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No support from specialist Diabetic nurses

P

Poodlelady

Active Member
Messages
26
Location
Nr Moffat, Scotland
Dislikes
I dislike people who swear a lot, shout and are rude. I dislike people who tell me what I should and should not be doing when they haven't the first idea about Diabetes.
I am really upset about the lack of support that I have found from the Diabetic Nurses who should be helping me. I was diagnosed in March of this year when I had ketonacidosis (sp). I am in my early 60's and it was at first thought I had type 2 but quickly realised I had gone into type 1.

I was sent home with glucose levels in the high 20's and told as I would be doing more at home than in hospital the levels would come down. Well, they did, as I am an active person and grooming dogs was good therapy. Then things started to go wrong when I develped Polymyalgia Rhematica and had to go onto steroids. My glucose levels shot up and I was struggling to understand the units of insulin I needed to keep them in single figures without going into a hypo or going too high.

When I phoned the Diabetic clinic to speak to a nurse for advice I was told off and told I should know what to do. But I didn't know what to do. I was told to eat carbs and not to be so silly.

Is this really the way to speak to a lady in her 60's, who's scared stiff of diabetes? Scared stiff of doing the wrong thing and ending up in hospital?

I might add that I also look after my husband who has dementia. Things can get scary and sometimes a kind voice saying ok, here's what you do is better than being told off.

Anyone else had a similar experience?
 
Hello Poodlelady

I have steam coming out of my ears after reading your post, your Diabetic nurse is there to support and advise not treat you in such an appalling manner.

I agree with Claire, perhaps you need to go back to your GP and point out just how awful this has made you feel apart from the fact that you have had no practical advice and are therefore no better off!

We have recently has someone involved in Diabetes care post here on the forum, she was looking for negative anecdotes to use at a forthcoming talk.
I am not going to get into the rights and wrongs of that but I sincerely hope she (and any other HCP's that frequent this forum) read what you have written and use it accordingly, too often diabetics are treated like this and it is outrageous. :evil:

Please let us know how you get on.
 
So sorry to hear this Poodle lady. I can totally understand your level of fear and frustration , not only having to deal with your Diabetes , which is never straightforward at the best of times but having to care for your Husband . You must feel very alone with it all right now especially when you turn to someone for help and you get a response like that, terrible.

I agree with the suggestion of going to see your GP. If you have your care under the Hospital and feel they are useless for you, then you may also have the choice of switching your Diabetic care to your Dr's surgery ,if they offer that with a Diabetic specialist GP. My surgery offers this for Type1 and 2''s, but my hospital team are great so I choose to go/stay with them..Hopefully you will have choices, go and talk to your GP and see.

Also, come into the Type 1 Diabetes forum, I'm not the greatest at giving dose adjustment advice but some of the members on this forum are great at it, they me be able to help you work out units to carb ratio's ,even though your Nurses should be helping you with this...but obviously not in your case :evil:

Please try and ask your Nurse/GP about the DAFNE courses, which are invaluble for information on carb counting, and just how Diabetes effects you in general, and how you can make it work for you as best you can. It gives you a good knowledge base, and a starting point for you to be able to communicate with your HCP in a more informative ,productive way. It will really help you so do ask about this, push for it with your GP to back you up on it and get you on a course ASAP.

Hope some of this helps, please hang around as there are a lot of great people on here that will be able to offer good help and support .Which it seems the later is what you are in need of, just as much...hope things get better
 
Sorry to hear this poodlelady. Not much more I can add to the voices above.
On a brighter note, how come your Avatar is a Dachsie and not a poodle? And a real cute looking dachsie too! We had a miniature Dachsund exactly the same colouring as that for 16 years.
Good luck!
 
Hi poodlelady.
Might I suggest you contact the clinic in question ask for a meeting with the DN team leader/manager, be assertive and firmly ask for appt date and time etc..
At this meeting tell her/him everything how you feel 'abandoned' and how you were treated also.
Insist on your patient charter right that they who manage the diabetes dept this experience has left you fearful of asking for more help as a result.
This is why you are raising these points of patient treatment to her/him and you need to recieve some guidance and help. Not to be told off or turned away.
I myself have gone down this route and totally turned negative patient care into excellent care for me.
The DN manager has a responsibilty to the conduct of her/his DN's.
If this was at your GP's where it happened then you need to see the practice manager, it will be documented and reported in the next staff meeting.
Its also about taking control , it is your journey living with diabetes and when you DO recieve a better degree and quality of care, you will wish you had done this sooner!
I certainly did...
Anna.
 
Considering you have been put on steroids, my poor late Granddad (who was Type 2) really struggled with his bloods after being put on some, and so I would imagine that you need extra assistance whatever way you look at it.

My heart really goes out to you at this time... and I'm wondering if it's worth you getting in contact with your local PALs to work through this neglect. It is absolutely disgusting that you were treated that way. I just had a look and I'm having trouble finding any offices in Scotland though... there must be a different name they're under for your area. If worse comes to worse, perhaps ask for a complaints form at your GP or hospital (whichever that call involved).

If you find that you have to do a lot of work alone with your condition often, it may be worth looking at seeing if a course called DAFNE is available for you to do. Doing that course and having the DAFNE guidebook may one of those help boosts you need. I'm a graduate of DAFNE myself and I highly recommend it.

Considering your diabetes team are not the most helpful, here are the DAFNE contact details so you can go direct for information:

DAFNE Central Office is:
Northumbria Healthcare
NHS Trust,
Rake Lane, North Shields,
Tyne and Wear
NE29 8NH, UK
Phone: 0191 293 4115
Fax: 0191 293 4276

Best of luck with getting this mess all sorted out.
 
Thank you all for your response. In desperation a friend insisted on taking me to hospital when my sugar levels refused to come down from the rafters of over 30mmol. Guess what? They told me to see my doctor and chucked me out!! I went to see my doctor the next morning and was very nicely treated and told to increase my insulin by 2 units each day. Then lo and behold the DN phoned me and lied about trying to contact me as the phone did not ring from her. She then told me to double up my insulin and to phone her back on Friday (tomorrow). I do wonder if someone had a word in her ears as she was not condesending nor did she treat me in the usual way as if I was a silly old woman. The steroids are not helping my diabetes but are helping with the PMR. However, my sugar levels are still quite high and I am hoping by increasing the insulin every few days I will eventually get it under control. I am so pleased I saw a doctor who took everything in account at my surgery. She was not my usual doctor, but will be from now on. I just wish I didn't feel so tired all the time.
 
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