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
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