Trip to the hospital

[Bunkins]

I dont come on here a lot, guess I just dont need any more reminders that I'm diabetic.. I just want to see if anyone else has had an experience like I just had.. My first time to the hospital since I became diabetic, so it's not like I've had problems controling it..

I came down with a nasty nasty stomach virus, I was feeling ok until Tuesday I just flat couldnt take care of myself, I needed to go to the hospital.. Throwing up, couldnt take in liquids. What really made me go to the hospital was I was throwing up so hard I thought I had broke a rib, I couldnt breath it hurt so bad.. Waiting room was packed with people with the same thing, but since I couldnt breath they rushed me right in.. They took X-Rays, then once I was able to function a bit I told them I was diabetic.. They checked my blood sugar, and like I figured it would be it was higher than a kite ( 480 ).. Then their whole attitude towards me changed. I got lectured about "not taking care of myself", and that I'm going to be there for a few days. My A1C is a 8, could be better but I'm not pumping and I have a messed up schedual, I feel I'm doing a great job, needs improvement, but I think every single one of us feels we could do better. My Endo came in, I told her what was going on, that my BS had only been this high today, and the whole reason I came in was because I couldnt take care of my diabetes while trying to recoop from the stomach flu.. They did the normal stuff for treating DKA, NOTHING ELSE. I was never told what my keytone levels were or anything, never even was told if my BS levels were coming down or not.

All while I still cant breath, 6 hrs after I came in.. Asked the doctor if he had looked at my x-rays, he told me no, but he would after a while.. He never came back.. 6am the next day they finally put me in ICU, where I get lectured again by the nurse, being told that the reason I'm in here is because I wasnt taking care of myself.. Nothing was done about my stomach problem. It was feeling a bit better, but keep in mind this wasnt brought on my DKA.. I asked him if anyone ever looked at my x-rays, if anyone was going to do anything about my stomach problems, he said all he was told to do was treat DKA.. Every shift change I made it a point to tell them why I was in there, nobody did anything other than look at me like I wasnt taking care of myself... I told my endo over and over, still nothing... This morning I finally got fed up, my BS was down to 110 Tuesday night, keytone levels were fine, yet I still had a hard time keeping food down and felt really bad. So basicly Wed and Thurs were wasted days. Endo came in and I asked if they were going to do anything about my stomach problem, and if they arnt I want to be released by noon or I'm walking out.. I was out by 10am today..

There are a lot of details I didnt include, mostly because I still feel a tad to weak to sit here at the computer. But I got home, went to the store and bought stuff to treat my stomach problem myself.. I dont know what to do, yeah my blood sugar was high, but not even for a half a day ( we've all done that, nobody can deny that ). It's fine with me that they treated it like they did, but if it wasnt for the stomach deal and me feeling so bad that wouldnt have happened, thats why I went to the hospital.. Now I'm going to have a big hospital bill, the bill from my endo and I'm still laying in bed slowing taking in fluids and eatting when I feel I can. Breathing slowly because it still hurts pretty bad... I do plan to take this up with the folks at the hospital, I will not pay for everything ( like the 5 x-rays ). I think I'm going to get the insurance company involved too. I'm not the type to do things like that, but my blood sugar being where is was for the very short time it was up that high doesnt pose a threat, me gasping for air in pain is.. I'm tired of this, makes it hard to have any confidence in the medical community after that ( not that I had very good thoughts of them to begin with anyways ).. I'd like to hear yall's thoughts on it, I think things were handled poorly, wasnt listened to and I'm not just going to write a check and walk away from it..

[cheryl]

Omg, what an ordeal and a mess, I bet what they were thinking is that your were vomitting because your blood sugars are so bad, that you did this to yourself, and would not see that your blood sugars were actually bad because you were darn sick, all they saw was that a1c number and concluded that, you were sick cause of DKA, not because you were actually sick with something, and not to check on your ribs, what a joke....

I would be mad and I would seriously being talking and calling the adminstrative department, because let me tell you something, I have had a1c's in the 8's and have gotten high like you and sick, and never was DKA, just was sick from a virus or flu or whatever.....that is so wrong, that they assumed that seriously....I am so sorry....

I hope you feel better really soon.........

Cheryl

[Bunkins]

Thanks, laying in my own bed and after popping a few pills I'm feeling quite a bit better.. :D A 6.5 A1C? Nice job, hope I can get that kind of control some day..



I can see how they would think that the symptoms I was having was related to DKA, but how can they explain the pain in my ribs? I know now that nothing is broke, probably just bruised or something, but they only went so far as to take x-rays and not even review them.. Makes no sence..

I had to put up with the same attitude when I was first diagnosed, that was another nightmare.. That was when my whole view about doctors and nurses changed..

What I found a bit funny though was when I was able to eat and they were adjusting my insulin drip, I made them tell me what they were doing before they changed it.. At lunch I told them that I was going to go low because they were giving me to much insulin, nurses didnt even listen to me.. Hour and a half later my BS was 68.. Same thing at dinner, told them I'd go low with that much insulin, went down to 70.. About 10pm my BS was around 170, told them I needed 4 units to bring it back down to 110-120, they gave me 2 units, wasnt enough so 2 hrs later they gave me the other 2 units... I got a little more respect after that, but not much..

I do have to say that the nurses were MUCH better educated about diabetes than the last time I was in the hospital.. A few of them actually sat down and talked with me trying to find out more about diabeties.. It's the ER doctor that started all of this, my endo should have done more, I'll take that up with her next time I see her.. I can look the other way, I'm the forgiving type of person even when I really shouldnt be, but if the hospital thinks I'm paying the full bill they got another thing coming..

