Coke and chocolate in vending machines in hospital

[Lamont D]

It is all trial and error was same for me when I went on my pump but this is marvellous as I have far more freedom with food ( if I know the carbs I can have it) it's very clever. It does impact my life I can't lie but it could be worse at least there are good doctors and specialists that treat you as if your not stupid. I do feel my diabetes has robbed me of things (unable to drive) but you can't let it beat you you just have to take the rough with the smooth.

I have a great consultant and up to date on diet and treatment. I had a spell in hospital a few weeks ago, I have a few threads about my time inside!!
But I can't complain about the care I got! I have his phone number and I can phone him or his secretary any time during the day. I have another few glucose tests to go through to see if any reaction to my glucagon levels, my insulin levels and how my pancreas is doing through all this.

 

[Heatherirvine]

I have a great consultant and up to date on diet and treatment. I had a spell in hospital a few weeks ago, I have a few threads about my time inside!!
But I can't complain about the care I got! I have his phone number and I can phone him or his secretary any time during the day. I have another few glucose tests to go through to see if any reaction to my glucagon levels, my insulin levels and how my pancreas is doing through all this.

Hopefully it will be good news your doing all that they are asking of you so I'm sure you'll be fine. The support team around you is vital. My team are wonderful.

 

[Lamont D]

The hypos from a diabetic point of view are more dangerous as they are immediately life threatening but the long term effects should be reduced by preventing a yo yo effect which is what your doing. You'll get there with it, just don't let it get you down. blood sugar is all trial and error and nobody will get it right 100% of the time. My sugars have had an effect on me with my memory and cognitive function for definite but mine go exceptionally low 1.2 or lower (most diabetics would be unconscious or so I've been told - the paramedics use to think their glucose machine was faulty because I was still awake (not necessarily aware of surroundings) )

I am feeling a lot better since taking my new meds. I have a new lifestyle, feel better than I have for years, fitter, healthier. I'm fine,
Hopefully soon, you can get to the bottom of your constant hypos, fight back, don't you let it get you down! Memory and and cognitive functions, anxiety and a few more symptoms are all the same for constant hypos, I really hated the blurred vision, cos I couldn't watch football on the tele. I couldn't sleep properly, hence the next day was feeling ******, you know them all?

 

[Heatherirvine]

I am feeling a lot better since taking my new meds. I have a new lifestyle, feel better than I have for years, fitter, healthier. I'm fine,
Hopefully soon, you can get to the bottom of your constant hypos, fight back, don't you let it get you down! Memory and and cognitive functions, anxiety and a few more symptoms are all the same for constant hypos, I really hated the blurred vision, cos I couldn't watch football on the tele. I couldn't sleep properly, hence the next day was feeling ******, you know them all?

Certainly do, can't sleep worrying but then get too tired and go hypo. unless you go through it nobody understands

 

[ShelleyHarris1981]

An awful lot of patients in hospital don't know or realising what they are given (no choice) despite given a menu, in my experience they are given food , that shouldn't be given to diabetics but because the menu recommends the food for diabetics that is what they are given, the food guidelines on the menu in my hospital would have seen me really poorly and greviously having hypers then hypos. And especially T1 diabetics!

I definitely think the hospital menu needs addressing, but vending machines is just a step too far for me. Its the rebel in me. I hate to think people are being dictated too and aren't smart enough to know what they should eat in moderation on the menu front I completely agree though, when I was admitted after being diagnosed a woman came to see me from the maternity ward who 'specialised' in food for diabetic patients, she took me to the food cart and was like right I think cheese and potato pie, roasters and veg will be good for you for dinner.straight away with my Nan and Uncle being type 1 i thought that a heck of a lot of carbs right there! How can they teach us if they themselves need teaching!?

