Aww, thanks all of you
I nearly asked hubby to register and leave a message on here cause I didn't want to worry anyone but thankfully I'm home now and very happy I'm out!!
Right, the saga....I suggest you all get comfy cause it's going to be a long looooooong story :lol:
Tuesday I took the Lantus and within about half an hour started itching and thought "oh b****r here we go again". Took my high-power antihistamine and hoped it would settle and it got worse.
By the time the ambulance got to me I was getting a rash on my neck, my throat, neck, lips, tongue and eyes had swollen and I could barely speak.
The ambulance crew were awful. They were rough, rude, unhelpful and just really uncaring.
They took me to A&E and hubby overheard one of the ambulance crew telling the A&E nurse that the allergy reaction was not as bad as I was "making out".
I was turfed to the Minors ward and left there in what was basically a small cubicle with two hard plastic chairs and nothing else for about 90 minutes with nobody coming to look at me.
Hubby went to get some water as I was really dehydrated and when he asked the nurse where he could get water from he was asked who it was for. He said himself and was told that "she isn't allowed anything". No explanation as to why, so he was sneaky and gave me sips from his anyway.
I'm still happily swelling away, my arms now have red raw lines over them where I've been scratching so much, the skin was broken in some places and hubby went to find out how long we'd have to wait as things were just getting worse and the nurse told him "well stop her scratching then".
Finally I was moved to Majors where a nurse came to take blood.
She tried my right elbow, then the left and then finally forced (and I really do mean forced) the needle into my right wrist which caused me to cry and feel sick. She was largely unsympathetic, despite me telling her that my wrists are one of my really bad fibromyalgia trigger points.
Another nurse came to take the blood (who was lovely to her credit), was much more gentle and kind and fitted a cannula. I was given a hefty dose of piriton and hydrocortisone and placed on the observation ward.
About 4am I was told I could go home in the morning (after 7am) when I felt better.
I wasn't given any advice about how to handle the diabetes without insulin and when I asked, the A&E doctor told me to just take the Metformin and Glimepiride to "see if it helps" and talk to my GP.
I refused and told him I wanted to speak to BDEC in the morning to sort out the medication once and for all. After a bit of badgering, the doctor agreed.
At about 8:00am I had to ask if I could have something to eat as I needed to take my medications and I was given a banana which I could only half of - the other half was so black and mushy it was inedible.
At about 9:30am (Wednesday morning) I saw the nurse that I'd seen previously (Stephen) who told me I couldn't be allergic to insulin (I just looked at him and told him that the swelling, breathing problems and rash dictated otherwise) and then in the next breath told me that I would obviously be allergic to ALL insulin and he couldn't help me; so I would just have to take tablets and see if my blood sugar went down in the next 3 months on its own.
He then said he'd send a diabetes doctor down to talk about diet - which I said he and I had already covered and he just shrugged and left.
The diabetes doctor came down, talked to me about what had been going on and she was fairly helpful. She said I was an ideal candidate for the Victoza injection which is given once a day at the same time every day and helps control the liver dumping glucose into the body when you eat. It also reduces appetite so my weight would come down slowly.
She said I'd be moved to the diabetic and endocrine ward to be given the injection that afternoon and I'd be kept in overnight to make sure I didn't react.
I was moved to the AMU ward to wait for a bed on the endocrine ward and was seen by another doctor who told me I wasn't having the Victoza at all that day and I would need to wait until Thursday morning to see the specialist (who I was seeing next month anyway) to talk to him. He said that my BS would be heavily monitored through the day and that was the end of it.
Naturally I was not happy about this. Which I made clear. I asked why I couldn't have the Victoza that day and instead of answering, the doctor just left.
I had no BS monitoring at all - thankfully I had taken my own kit in with me so I kept an eye on things.
I was offered lunch and advised the nurse I was wheat and lactose intolerant so I was given two small pieces of white fish.
