I’m really proud of you, Terry4. Look how years of successfully handling altered consciousness (low BG) has built up the skill to manage diabetes even when your brain is bleeding. Good going!
Since early 2018, I have gotten the sublime pleasure of several hospitalizations and surgeries. My hospital of choice is the Univ of TN Medical Center. Each time, I have told them at admission that I use a pump and CGM. Their response was simply that if I signed a document saying I would do my own diabetes management. Even during surgery, I was able to give then gas-passer written instructions and a 10-minute hands-on course in how to use the pump/CGM. Once in a room, I did the same for each nursing shift (didn’t know I was going to end up giving an in-service while wearing my no-back high-style outfit). All went well, kept a time-in-range of 80+%. Now, if I could just keep the cancer from coming back.
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Hide from whom? Who would dare take it away?
The Doc wanted to be in charge of all insulin dosing - he said Docs were in charge of all medications administered at the hospital.
I’m glad to hear that things have changed.
The last time I was in the hospital was the worst night of my life and I have vowed to never go back even if it means death. I literally felt like I was in a Soviet prison.
Had a Dexcom, this was when they refused to even acknowledge it was a legitimate device. I was in there for infection from a previous surgery. Checked in about 6PM and the rest of the evening they totally refused to give me any insulin whatsoever. No long term, nothing. Around midnight my Dexcom was going over 200 and I told the nurse I needed insulin and they simply would ignore it. At about 3AM I was over 300 and once again I told the nurse I needed insulin, showed her my Dexcom reading on my phone and she said ‘that means nothing to me’ and I demanded a higher up, which never came. At 5AM I was hitting close to 400 and again begged for insulin, the nurse responded ‘you’re not getting any insulin, shut the hell up’. By 8AM Dexcom just read ‘HIGH’ and they finally gave me 2 units (whereas I would have taken 15). I checked myself out against medical advice, was told I was risking my life by leaving and I responded that I was risking my life more by staying. Sent multiple complaints to the hospitals patient advocates dept, the state medical board, Medicare, etc. All were ignored. This was in the biggest hospital in Colorado.
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When did this occur? What year?
Are you T1D or T2D? If you’re T1D, I can’t understand any justification. They would have risked DKA. If you are a T2D, you could have mitigated that absolute DKA risk but the consequence is not defensible by any stretch.
Your experience is the worst nightmare for me as a T1D. It is based on professional ignorance and reliance on morally indefensible use of hierarchical authority.
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That sounds insane. For a nurse to talk that way is also bizzarre she should have said, your doctor has not prescribed it and so I can’t give it to you then a doctor should have come to talk to you. That’s how hospitals normally work.
I’ve been in the hospital a few times and I always take care of my own insulin. If i landed in there unexpectedly, and they told me no, I would take insulin anyway. Someone could bring you some or even Uber eats can pick up something at the pharmacy for you.
You described a very rare situation that is almost unbelievable, but even in cases that are less extreme, we need to have back up plans and take care of ourselves. I’m not going to lay in bed and keep asking for insulin past the second time, then I’m calling someone injecting myself and getting out as fast as I can.
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I’m T1 and this happened in 2019. My doctors explanation was that there was a ‘miscommunication problem’ with the doctor in charge that night. The only thing I can figure is I was in there a month prior having some pretty serious surgery and that night I ate very little and I went down to 68. The next morning I had some ‘diabetes expert’ in my room giving me the 3rd degree on why that happened. So I think that may have went into my record, that is the only thing I can think of. The problem is they are completely clueless when it comes to altering doses when it comes to meals, it’s like one size fits all and your input means nothing. They think they know it all and you know nothing. Being diabetic for 20 years I think I know how to adjust but not in there. It really is like being in jail.
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