FindingNemo
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 71
You would think, wouldn't you?
Yesterday, I was at a hospital (far from home), only to find on arrival, my pump has malfunctioned. I try changing battery, twice, still not working. It has a status screen, but is not delivering any basal or bolus. I do not know at what point it stopped, becuase it does not appear to be alarming either, and this (9.15am) is the first time I have gone to use it that day. I figure after the kitten chewing the line incident on Wednesday and the speed of my downfall then, that it hasn't been more than a couple of hours though.
So, I'm in a hospital, I'll just pop to A&E, explain the situation and they will give me a flexi pen to get trough the day, no? (I had one in my bag, but it had jammed)
NO. I explain the situation at reception and am directed to the waiting room. I start getting a bit twitched at ow long i am left waiting as I know how quickly things can deterirate, and I walked into A&E essentially well.
Eventually I get called. I explain my situation and the nurse does a full set of obs (I feel even this is a bit OTT, I just need insulin) She also does my BM, no suprise that it is high (21). But I still feel well, so am not worried. But, instead of organising insulin, I am sent back to the waiting room.
When I am called again, I am called by a student nurse and she leads me through to cubicles This is NOT right. Se then wheels in an ECG machine. I say, 'I'm not trying to be awkward, but I don't realy get all this, I know my BM was high, and I know why, the importnat thing is to get me some insulin and all this is delaying that'. She smiles at me, nods and dutifully gets out the sticky pads for the ECG. After that, I am taken to another cubicle and given an odd look when I insist on walking, rather than riding the trolly!
Then, a nurse comes in and starts taking bloods, and without actually explaining also sticks a venflon in. 'Uh oh', I think. He then does another BM, no **** sherlock, its gone up. But he will go and ask the Dr if the Dr thinks I should have any insulin!!! :shock:
He then gets me to explain my pump to him, so I do the 'How a pump works in 2 mins' speech and tell him my ratios etc and based on that how much insulin I would be having at that time. Actually now, I can feel that I am gettin ketotic and have that familiar acid burning senstaion running through my chest, back and down my arms. I am now becoming ill! Finally the nurse goes off and comes back with a flexipen and I give 10u straight away. He does my BM again less than 10 mins after that, it is higher than the last reading (again, I am not suprised)
At this point I am still confident that I can deal with this on my own, I just want the flexipen and to go. But now, I have fluids running. They want a urine sample, fair enough, but I know I will have ketones, I can feel them. The nurse wheels a commode into the cubicle with badly fitting curtains and looks very annoyed when I insit on using a normal toilet.
The DSNs come to see me, discuss that I am happy with what I will be doing when I get home, get me a levemir pen, document my doses/ratio's etc in which I am well versed. They want a sliding scale up to get my BMs down and arterial blood gasses! I feel a little exasperated at all this 'care'. A friend has also arrived to keep me company and stays with me the rest of the day. ABG's get done, normal.
Over the next few hours I have various examinations from various doctors, I pressume looking for the cause of my high blod sugar. Well, it doesn't matter ow many times my veins get palpated, my stomach felt, my chest listened too etc, I already know what has happened and have explained it more times than I can count.
My BM, in the absence of any infection etc or anything else they may look for, not suprisingly comes down fairly swiftly. Once they are below 10 I get more firm in my request to leave, but I am asked to wait '5 mins' etc for the various Dr's/Comsultants that are 'just on their way'.
At 3pm ish - my fluids have run through, none of the staff check, so my friend dutifully clamps it off. At 4pm, my friends ask if I have eaten. Nope and I actually realise, since my arrival I have not once been offered any kind of refreshment at all. I am bought a cheese roll.
I have now asked for self discharge forms several times, the last few BM readings being 9.4, 7.6, 7.2 and 5.6. But eac time I am fobbed off or ignored or pleaded with, becuase I shouldn't go home, 'just in case'. Just in case of what? I AM NOT ILL. The nurse does another BM 3.4! Now I am not 'allowed' to walk to the toilet because I am hypo, eve though I don't actually feel it and am still able to function fully. At least at this point the damned sliding scale is removed.
So, free of all my lines I walk back to the desk and re-ask for self discharge forms, some guaze so I can remove my venflon. Another nurse, another lecture, another promise that the consultant is on the unit, literally just seeing someone who is 'sicker' than me. I am not arguing that, I am arguing the fact that I am not sick and shouldn't bloody be here! I am remined again that they are 'following protocol'
I would like to see this protocol they have for 'well people who can manage their own condition, but through no fault of their own do not have access to the medications that they need' I would also be fascinated to see if this protocol recommends keeping someone who has a high BM waiting over 1 1/2 hrs for the insulin while other tests are done.
I finaly see the consultant at 5.15, wo appears slightly amused at my desperation to go home! I re-explain the situation, the day and manage to convince him that I know what to do with my doses etc and am allowed to go home. The nurse is particularly rough in taking out my venflon, she obviously hates this difficult patient!