Dinner came and I was offered cream of mushroom soup and a sandwich - I advised them again that I couldn't have wheat or lactose and the only other option I was given was a baked potato and beans. Not wanting to cause trouble and tell them that I'm low carb I accepted it.
When it came it was a plain potato, no beans and the salad was a small handful of lettuce, 3 slices of cucumber and 2 slices of tomato.
When it became obvious later that day that the things I had been told would happen were not going to happen I decided I would self-discharge and take care of things myself.
I spoke to a nurse who got a doctor to speak with me.
I was then told I was being kept in because of the secondary allergic reaction that I could have and I need to be watched. I mentioned that I hadn't been told any of that and asked why and also asked why this hadn't been done when I'd gone in after reacting to Humulin I. No answer was given and when I asked again to self-discharge the doctor said:
"If you go home, you'll have a secondary reaction and you'll die. You'll be dead in 2 minutes."
This was a bit of a shock as it hadn't been mentioned at all previously and I promptly burst into tears to which she said "sorry for being honest I'll give you 5 minutes to decide" and then left.
I ended up having a panic attack and hyperventilating; which hubby was furious over (well he was more angry at the way she'd said things to me but the panic attack just made it worse) and I felt as though I
had to stay overnight because I was absolutely terrified I would go home and not wake up again.
I wanted to slap her when I calmed down. I didn't, but I really really wanted to.
I was told I'd be given something to calm me down so I could sleep as I was really agitated, this didn't happen.
I was told that my BS would be monitored through the night - it got to 6am and it hadn't been done so again, I did it myself.
Breakfast came (Thursday morning) and I was offered nothing at all. I asked for some fruit so I could take my medication and was told that they weren't sure they had any.
At about 8:00am I was moved to the endocrine ward.
I saw the specialist (Professor Kerr) who took me off of Glimepiride and onto Victoza. He said it would come from the pharmacy that morning and I could start it that day and go home in the evening if it was successful.
The Victoza was not ordered and sent up to me until late in the afternoon and I was told I could not start it until Friday morning and would have to stay overnight again.
When it came up from the pharmacy, my medication list came back with my antihistamine (Fexofenadine) stopped. There was no reason for this and I'd not been told I was being taken off of it. I take it for my skin condition and do need it; so the nurse went to find out why this had happened.
By 10pm I had still not been told anything and the night nurse told me I wasn't to take it.
I said that I needed it or I'd be itching all night and I was going to take it until I was personally told by a doctor that I couldn't.
She sighed and then told me I couldn't give myself my medication (which I'd been doing since I'd been admitted with no problem at all) and that I'd have to sign a form to do so.
I didn't get the form at all, so I carried on self-administering my medication anyway.
Friday morning and breakfast came around. I was offered cereal and bread and for the third or fourth time said that I was wheat and lactose intolerant and was offered nothing further.
Thankfully hubby had brought me in some grapes and blueberries so I had some of them so I could take my medication.
I gave myself the Victoza injection and all was well (thankfully!!)
I was told again about the self-administer form and was still not given it to sign.
Finally at about 3:30pm I was told I could go home and I asked if it would be possible to arrange patient transport as I had no other way of getting home unless I waited until 8pm when hubby could come and get me.
I was told that that was only for the elderly or disabled people.
Because apparently needing a stick and extra help to walk as well as a wheelchair isn't disabled enough??
When the paperwork had been sorted, I asked how to get to the main hospital entrance (they wouldn't call a porter to help me get there, I had to walk) so I could call a cab and instead I was given the wrong information and dumped at a side entrance.
I had no idea where I was in relation to the main entrance and had to ask a random person coming out how I get there.
I was told to call a cab and tell them where I was and they would probably get there; so I did and ended up waiting for 30 minutes before it finally arrived.
So that's the saga over and for anyone that's still with me - congratulations, you all deserve a medal and a really big mug of tea!!
And yes, I am complaining to PALS about all of this.
I will not be staying quiet anymore - the treatment was just ridiculous.
