I just read a post about GPs not agreeing with Endos and it reminded me of something that happened to me a couple years ago so i figured i’d blog about it. 2 years ago I was working at the school and it was the first day back from Christmas holidays. I woke up in the morning and checked my blood and it was 6.1, I showered, ate breakfast, took my insulin and then proceeded to throw it all up. This didn’t alarm me too much because my girlfriend had had a flu for a day a couple days before so i just passed it off as a mild flu, called into work and went to bed with a ton of water. Things got worse and I was throwing up all day. It got to the point where i knew that this wasn’t safe for me to be home not being able to keep food down so i got into my car and drove myself to the hospital. When i got there they did a couple blood tests and when the results came back they asked me how i got there. I told them that i drove there and when they told me that i shouldn’t be concious let alone walking on my own i was shocked. It turns out that i had pancreatitus and it had caused me to go into DKA. It seemed like seconds before i was hooked up to tubes, and oxygen and once that happened the pain from the pancreatitus kicked in and man did it hurt. I was flown to Winnipeg and stayed there for a week in the hospital while they tried to figure out why this happened and after that when everything was good i returned to work and for a month it was good. One day exactly a month after i returned to work I felt a funny pain in my stomach and i knew what it was. I got to the hospital and told them that the pancreatitus was back and they got me a room. The doctor I had had the first time who was awesome btw was gone so i had this new guy. When I asked how he was going to be doing my insulin he told me that they were just going to put me on a sliding scale. I inquired as to how many units for what numbers and such and when he told me I knew right away that it was wrong. I asked him to get a second oppinion form my endo or atleast another doctor and he just ignored me and told me that it’s the way they do it. Well it wasn’t the way they did it the first time in Winnipeg. Anyway the first shot they gave me which i knew was wrong dropped me down to 2 which i knew it would but i let it happen so that he would change it. After my blood was back to normal i called him upto the room and he wouldn’t even listen to me and told me they weren’t changing anything. Later on in the evening the nurses came in and they wanted to give me another shot but this time i refused to take it. The nurses just recorded that i refused and left. A little while later they came back and checked my blood and then they wanted to give me double because my blood was even higher. This dose was way too much so i told them i wanted to speak with my doctor. Doctor Stupid wouldn’t even come up and see me the nurses said and told me that he sounded mad on the phone. I got out of bed, walked my butt and my IV pole downstairs to the emergency room where he was and just lost my mind. When i told him that we had a problem he looked up, calmly told me that he couldn’t talk to me right then because he was busy. I lost control… I closed the folder that he was reading and used a couple choice words at which point he walked away from me. I was so furious, but i just went back to my room and i told the nurses that i was only going to take a few units and that they better give it to me or else… the nurses agreed and everything was fine until the morning at which point a new doctor came into my room and told me that Stupid was nolonger going to speak with me and that i needed to find a new doctor. The new doctor then proceeded to tell me that he didn’t know why they didn’t just let me use my own insulin. It was stupid… Anyway i’m done ranting about my experience with doctors being dumb. Everything is fine now and my new doctor is totally understanding and believes that i know what i’m talking about so it’s all good:)
Good for you, sticking to reality in such a situation. I’ve had many doctors in my 53 years experience with Type 1 diabetes, but the surgeon that first saw me in the emergency room when it started in 1956 was rather like that, but with worse results. He said right off that I MUST have appendicitis since my blood glucose level was high, I had stomach pains and whatever. Mom asked if it couldn’ t be diabetes onset, but HE knew better…
Yeah, he’s a surgeon, so I MUST need surgery. I went into nearly terminal DKA on the operating table while he was removing my healthy appendix. I was saved by a newly licensed pediatrician that my parents got in there ASAP, though the low level of electrolytes nearly killed me through the next 2 days.
So yes, bad doctors without a clue about diabetes who think they need only follow some rules they picked up somewhere can only be fired for our own protection. This may be a bit harder with the medical system there I suppose , but you found a way to get your doctor changed anyway. Glad you got a good doctor now that LISTENS.
It’s always better to follow your “gut” or experience. If the doctor can’t give a reasonable answer to your question, replace them then and there. Been there, done that and won’t ever take my kids life into a doctor’s hands again who won’t take the time to explain to me why what he is saying sounds completely wrong. If they can’t explain it, it’s for two reasons…they don’t know or they feel you are too ignorant to understand. Either way, get out of my room and bring in second string.
Ya I felt as if he saw me as someone who didn’t know anything about my diabetes. He was a fairly young doctor and I ended up telling him that I was pretty sure that I’ve had diabetes longer than he’s been a doctor.
I am so glad you stood up and got in stupids face…when i had my pancreatitis attack i got a doctor who followed the insurance rules,that fool almost killed me. i called my Pcp from the hospital and she had him removed from my case. It sucks to be in so much pain and have to worry about stupid doctors…I am glad you are better I was one of the unlucky 20% who never get rid of pancreatitis…I have chronic pancreatitis it sucks royally…