[princesslinda]

Bunkins, you certainly have been "through the wringer." I hope you're feeling better soon.

I can only imagine how frustrating your experience was. I'd make sure that when you are feeling better that you do have a good chat with your doctors, and talk with the patient advocate at the hospital as well regarding your displeasure with the care you were given by the physician.

I work for a group of surgeons, and many times they get so rushed that they just don't listen.....as patients', unfortunately we often have to be our own advocates.

[cheryl]

You really do get that in hospitals with those lovely insulin drips, you know exactly what is gonna happen, and they never ever listen to you.....I haven't ever been in the hospital for diabetes related causes, but have been in hospital four times for having four kids, so I know all too well, how they react or respond to things....

I have a nice story, with my last son I was going or feeling like I was low or getting their, I rang the nurse and told her that and plus that I felt like I was about to have the baby, so they check to see that first and yes he was crowning, and but they didn't want to check my blood sugar because they just checked it 20 minutes ago and it was 95, and I was like fine, I told my hubby to give me my meter, and I was 71, LOL...so sure enough I told them, their is no way I will have the energy to push if you don't start that dextrose IV fluid drip asap....so they did, and my boy came out less then 10 minutes later....and of course still dropping got a sprite LOL....

My point is, you know your own body, and it is fustrating when they think they know better, which i'd say 95% of the time they are so wrong and to me it's very scarey and the medical field needs to be more educated in realizing everyone's diabetes case is a different way of thinking since no two diabetics, are not a like.....

And about my a1c, thanks, I am very comfortable with it, that is exactly where I wanted to be at this point in my life, I am in no rush to even lower it, till I have more time on my hands...LOL

Cheryl

Cheryl

[xMenace]

You did the right thing by going to ER, but without trying to bash you, I kinda have to side with the doctors and nurses on this one. A controlled diabetic would not have slipped into DKA so easily. I hope you realize it's much easier to tell them all they are full of **** when you do have good A1C's. An A1C of 6.5 is easily doable for everyone. I really hope you strive for it.

[cheryl]

You did the right thing by going to ER, but without trying to bash you, I kinda have to side with the doctors and nurses on this one. A controlled diabetic would not have slipped into DKA so easily. I hope you realize it's much easier to tell them all they are full of **** when you do have good A1C's. An A1C of 6.5 is easily doable for everyone. I really hope you strive for it.

It took me 18 months to get an a1c of 6.5, it is not doable for everyone.....and not everyone slips into DKA with high a1c's either.....I never ever have been DKA, and all the flu's colds and ailments I ever had, with a1c's between 8-12, I should of been easily or would of been, but I never have...And I know of plenty of people who have excellent a1c's that have went DKA really quick.....this disease is not predictable and does not go by the books, I think that is the point, we all don't follow the same rules...I am not trying to be mean, but the medical field really needs to realize that, that no two cases are never alike when it comes to diabetics......

Cheryl

[xMenace]

It took me 18 months to get an a1c of 6.5, it is not doable for everyone.....and not everyone slips into DKA with high a1c's either.....I never ever have been DKA, and all the flu's colds and ailments I ever had, with a1c's between 8-12, I should of been easily or would of been, but I never have...And I know of plenty of people who have excellent a1c's that have went DKA really quick.....this disease is not predictable and does not go by the books, I think that is the point, we all don't follow the same rules...I am not trying to be mean, but the medical field really needs to realize that, that no two cases are never alike when it comes to diabetics......

Cheryl

It took me over 30 years to get under 6.5. But once the lights came on ...

I've never been DKA, cross my fingers, and I'm not denying it can happen. I know it's a glass house we live in.

[cheryl]

It took me over 30 years to get under 6.5. But once the lights came on ...

I've never been DKA, cross my fingers, and I'm not denying it can happen. I know it's a glass house we live in.

That is an excellent way of putting it......

[Dewey]

Bunkins, I'm sorry to hear this happened to you & to hear how badly they treated you. :( If they took X-Rays of me, they had better bloody well review them or I'd not pay a red cent. No sense paying them for something they don't do (i.e. review x-rays, not caring for your stomach virus, etc.).

I hope things get squared away in your favor. After hearing all the latest hospital "horror stories," I dread ever having to go again! :eek:

Hope you feel better soon.

[Alice]

I think only a person who has an A1C of 6.5 or below would say it's "very doable"...not easy at all to maintain either. After 42 years, I'd be the first to say this disease can take sudden turns in a very short time. We should all know better on this list. Some people are celebrating 7's and 8's after hovering in the double digits for years.

It take a long time to get use to life on insulin, new insulins and new oral meds. About the time "we" figure them out, books are written...a new breed come along. Some of these changes come faster to some people than others.

I wouldn't call a "good A1C" easy at all.

[Bunkins]

Yeah I realize that the doc was probably very busy, as the waiting room was full. But seeing how most of the time I saw him up at the desk chit chatting with the nurses most of the night, kinda makes me think he wasnt all that busy..

I have no problem at all with them being so concerned about DKA or whatever, I feel really happy that they took care of it the way they did. They did a good job. It's just the other things, the main reason I went in for that ticks me off.. I'll just have to call a few people Monday and see what happens.. If they havnt gotten the results of my blood cultures and things like that, then I'll know they didnt do squat for the main complaint, and I'm not paying for that part of my hospital stay ( the testing and so forth )..

I'm a ton better today, really tired though. Stomach is still bothering me, but eatting isnt a problem. Slept most of the day yesterday, all night, and been in bed all day today.. Just no energy, been a long time since I've felt this weak.. Just glad it's almost over with..