explaining things

[SilentAssassin1642]

Today at work, after suffering yet another hypo, my boss asked me to write down what to do if I ever have another 'funny five minutes'. Now I've never had to do anything like this before, so what sort of stuff should I put on it? Obviously, hypo symptoms etc but what else???

 

[aymes]

I suppose there's the practical things like what do to if it's a bad hypo and you need help so the protocols around that, lots of books and website have flowcharts to explain it for colleagues etc.
But then there's also the more personal things for maybe slightly less severe hypos, for me I like to just be able to sit silently for 5 minutes as I'm coming out of it. I think when people are worried they naturally try to keep you talking but I find that so draining if I'm hypo, now my colleagues know if they see me drinking juice just to let me get on with it and answer any phone calls etc for the next few minutes.

Sounds nice that your boss is proactive in wanting to know what to do. I'd be tempted rather than just writing something up to do it as a picture or cartoon or something a bit creative, more likely people will take it in that way.

 

[AlisonM]

Tell them what you need to do to combat it. Like where you keep your insulin, if you use it. List what you can take to give you a quick boost, i.e., orange juice, Lucozade, jelly beans etc. It's a good thing that they want to know. You're lucky.

 

[Sugarbum]

It is slightly strange, but with good intensions I guess....

I would suggest also a phone number in case of emergency, or a family/friend who knows you and diabetes well who can be called to come and get you etc...

 

[SilentAssassin1642]

I've just written out hypo symptoms and what to do in each situation, hyper situations and what to do and put contact numbers on the bottom.

I'm actually really glad he asked. He admitted today that he actually has no clue about treating a diabetic if they do 'go funny' (his words, not mine) so I'm only too glad to write him out a fact sheet to keep on the office wall. I think I'll make sure every manager in that place reads it at least once. I've reiterated on it how important it is to let me go and treat a hypo even if its super busy on front (as one of them turned his nose up...not the nice one, but the other one)

 

[Tezzz]

Sam,

I saw this on google:

HAVING A HYPO UCHT DISTRICT DIABETES NETWORK
File Format: PDF/Adobe Acrobat - View
UCHT District Diabetes Network Handbook: Patient Information Leaflets. WHAT IS HYPOGLYCAEMIA? Hypoglycaemia, or 'hypo' is when your blood sugar levels are ...


Magic link is:

http://www.uieh.n-i.nhs.uk/projects/diabetesWebsite/infoLeaflets/5.pdf

It looks quite useful.

You could cut and paste the important bits for a poster.

 

[SilentAssassin1642]

Hi Salmonpuff, Well done! I'm sure I've said this before but thanks to your experience highlighted on this thread, diabetes is OUR illness and we must never assume an omniscient understanding of such. It is incumbent of all of us as individuals that once we are accepted in a place of employment on the the understanding that our employers possess a 'working knowledge' of our condition, that we then highlight our individual requirements, thereby nullifying any prospective 'cross purpose' situations.

PS. Ancient History & Archaeology, Edinburgh University, 1980, Attained BA 2:1

Ancient History & Classical Civilisation(with Latin) University of Wales. Colleg Y Bryfysgol Abertawe. Swansea 1984. MA.


PhD Scottish(UK)Edinburgh Eurasian and Nordic Bioloical Genealogy with prospective inflections 1986.

Aeronautical Science & Engineering Edinburgh University 1980 Bsc 2:2

Aeronautical Engineering and Mechanics Swansea University 1984 MSc

PhD Scottish(UK)Edinburgh Applied Aeronautical Mathematics and Cogent Systems

I saw the word Archaeology and got rather excited...

 

[Caroline Wilson]

Well it is good your boss asked what he should do. At least if he has a written instructin from you, you know he has it right. Where i work one of our first aiders is diabetic and she made sure ALL of the first aiders knew how to deal with a diabetic in various situations. Perhaps you could suggest to your boss that the first aiders are all trained in various scenarios, then they can help anyone else who is diabetic.

 

[AlisonM]

Excellent idea! I've had a bee in my bonnet about FA for years, it should be part of the school curriculum and include how to cope with folk like diabetics as standard. I did my first FA cert with the St John's more than forty years ago and keep renewing it every few years. And yes, I have used that knowledge more than once.

 

[SilentAssassin1642]

Sorry Salmon' I had to laugh when you corrected me on my 'Caveman diet' thread. The early 80's was a really exciting time and was privilaged to assist John Romer on his 'Tut Moes' expedition. Hope we can meet at London, British Museum, haven't seen the Elgin Marbles for a while(send them back!).🙂

I quite agree on sending the marbles back!!!! I'm going to try really really hard to make the meet! And will be specifically requesting the time off! Though it all depends on train fares and how much and how much money i have left over. This real life lark is an expensive buisness

Ah archaeology, I'm beginning to think I'm not meant to be an archaeologist with the massive pile of rejection emails im getting. But that alas is another story!

 

[Copepod]

hypoglycaemia doesn't always need a first aider...

I agree that all first aiders would know what to do if someone becomes hypoglycaemic, but it might be more appropriate if a work colleague on the next desk, for example, can hand an open packet of seets or biscuits and answer phones for a couple of minutes while the hypoglycaemic person gets back to normal blood glucose levels - all quicker and less dramatic than a first aider being summoned, perhaps from far away, arriving with a first aid kit and incident book, especially as the first aid kit won't contain any sugar...
By the way, boss recently asked for comments about formulating SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures) for research home visits, and I was very surprised to learn that he didn't know about 112 as an emergency number as well as 999 - calls from mobile phones to 112 can be geographically located, in case you don't know where you are phoning from.