Extra long hospital appts

[anna29]

Hi all.
Yesterday I attended my local hospital for an appointment , the clinic was running 1hour behind then became 2.5 hours behind then it ended up 3hours !
As I sat there for ages , my blood sugars went down to 4.3 and I started to feel hot and shaky.
Found the staff nurse running the clinic and explained that I needed to eat ASAP and really couldnt wait much longer etc...
To my surprise she panicked , shoved me into a room , asked me what did I need ?
Food soon as by now it was almost teatime , then need my insulin afterwards I said...
She then dashed out and returned with a free meal/drink voucher and a nurse from her team in the clinic.
The nurse came with me whilst I ate my free food and drink , we returned back to another private room where I took my BG levels and after the doctor had been sent in to see me with my recent surgery results.
Staff nurse returned with packets of biscuits and fruit from the nearby vending machine! :shock:
She had bought them herself!!! :shock: :shock: :shock:
I offered to pay her back - but she wouldnt have any of it!
Was still flapping that I was okay and asked would I do my BG levels in front of her before she would let me go. I did this and was reassurring her that I was okay and safe to drive with my BG levels nicely up to 7.9 .
To be honest I was taken by suprise by her instant help and insistance that I was okay , plus it was clear how " little " she actually knew about diabetes.
She was flapping over it and it was obvious, the clinic was mad busy and she was under pressure.
Yet bought me fruit and biscuits [3 pkts of them!] I was amazed ...
Still cant believe it actually happened.
Has anyone else had this-or something similar happen to them?
Anna.x

 

[Grazer]

Sometimes kindness is as helpful as skill and knowledge eh?

 

[Gappy]

Even if the system doesn't educate them properly nurses are wonderful caring people it's not a job I could do.

 

[Unbeliever]

Yes some are certainly wonderful caring people. Others are not . I spend LOTS of time at the hospital and have fgot to know the nurses very well
Some will go the extra mile to help patients ,others don't want to know.
I have heard and seen instances of nurses being discouraged from helping patients by others who seen to fear that they might be expected to do the same.

Then you get the "techno nurse" who thinks patient contact is the job ona met one of the caring kind in her time of need.f the HCAs .. Then you get the just plain lazy.

In other words they vary as much as people do in any profession.

I am glad Anna encountered one of the "angels" in her time of need..

 

[copepod]

I've been at both ends - missed plenty of meals when nursing on wards, although that was before getting type 1 diabetes - and since diagnosis have worked in research units etc and made sure I always have plenty of sweets, muesli bars etc as quick to eat emergency food, especially when the only nurse in the unit, so I couldn't leave while there were research participants on site. Also, I've made lots of toast & tea / found food for lots of people who needed it, including people going hypoglycaemic, relatives waiting with family members, sandwiches for people of no fixed abode in A&E etc.

However, just as I expect myself to always have food available in case of delay, I would also wonder why someone else with diabetes didn't do the same.

 

[Unbeliever]

My hospital appoinment letters {not for diabetic clinic} always warn diabetics to bring food and drink
in case of delays.

One of my first visits involved a wait of 7hours all told. After a complaint by a patient who had been a member of the hospital board all the diabetics present were offfered food. As I was a new patient I had only taken a drink and small snack with me.
The food turned out to be the most disgusting, fatty luncheon meat sandwiches. i dont think many of us could eat more than a bite and we mosly gave the unouched half to the nurses who were also ravenous, poor things, as they couldnt go to lunch either with literally hundreds of people waiiting o be seen.

I can still taste that sandwich now and always remember to take food with me these days .

 

[anna29]

Hi all.
The nurses are indeed :angel: :angel: :angel: angels.
As I was looked after by one on thursday .
In response to unbelievers point - none of my hospital appt letters make ANY reference to daibetic patients when attending clinics. [I attend lots of clinics too]
This weeks appt was the only one I have attended - where they ran well behind the clinic appt time slots for the patients.
What struck me with this weeks experience was her panicking and lack of diabetes understanding plus the free food and her own self funded supplies of biscuits and fruit from the nearby vending machines!
I kept offering to repay her but she wouldnt have any of it - this made me feel awful to be honest!
Poor young girl she was only in her early 20's was panicking and I was finding myself reassurring her I was okay and with a BG level of 7.9 I was really safe and okay to make my way home.
As a result of this next time I attend the clinic I will take a small gift in for her to unwrap [well its nearly xmas isnt it?] with a card to thank her for her help and concern for me.
Outside it was still chaotic and loads of patients were still waiting to be seen and attended to.
I was concious and aware of this too.!
Anna.x

 

[Tracey69]

Hi Anna
I have just checked through my letters and they don't say anything about if your a diabetic bring food with u. Like yourself i think the nurses do an excellent job, I ahve had a couple of hypo's at appts in the past and i couldn't of asked for better from the nurses.
At least they looked after you, shame they panicked.
Take care
Tracey

 

[Unbeliever]

I wasn't suggesting at all that people were not reading their letters and missing instructions to bring food etc.
I was just mentioning that my hospital does so. I don't think this was the case when I first started going there - in fact I attended several times and had waits of 6hours plus. They must have been going through a bad patch. Maybe this led to the warning which is now on all letters.

I should think each hospital is responsible for drafting its own letters to patients.

With the best will in the world they don't always get it right. I once was admitted for a day procedure and was told to eat nothing after 7'30. of course I was not even allowed a drink of water before the procedure. Because one operation proved to be much more complicated than forseen I was still waiting at almost 1 pm

It was quite fortunate that my levels were running high at the time. I am sure I couldn't last that long now.

Of course nurses panic sometimes - they are only human. I sometimes think that too much is asked of the HCAs also who often stand in for nurses on breaks etc often when there is noone around to refer to either.

Nothing ever really changes does it? I still have vivid memories of attending a pre-natal clinic at the hospital many years ago. All the patients had to stand in line waiting to give in their details at reception.
A large, apparently very placid and motherly sister sat supevising all. until one of the patients fainted,

"Oh [***********] what do I do now "she screeched, raising her arms to heaven and addressing the rest of us. A sister, mark you!

At least Annas nurse did something positive!
I often take little gifts in for the nurses who make a special effort and for the unseen ones who ry to make sense of he chaos behind the scenes- those who show a little common sense and telephone me to clarify when something is obviously wrong . We all like to be appreciated.