What a bloody day!
Yesterday, I was at a hospital (far from home), only to find on arrival, my pump has malfunctioned. I try changing battery, twice, still not working. It has a status screen, but is not delivering any basal or bolus. I do not know at what point it stopped, becuase it does not appear to be alarming either, and this (9.15am) is the first time I have gone to use it that day. I figure after the kitten chewing the line incident on Wednesday and the speed of my downfall then, that it hasn't been more than a couple of hours though.
So, I'm in a hospital, I'll just pop to A&E, explain the situation and they will give me a flexi pen to get trough the day, no? (I had one in my bag, but it had jammed)
NO. I explain the situation at reception and am directed to the waiting room. I start getting a bit twitched at ow long i am left waiting as I know how quickly things can deterirate, and I walked into A&E essentially well.
Eventually I get called. I explain my situation and the nurse does a full set of obs (I feel even this is a bit OTT, I just need insulin) She also does my BM, no suprise that it is high (21). But I still feel well, so am not worried. But, instead of organising insulin, I am sent back to the waiting room.
When I am called again, I am called by a student nurse and she leads me through to cubicles This is NOT right. Se then wheels in an ECG machine. I say, 'I'm not trying to be awkward, but I don't realy get all this, I know my BM was high, and I know why, the importnat thing is to get me some insulin and all this is delaying that'. She smiles at me, nods and dutifully gets out the sticky pads for the ECG. After that, I am taken to another cubicle and given an odd look when I insist on walking, rather than riding the trolly!
Then, a nurse comes in and starts taking bloods, and without actually explaining also sticks a venflon in. 'Uh oh', I think. He then does another BM, no **** sherlock, its gone up. But he will go and ask the Dr if the Dr thinks I should have any insulin!!! :shock:
He then gets me to explain my pump to him, so I do the 'How a pump works in 2 mins' speech and tell him my ratios etc and based on that how much insulin I would be having at that time. Actually now, I can feel that I am gettin ketotic and have that familiar acid burning senstaion running through my chest, back and down my arms. I am now becoming ill! Finally the nurse goes off and comes back with a flexipen and I give 10u straight away. He does my BM again less than 10 mins after that, it is higher than the last reading (again, I am not suprised)
At this point I am still confident that I can deal with this on my own, I just want the flexipen and to go. But now, I have fluids running. They want a urine sample, fair enough, but I know I will have ketones, I can feel them. The nurse wheels a commode into the cubicle with badly fitting curtains and looks very annoyed when I insit on using a normal toilet.
The DSNs come to see me, discuss that I am happy with what I will be doing when I get home, get me a levemir pen, document my doses/ratio's etc in which I am well versed. They want a sliding scale up to get my BMs down and arterial blood gasses! I feel a little exasperated at all this 'care'. A friend has also arrived to keep me company and stays with me the rest of the day. ABG's get done, normal.
Over the next few hours I have various examinations from various doctors, I pressume looking for the cause of my high blod sugar. Well, it doesn't matter ow many times my veins get palpated, my stomach felt, my chest listened too etc, I already know what has happened and have explained it more times than I can count.
My BM, in the absence of any infection etc or anything else they may look for, not suprisingly comes down fairly swiftly. Once they are below 10 I get more firm in my request to leave, but I am asked to wait '5 mins' etc for the various Dr's/Comsultants that are 'just on their way'.
At 3pm ish - my fluids have run through, none of the staff check, so my friend dutifully clamps it off. At 4pm, my friends ask if I have eaten. Nope and I actually realise, since my arrival I have not once been offered any kind of refreshment at all. I am bought a cheese roll.
I have now asked for self discharge forms several times, the last few BM readings being 9.4, 7.6, 7.2 and 5.6. But eac time I am fobbed off or ignored or pleaded with, becuase I shouldn't go home, 'just in case'. Just in case of what? I AM NOT ILL. The nurse does another BM 3.4! Now I am not 'allowed' to walk to the toilet because I am hypo, eve though I don't actually feel it and am still able to function fully. At least at this point the damned sliding scale is removed.
So, free of all my lines I walk back to the desk and re-ask for self discharge forms, some guaze so I can remove my venflon. Another nurse, another lecture, another promise that the consultant is on the unit, literally just seeing someone who is 'sicker' than me. I am not arguing that, I am arguing the fact that I am not sick and shouldn't bloody be here! I am remined again that they are 'following protocol'
I would like to see this protocol they have for 'well people who can manage their own condition, but through no fault of their own do not have access to the medications that they need' I would also be fascinated to see if this protocol recommends keeping someone who has a high BM waiting over 1 1/2 hrs for the insulin while other tests are done.
I finaly see the consultant at 5.15, wo appears slightly amused at my desperation to go home! I re-explain the situation, the day and manage to convince him that I know what to do with my doses etc and am allowed to go home. The nurse is particularly rough in taking out my venflon, she obviously hates this difficult patient!
What a bloody day!