type2_2020
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What was that HbA1c level?1 week later I was told by my DN that she found a previous hba1c from a year ago showing I was a diabetic then, an entire year before I ended up in hospital fighting for my life.
What was that HbA1c level?
So in the diabetic range but only just and they normally do 2 tests so you could have been marginal on the other test. Had it been 70 or something then you would have been able to claim they were negligent but it is not clear cut in my opinion. If it was me I would send a letter of complaint rather than risk the expense of suing.50 or something like that
My take on this @type2_2020 is that suing the NHS or a doctor is a tortuous route, and you must prove their alleged negligence harmed you. Even doing so, the chances of an damages being paid could be modest, and could be extremely costly - not only in terms of your pocket, but it might irretrievably damage any remaining relationship you have with your doctor.
My personal feeling is I am more likely to need my Doc, than they are likely to need me, at some point in the future.
In your shoes, I would certainly raise my concerns, in writing, and express your concerns for others as well as yourself, and ask what steps they will be taking to reassure you this could not happen again to you, or anyone else.
On that basis, you are asking for an improvement to their services, which I would suggest could be reasonable. Taking a more positive route might also enhance the chances of you getting a prize looking after, moving forward.
I have only ever made a written complaint about any services "enjoyed" by our family, and it related to my late mother, delays on her appointments, then absent medical records and so on, following a terminal cancer diagnosis.
Having sent my complaint, my mother was never, ever kept waiting - even regularly being seen ahead of others in the queue and before her time.
Sadly none of that could save her life. She was indeed terminally ill, but it did reduce her stress levels significantly, and helped reduce the resentment I felt about how my mother had been treated, and was expected to continue with a load of nonsense.
Good luck with it all, whatever you decide to do..
I totally agree with you.
For what it is worth I'd agree with your decision to focus on the future and what seemed to have been a slip up rather than a systemic error. I'd say you were unlucky that your diabetes escalated from a barely diabetic hba1c to full blown dka over a year. That is no consolation for yours and your wife's suffering. I hope you will keep telling your story about how serious /mild' diabetes is and hopefully that your story gets a happy ending?Yeah I think they've more than paid back, thanks for the feedback, think I'm going to go with my gut on this, happy to be alive to me is worth more. Maybe as a compromise, I will ask them why events had to unfold like this and how they will want to ensure it doesn't happen to someone else.
I do agree with my wife that this could have all been avoided. What does get to her a lot is that I almost died and she wasn't allowed to be there due to covid, so she was so stressed with it and when I finally came out of the comma, my speech was slurred and I was dizzy and confused and wasn't making any sense on the phone calls to her.
They're checking everything, cholesterol came back a bit high at 7.6 but I eat 1/2 a block of full fat cheese a day, so I've had to stop that for the next test.
Spoke to her last night about it and the overwhelming support from all of you to confirm what i was thinking was where the majority would agree with and that I will write a letter to the CCG and GP. She said fine, and left it as that.
I was under a different unit last year when I started taking drugs for my mental illness and that hospital did every test and told me everything is fine not bother about anything. They should have been honest with me but they weren't. My GP was sent all the results and never said anything, even though he saw me straight after the tests for cysts that kept coming up. These cysts were clots and full of inflammation and puss, with the pain of a boil. Would happen all over my body. So I knew something was wrong I just didn't know what it was.
https://www.aad.org/public/diseases/a-z/diabetes-warning-signs
So for an entire year I have been symptom free from my mental issues and doing well, fully recovered, dealt with it by working hard and putting in the hours and skill I have. Then the DKA.
Later I found out that those cysts were actually because my sugar levels were too high. I've not had any since coming out of hospital. So yeah, when I get low sometimes my wife says to me to call the mental health unit, but I don't trust them at all. So I deal with my problems head on because my diabetes is all that matters to me now. GP and mental health teams knew diabetes runs in my family and I would have thought when I was on the borderline and some of the signs would have been dealt with swiftly but I guess all they were focusing on was my mental health. Which is understandable but at the same time, has lead me to have trust issues.
I'm working on the weight and sticking strictly to a low carb diet which is yielding results.
Now my GP has finally realised the error that was made, they are now doing everything under the sun to facilitate my care. Blood tests twice so far for the week. They're checking everything, cholesterol came back a bit high at 7.6 but I eat 1/2 a block of full fat cheese a day, so I've had to stop that for the next test. They've checked thyroid function, liver, kidney, the list goes on.
I use to never be able to get appointments at my GP and if I did it would be a 5 min telephone call, now I get appointments as and when. It's like they have realised the mistake that was made.
So I think a letter to reaffirm things would be suffice. So i can think positively about the future and know that something like this wouldn't happen again.
I now do always ask for test results even if I have no clue what they mean, i just type in the name of the test and look for charts or ranges to see where I am.
I do agree with my wife that this could have all been avoided. What does get to her a lot is that I almost died and she wasn't allowed to be there due to covid, so she was so stressed with it and when I finally came out of the comma, my speech was slurred and I was dizzy and confused and wasn't making any sense on the phone calls to her.
Now, please don't think I'm on your GP, or anyone else's side, but it could well be that with an A1c at just above the diagnostic threshold, your medical team thought you had quite enough on your plate with the mental health issues.
If you think back to that time, I am assuming you were a bit low in yourself, how would you have handled a T2 diagnosis? Would you have been in a place to be able to handle it and move forward with dealing with it, or would it have felt like you'd been thrown in a pit, then boiling oil poured on top?
It doesn't excuse you not knowing about it until you were in a crisis of a different kind. I'm just trying to think how it could have come about.
Forgive me, but I can't recall if you have access to your full medical records, but if you do, you would be able to read the correspondence between the medics of the time.
I'm so glad you have decided to focus on moving forward and that your wife seems reconciled on that. You've all had an horrendous time. Reliving it time and again, pursuing a piece of history that can't be changed could be exhausting.
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