 

[ShelleyHarris1981]

I hope they got sacked they could have killed you! I take about 30 units a day on my pump so that's nearly 4 days worth, your so lucky you didn't end up with a life changing brain injury. On what planet are these medical staff trained. Gggrrrr I just can't believe the incompetence.

unfortunately not, they both got 2 weeks immediate leave (so a holiday really!) and then had to spend a week on diabetic ward. They weren't allowed to give out any meds before they had completed training on the ward. Whippee do etc etc ! X

 

[Lamont D]

Certainly do, can't sleep worrying but then get too tired and go hypo. unless you go through it nobody understands

Just to rub it in, my sleepless nights seem to be a thing of the past. Having had another 7 hours straight through from just after midnight till 7.20, with a minute during to visit the loo! I haven't done anything tiring, I'm just sleeping more. Only once in the past month, and that was three days in!
I do honestly believe that sleep patterns and sleep disruption is a major part of diabetics feeling a little bit better or feeling rubbish!
Have you told your team about your sleeplessness, a parent needs all the sleep they can get, and worrying about it makes it worse.

 

[Lamont D]

I definitely think the hospital menu needs addressing, but vending machines is just a step too far for me. Its the rebel in me. I hate to think people are being dictated too and aren't smart enough to know what they should eat in moderation on the menu front I completely agree though, when I was admitted after being diagnosed a woman came to see me from the maternity ward who 'specialised' in food for diabetic patients, she took me to the food cart and was like right I think cheese and potato pie, roasters and veg will be good for you for dinner.straight away with my Nan and Uncle being type 1 i thought that a heck of a lot of carbs right there! How can they teach us if they themselves need teaching!?

Correct! The staff and medical staff at my surgery and hospital and the menu, just seem obsessed with advising medium to high carbs for meals! No they are not, I can get any carbs I want from vegetables and fruit, I don't need and have been recommended by my consultant to stay away from the medium to high carbs because of what they do to me!
I am so pleased my consultant is up to date and open minded!

 

[ShelleyHarris1981]

Correct! The staff and medical staff at my surgery and hospital and the menu, just seem obsessed with advising medium to high carbs for meals! No they are not, I can get any carbs I want from vegetables and fruit, I don't need and have been recommended by my consultant to stay away from the medium to high carbs because of what they do to me!
I am so pleased my consultant is up to date and open minded!

you sound like you have a good medical team where you are

 

[Heatherirvine]

I definitely think the hospital menu needs addressing, but vending machines is just a step too far for me. Its the rebel in me. I hate to think people are being dictated too and aren't smart enough to know what they should eat in moderation on the menu front I completely agree though, when I was admitted after being diagnosed a woman came to see me from the maternity ward who 'specialised' in food for diabetic patients, she took me to the food cart and was like right I think cheese and potato pie, roasters and veg will be good for you for dinner.straight away with my Nan and Uncle being type 1 i thought that a heck of a lot of carbs right there! How can they teach us if they themselves need teaching!?

You really need to just tell them you know more about it than them and to leave you to it. (Harder when your newly diagnosed obviously). They should get diabetics to teach diabetics then most situations would be solved. When I was diagnosed they used to get you to experience a hypo in a controlled situation so you knew what it felt like (couldn't trust them to do it now as they can't get it right anyway).

 

[Lamont D]

The interesting thing, is that it is logical! Why eat foods(carbs) that are causing all my symptoms?
The consultant told me that his mentor would never diagnosed me with my condition!
He would have insisted on treating me as a hypoglycaemic! And the meds which are helping so much, would not have been prescribed!

The fight to get through the jungle of wrong advice and the difficulty in the right diet and treatment and the lack of T2 diabetic and Prediabetic 'experts' on the front line is why that the epidemic of this disease is increasing by really bad proportions!
Thank whoever, that this site is here for the reasonable and in my opinion the correct advice about a low carb, and fat diet!
It has opened my eyes!

 

[Lamont D]

You really need to just tell them you know more about it than them and to leave you to it. (Harder when your newly diagnosed obviously). They should get diabetics to teach diabetics then most situations would be solved. When I was diagnosed they used to get you to experience a hypo in a controlled situation so you knew what it felt like (couldn't trust them to do it now as they can't get it right anyway).

I agree with that! If I was to advise any diabetic about how this and how that it would decrease the chances of further complications along the way and save money, in the NHS and surgeries! I have a friend who is a paramedic, who has talked to me about numerous situations and even though he is just qualified in the last six months, I opened his eyes about diabetes being so diverse and that one treatment doesn't fit all! The paramedics are ahead of other frontline staff on how to deal with emergencies!

