Never been hospitalised?

[KetoOptimized]

Every time I go to see the diabetes doctors, they ask me their questions. One of which as I'm sure you are all aware is if I have ever been hospitalised due to diabetes. I say no, never. The reaction they give me is always of really big shock. Like, I almost get the feeling they don't believe me. This last time I finally asked them why they seemed so shocked and they just give me a low answer like oh most people have been. I pressed them more and said I found it surprising that was the case and they tried to move on quickly with no further explanation The doctor actually ended up assigning a huge range of blood tests because she thought I had some special kind of diabetes (???). Even the lady taking my blood commented on the number. I was quiet upset with that doc as I have had type 1 diabetes for 15 years and no other doctor took it that far...

I'm no saint of the diabetes and my control is just OK, but surely the rate of people ending up in hospital because of very poor control is not as high as they make it out to be? Does any else get this kind of treatment?

 

[Diakat]

It’s not always about poor control- people can be hospitalised because infections drive up levels, on diagnosis because they went into DKA, or because of a bad hypo.

 

[MeiChanski]

I was hospitalised at the beginning of my diagnosis because I was in DKA with vomiting. However I've never been hospitalised since, even for my accidents in 2013, paramedics were able to revive me and I recovered as soon as I was conscious. I also have never been asked that question, apart from DVLA form.

 

[LooperCat]

I was hospitalised at diagnosis but only to be taught how to manage, I wasn’t particularly ill. And twice with DKA.

 

[ChrissiStar]

I’ve only been hospitalised three times: at diagnosis, when I had a nasty infection and couldn’t get my levels under control for love nor money and when I was a rebellious teenager and thought I knew better than the medical professionals. It always comes as quite a shock to some considering I had more years than I should have where I was pretty much guessing everything.

 

[Seacrow]

I was hospitalized at diagnosis, but felt pretty well. I only went along with it because I was told they'd show me how to inject insulin. Since then I've been in and out of hospital like a flippin' yoyo - none of which were because of diabetes. When the paramedic walks in and I'm 'Hi Kevin, how are you?' it probably means I'm being admitted more than average.

The diabetes always, always complicates diagnosis and treatment though.

 

[Daibell]

Hi. I suspect those doctors are wrong. Many T1s and LADAs have not been hospitalised and have been diagnosed and treated before DKA appeared. I wasn't despite having BS in the 30s at diagnosis.

 

[Antje77]

I've never been hospitalised for anything except twice for only the day time for operations (tonsillectomy at 5, gall bladder removal at 34), both before diabetes.
No one has ever asked or acted surprised that I've never been hospitalised.

 

[Colin Crowhurst]

Hospitalised at diagnosis (well it was a minot car accident) and also after my first Clinic follow up 6 weeks later, when I decided to zonk out and everything stopped for 21 seconds.... now have a pacemaker fitted to resolve that. Looking back neither incident was caused by the diabetes but it did get me a diagnosis at the age of 50, feel fine now and moving forward all the time.

 

[EllieM]

I've been to casualty a couple of times with hypos (Oh the joys of T1 pregnancy) and for other things (pregnancy, broken limbs, appendix etc).
In a recent visit to my diabetic specialist I winged about the fact that my last set of blood tests had my blood sugar at 3.7 (yes, I felt low) while the test on my meter (done 5 minutes later after washing hands and before having a glucotab) was 4.7 and 4.8. She suggested I get the alternate New Zealand meter, which also does ketones. I told her I'd never had DKA in 49 years and thought it unlikely I'd get it in the future (given the amount I test) and she told me she had many patients (didn't specify T1 or T2) who ran hba1cs of 100 and were permanently a couple of days away from a DKA. Scary stuff.....