformed HCP.

I wouldn't know if what he told you was right or not, I know that I never experienced those problems on starting insulin, apart from the blurred vision.

I guess that without knowing your full medical history it's difficult to judge.

Did he at least test for ketones?
 
Re: Another illinformed HCP.

No, no test for keytones at all. Until yesterday my BGs had been fairly level on the insulin as well only going up or down by about 3mmmol. I'm also fairly sure most of the symptoms i'm getting are BP related.
 
Re: Another illinformed HCP.

Claire does your gp practice not have emergency appointments were you can be seen the same day?
 
Re: Another illinformed HCP.

Tingly lips, palpitation, swollen ankles and high BP could be an indication of heart problems, I can't believe that he didn't check you for that and just put it all down to insulin.

If I was you I'd call an ambulance and tell them that you are now also having chest pains, they will have to check your heart then to make sure there is nothing wrong. They put the chest pains and other symptoms I was having down to heartburn (IBS) at the beginning and concentrated on that for years until it was nearly too late. You really need to be seen again even if it's to rule out heart problems.
 
Re: Another illinformed HCP.

louiseb said:
Claire does your gp practice not have emergency appointments were you can be seen the same day?
Click to expand...

I phoned and said it was an emergency and got told Friday was earliest GP appointment available :roll: My DN has just phoned me though and she is shuffling her appointments and has squeezed me in at 11.45
 
Re: Another illinformed HCP.


I am having outpatient investigations. Am at the hospital again tomorrow for an echo and 24hr blood pressure monitor. If i don't get any joy with the DN later then i might do as you suggest.
 
Re: Another illinformed HCP.

glad you got an appointment but if you feel any worse in th meantime go straight back to the hopsital .
let us know how you got on claire.
 
Re: Another illinformed HCP.

I've just read back over some of your other posts, and notice that you have had some problems with toothache recently. Did you ever resolve them? If not, have you taken your temperature recently?

At the risk of sounding a bit daft, some of the symptoms you describe could be due to a high fever as a result of infection, a tooth/gum abscess, for example.

Obviously, I'm not medically trained (other than as ambulance crew) it was just a thought (and probably rather a daft one).

I know that they would have taken your blood pressure, pulse and saturation level as a matter of course when you were seen at A&E, but they may not have taken your temperature?
 
Re: Another illinformed HCP.

Not daft at all. Am waiting to see maxos re my teeth but don't have pain now. I've had a temperature on and off but didn't have one when it was taken last night and also had bloods done for infection and there was none showing.
 
Re: Another illinformed HCP.

When I was diagnosed I had very high bp and a pulse of 188bpm and it was thought that I may have suffered a stroke but after numerous tests that was discounted, when I spoke to a proper diabetes nurse, one from a specialist diabetic hospital unit she said that it was common for high bp to follow high bg levels at diagnosis and is generally what causes the blurred vision.

Forget your practice nurse and phone your local hospital and ask for the telephone number of their dedicated diabetic unit, or better still find the address and go there right now You need to get this sorted quickly Claire high bp is never good, if you cant find your local diabetic unit phone M-Doc and ask their advice.
 
Re: Another illinformed HCP.


Is that an heart echo? If it is then they must have at least considered that it could be heart problems but why he told you it's down to insulin I have no idea.

Did they do an ECG while you were there?
 
Re: Another illinformed HCP.


Sid you cannot go to our local diabetes unit without a referral and my GP was very adament that i didn't need one. Probabaly due to money :roll:
 
Re: Another illinformed HCP.

Normal Weekend Rubbish A&E Treatment, I have never received the best treatment until the Monday
I bet if you went today you'd have far better experience :?:
Weekends A&E Overloaded with drunks and punch ups and well under staffed

Best time to become ill after the rush hour normal working day 9<>5

Like Ka-Mon said
One ref to chest pain and you would have been seen 1st also had a real good going over

Bob
 
Re: Another illinformed HCP.


I was admitted overnight about a month ago because of my BP and they decided on these investigations then. Yes, it is a heart echo.

Yes, a nurse did an ECG last night and said oh that doesn't look right and went to show the Dr and when i asked the Dr he put it all down to the insulin like everything else.

Thanks Bob, yes there were a few interesting characters shall we say in there last night. I have been in the daytime before and not got much better treatment. Only time i've ever got anywhere is when i went in by ambulance before christmas with pneumonia and DKA and when i was admitted overnight because i had a letter from a nurse.
 
Re: Another illinformed HCP.

Sid you cannot go to our local diabetes unit without a referral and my GP was very adament that i didn't need one.
Click to expand...

Its your right to ask to be seen by consultant ?

Another trick you can do is Just turn up at your Local diabetes unit :wink:
Its normal for a number of diabetics not to turn up for appointments 30% :shock:
Ask the nurse if you can see someone tell her/him why and you don't mind waiting all day

I bet you will get to see someone worked for me :wink:
I have had to do this a few times with my old GP

Bob
 
Re: Another illinformed HCP.

'was it the hospital A&E or your doctor who's sending you for the heart echo!

The symptoms you discribe could be insulin related, BP related or infected tooth related so really you doc should be looking into it very closely to work out which one it is...

If it's a reaction to you starting insulin then they should be looking at changing your insulin, if it's BP related they need to be looking to get your BP down, and if tooth related this needs to be sorted..

As to your GP refusing to refer you to the hospital team, I think I would either be seeing another doctor in the practice or changing practices completely...
 
Re: Another illinformed HCP.

Just turning up at the centre maybe worth a try.
It was the consultant himself that arranged the echo and bp monitor and have also had a kidney scan and 24hr urine catch. He arranged this when i saw him after being admitted a month ago.
I have seen other Drs at my surgery and they have all said you'll have to see Dr W as he's your GP and he knows you so it's up to him to refer you. There are only really two surgeries i can go to. Mine and another which has recently merged with mine and their policies etc are the same.
 
Re: Another illinformed HCP.

ClaireG 06 said:
Sid you cannot go to our local diabetes unit without a referral and my GP was very adament that i didn't need one. Probabaly due to money :roll:
Click to expand...

They may not like it Claire but in my experience if you rock up with off the scale bp and say you are new to insulin and extremely worried and that your doctor wont make you an appointment I think you will find they will be very helpful.

And as Bob so rightly states it is your right to be referred to a specialist not a favour that your doctor may or may not grant. Especially as you are now on insulin.
 
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