 

[Heatherirvine]

I am on first name terms with Merseyside ambulance service lol. They have had to climb in through windows. Last time I had the first response car, ambulance, 2 police cars, a fire engine and a number 53 bus (husband was a bus driver) I'd locked myself in the house my older children who could have helped were locked out and I was unconscious in the bedroom. All fun and games. Needed a new front door afterwards and police wouldn't let my family into the house in case I was dead. The paramedics are fantastic but they need a bit more training on pumps as they are not as familiar with the hypo procedure.

 

[AnnieC]

I've often thought this with doing away with Tuck Shops etc in Schools.
You used to get it in the school but now kids just go out to shops to buy it instead.
If you do away with treats you'll binge.
I'm kinda on the fence though.

There is a grammer school right opposite Sainsbury's supermarket where I live and at lunch time and after school the shop is full of the children buying cans of drink and crisps. I often wonder if their parents know what they spend their lunch money on they probably think they are spending it in the school canteen
As to hospital vending machines I suppose it would be better only to have the sugar free drinks in them.

 

[ShelleyHarris1981]

There is a grammer school right opposite Sainsbury's supermarket where I live and at lunch time and after school the shop is full of the children buying cans of drink and crisps. I often wonder if their parents know what they spend their lunch money on they probably think they are spending it in the school canteen
As to hospital vending machines I suppose it would be better only to have the sugar free drinks in them.

i used to save my dinner money for Smash Hits magazine and such like

 

[Robinredbreast]

People need to remember that these companies are only selling because there is demand. The companies cannot be completely blamed for people's choices to eat unhealthily or even just to treat themselves.


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Hi Some great posts here and the Op's question is a difficult one to answer. I had to rush into hospital with my elderly dad on News years day, he had broken his wrist and throughout the day became very confused and agitated, he had a water infection as well. I went up with my daughter and had my grandchildren they were staying with me. The teenagers had some items from the vending machines, but they ate from the restaurant too. I even had a packet of crisps from the vending machine myself, even though I'm Coeliac, I had to eat something, the discomfort afterwards wasn't serious. I couldn't 'pop' back home as I don't drive, as neighbour kindly took us up .I stayed with my dad constantly, he was so frail and the infection made him change into 'a dad I didn't know' so upsetting.
So, as a stop gap the vending machine was a necessity at the time, but not something I really wanted to use.

 

[dtennant9]

There is a grammer school right opposite Sainsbury's supermarket where I live and at lunch time and after school the shop is full of the children buying cans of drink and crisps. I often wonder if their parents know what they spend their lunch money on they probably think they are spending it in the school canteen
As to hospital vending machines I suppose it would be better only to have the sugar free drinks in them.

Exactly.
I live opposite a high school and at lunchtime most of them leave school to buy things they can't get in the school. The local chinese takeaway even open at lunchtime to cater for the school.
When I went to the same school you could buy things from tuck shop and school dinners did more food that kids wanted. Now it doesn't but they just go elsewhere.

 

[Heatherirvine]

i used to save my dinner money for Smash Hits magazine and such like

Lol I remember that around time if new kids on the block and take that (original with Robbie)

unfortunately not, they both got 2 weeks immediate leave (so a holiday really!) and then had to spend a week on diabetic ward. They weren't allowed to give out any meds before they had completed training on the ward. Whippee do etc etc ! X

 

[Heatherirvine]

One thing though I bet they don't do it again as I'm sure they got a fright from what they had done if nothing else.

 

[Lamont D]

I am on first name terms with Merseyside ambulance service lol. They have had to climb in through windows. Last time I had the first response car, ambulance, 2 police cars, a fire engine and a number 53 bus (husband was a bus driver) I'd locked myself in the house my older children who could have helped were locked out and I was unconscious in the bedroom. All fun and games. Needed a new front door afterwards and police wouldn't let my family into the house in case I was dead. The paramedics are fantastic but they need a bit more training on pumps as they are not as familiar with the hypo procedure.

What are you doing locking yourself in? Lol! It's a wonder they didn't trash your house as well, you know what these here scousers are like! It's a wonder that you had any wheels left on the bus! Lol!
Yeah, the paramedics I know are pretty good!