Type 2 with insulin in hospital in Australia (double knee replacement)

[SueNSW]

First off thanks to those who have sent me good wishes on other threads - much appreciated. Things seem to be progressing pretty well - it's now day 4 after op on Tuesday - I'm using a low walker on my own and sticks with physio - and have done stairs this morning - so they seem happy. Will have drains out probably tomorrow and will move into the rehab section here soon I think

A while ago @Educator123 had a thread re ways to improve things for Diabetics in hospital in Britain and I promised I'd report on my findings during my stay here in Australia - so here goes:

Guess it's been a mixed bag but mostly OK - I've been able to administer my own insulin and Metformin (plus a couple of other meds I take regularly) more or less from when I was established in my single room, on the Surgical Ward. Any extra meds (and definitely a pill cocktail at times!!) are administered by the nurses. I do my own blood sugar readings and report them to the nurses.

Mentioned on another thread that a night nurse totally panicked when my fasting level was 4.9 the other morning - wouldn't let me get up for the loo and insisted I ate 6 Ritz type biscuits with cheese - that 2 hours later before breakfast arrived sent it up to 9.7. No other dramas like that fortunately.

Food is "interesting" - all diabetics are lumped in with "weight control" patients - full cream milk, butter and sugar are "not appropriate" but can eat yoghurt, bread, breakfast cereal and fruit juices with no problems!!. I can choose to eat lowish carb - for lunch and dinner - normally a meat dish with seasonal vegies - or a salad - but pasta, potato, desserts and bread are all available. For morning and afternoon tea, as a diabetic I get a special snack - normally a cracker biscuit/s (like Jacobs Cream Crackers) with cheese/ham/pickle/gherkins etc while others get cake/muffins/biscuits

They offer complimentary beer or wine with lunch and dinner - which my surgeon approved straight away (I love her!!!) - so I've been having a glass of dry white with dinner every night - very pleasant.

Need to say this is in a private hospital - paid for by my health fund (that I currently pay around £1000 per year for - at age 62) I will pay an excess of around £300 for my stay - which they expect to be for around 10 - 14 days altogether - but unless there are any nasty little surprises that I don't know about yet - that should be it including the surgery and anesthetist.

Hope @Educator123 is still around to see this - and that I haven't bored everyone else -

 

[Mep]

yeh the 'diabetic' food in hospitals here isn't great. I have other dietary restrictions too. There was one time they served me a baked chicken breast (nothing on it, plain as anything, and too dry), and brussel sprouts which I can't eat. I looked at them and asked are they joking... I told them already I have problems with food textures, etc. Considering they didn't know what to give me in the end I just asked for scrambled eggs on toast as at least they know how to make that. But they usually give you a high carb meal for a diabetic menu which I don't like. Eg. they will give you a pasta or potato along with bread and fruit and ice-cream or something for desert... I'd never eat that normally. They have no clue. I'm glad you're learning from the experience and mostly getting good treatment.

 

[SueNSW]

Thanks @Mep - I actually asked to speak to the dietician about the menu - especially for breakfast, and she told me eggs were an option - though they weren't on the menu sheet. Unfortunately, each time I've ordered them I've not got them - just a note saying "not available" so my breakfasts in particular have not been particularly healthy : ( Had a lovely roasted tomato and basil soup for lunch today - with a cheese salad wrap - just about to measure 2 hours after that .............wonder what I'll get?????

 

[Mep]

Thanks @Mep - I actually asked to speak to the dietician about the menu - especially for breakfast, and she told me eggs were an option - though they weren't on the menu sheet. Unfortunately, each time I've ordered them I've not got them - just a note saying "not available" so my breakfasts in particular have not been particularly healthy : ( Had a lovely roasted tomato and basil soup for lunch today - with a cheese salad wrap - just about to measure 2 hours after that .............wonder what I'll get?????

The wrap shouldn't be too bad as lower in carb than a sandwich. Although the tomato soup may have been full of sugar. See what you get.

 

[Living-by-the-beach]

I watched a video of Dr Michael Mosely yesterday on diabetes and saw this photo of a patient in for a foot amputation due to diabetic complications

For breakfast prior to the surgery he was offered cornflakes and milk! CRAZY! Then they wonder why diabetics are getting amputations. In the US we're on a run rate of 75,000 amputations/ annum.. Scary stuff that makes me ride my bike most days.. I am getting fitter though..

 

[BarbaraG]

I'm fortunate to have never been an inpatient. But if I were told that I could not have XYZ food (which was available in the kitchen) because it "wasn't appropriate", I would be absolutely livid. How very dare they?!

If it comes to it, I would fast in protest!