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Surgery next week and I've been thrown a curve ball!

squishychickfi

Well-Known Member
Messages
115
Location
Kent
Type of diabetes
Treatment type
Insulin
Dislikes
curry or anything spicy, snakes and mosquitos!
Hi
I am due to have day surgery next week for my shoulder (possible torn rotator cuff) under a general anaesthetic.

Today I went for my pre assessment and they took my BG levels at 19.3 which was obviously very high. They are now talking about cancelling the surgery due to this.

The only help they would give was for me to go and see my GP/DNS today and get my meds 'upped'. I have duly been and they have basically laughed at me! (Not in a bad way) as they say that anything done today would not take effect by next Tuesday! DNS has asked me to have blood test (luckily I had one at the hospital) and take my BG levels 3 times before tomorrow when she will see me (in her lunch hour - so nice of her)
GP is quite incredulous about all of this and said that she can't see why the hospital have said all this as it shouldn't make a difference to having surgery.

So my question is - is there anything I can do extra to try and lower my sugar levels? What will happen with the dawn highs (as that will be the time they will check on the day of surgery) and has anyone had this experience and can give me any advice?

Thanks
 
Hi Fi

Don't know personally whether surgery can go ahead with high BG or not (I'm sure emergency ops must have to go ahead) and whether you can do anything before next Tues but if I was you I would be going for it big style,

I'd be immediately looking at my food intake and greatly reducing my carbs as well as any obvious sugary treats. I personally get by on <50g and it sorts my Bg's out nicely.

Warning - I don't know if the meds you are on may induce hypos (not on meds so not up on them) so beware.

Good luck

Mary x
 
My bs was high around 11 at my pre op but they told me it would depend on my hbac1 as to whether the op would go ahead. Thankfully it was low at 7.6 so there was no problem.
 
Thank you - had my hba1c today but they haven't said that would be the decider! I am just cross that this is all happening the week before the op - why couldn't they have done this sooner? I am a teacher and trying to have the op in the summer so I don't disrupt classes and now I am being thwarted in every way!

And yes I am doing my utmost with low carbs lots of water and no treats - although that will not help my hba1c now!
 
Hey Fi!

Surgery always carries risk, but the risks go up significantly if your BG is high. If you need an emergency op, they will weigh the risks of doing the op with high BG against not doing it. As your op is not an emergency, they might decide the risks of operating outweighs the benefits of surgery. If that is the case, they will tell you to get your BG under control before they operate. As you know, 19.3 is way too high. It increases the risks of strokes and other serious problems while under anasthaetic. I wouldn't be at all surprised if they postpone your op until your diabetes is controlled. If they do, it will be for your own good, so try not to be angry/upset. It is better to wait than risk your health if that's what they decide. Your GP should know this and should be helping you manage your diabetes. Personally, I would go back to your GP and ask to review your diabetes management.

Good luck

Smidge
 
Hi Smidge

I know you are right - just puts all my plans to pot and I wish they had said they were cancelling rather than letting me get there next week and doing a BG test first thing in the morning and then deciding!

Funnily enough I am due a review and had this booked for after surgery - never thought it would cause me so many problems!

I have an appointment to see the DNS tomorrow at my surgery she is fitting me in as an emergency - will see what she suggests then! I wish they had given me some idea of what was an acceptable BG level though for surgery!
 
Hi, I had the same problem, pre op for my knee arthroscopy and days laer diagnosed with diabetes with an HBA1C of 12.6. Anaesthetist said no. Eventually had it done with an HBA1C of 7.8 which didn't seem to perturb them.

Good luck. A high reading means greater chance of post op infections and healing issues, that is why they won't proceed.

Ali
 
Well I have been good overnight and took my BG first thing this morning - hoping that it would be the time of the dawn phenomenon as I am not sure that they will take that into account when I have my op (first thing in the morning and BG will be done at about 7am on an empty stomach) and it was 8.7 so not quite so worried now - taking my BGs regularly over last 24 hours and seeing DNS today so hopefully she will say the same and can then hack into the hospital database and see what my hba1c is from yesterdays test!
 
when I had a cataract op in May, I was told that my levels needed to be no higher than mid "teens" for them to be happy to go ahead. I was 16.9 on the morning of the op and they were ahppy to go ahead. Obviously it's not a GA tho, which probably makes a difference.
 
I think that is what is frustrating - if they said - it must be no higher than ....... I could cope! But it will depend on the morning!
 
Hi I'm going in for surgery next Thursday which I was supposed to have had last September but being newly diagnosed type 2 at the time of pre op my hba1c level was too high for anaesthetic. I was told that until they went down to 6.5 or below I couldn't have the op. I achieved this finally sometime in jan/feb time not sure if this helps but good luck with it n I do hope that u get ur op as soon as u r able to in as safe as condition as u can b
 
thank you for all your responses and kind words

have seen the DNS who is appalled by the hospital and said there were things they could have done to make sure my op was on time and I was safe! However, I have been monitoring my BG and it wasn't as bad as the reading at the hospital yesterday (which I had told them) and she has tweaked my meds to sort me out short term - so - hopefully all will be well now!

Will post on Tuesday with the good or bad news!
 
Well my Hba1c result is 68 which is not great, but is below the 8.5% level that is on the management of adults with diabetes undergoing surgery guidelines that I have now found!

Silly to think that one is in the new units and the other in the old- but I have used the calculations thingy and is is under 8.5 so I will argue the point with them tomorrow!

I have also (helped by the new meds and being really good this week in low carbing) managed to get my daily average down to about 7 so it is all systems go for tomorrow.

I just hope nobody puts a spanner in the works as I am feeling very very tense and emotional and at 7am in the morning someone is likely to get short shrift if they try and challenge me on all this!

But to be on the safe side I have downloaded the NHS guidelines to my kindle which I am taking in along with a printout (courtesy of the website) of my readings over the last week!

Thanks for everyones help and support over the past week!
 
Hi Fi, I have been keeping up with your thread and just wanted to say Good Luck for tomorrow.
 
Thank you both - have to say I am looking forward to a night of sleep when it has been done I haven't slept a full night for nearly a year now and the thought of being pain free (after a bit obviously) is really exciting! As is having hubby and son wait on me hand and foot
 
Well I am back home having had to stay in overnight! Thank you for all your good wishes.

Bloods were fine when I went in. The admitting staff couln't have cared less about the pre admit high! All that worry for nothing! And then the hospital doesn't seem to understand diabetes as all my meals were full of carbs and if you didn't drink tea or coffee you were stuffed in the hot drinks department. Couldn't wait to get home to a nice cool room and lots of lovely food that will not send my BG through the roof!

Anyway, back to bed for me - but thank you all again for your support!
 
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