Hospital advice please

[Mummabear]

Hi, looking for advice.

My mum is in hospital, she's a type 2 diabetic has been for around 40 years been on Metformin for most of her diabetic life.

She has a UTI and has had antibiotics for it, but her blood sugar levels have gradually increased since being in hospital.

She was admitted a week ago and ambulance read blood level 16. By mid week she was early 20s and today she was reading 28,5!!!

They gave her fast acting insulin but doesn't seem to do anything. Today the nurse read her bloods and went oh better tell doctor, keytones are 0.1 doctor took 2hrs to come!

Is this normal for hospital staff to react so slow with diabetics?

Anyone know why her sugars are continuing to increase even with insulin?

Her diet today at lunch was home made pea and ham soup chicken hot pot made with chicken and veg pudding was 2 crackers and cheese. And her bloods were 28.5 2 hrs after it.

She has only eaten the hospital food and doesn't even take a tea biscuit at tea trolly she has not stashed anything nor do we bring her food in, as this was suggested we were secretly feeding her high sugar foods.

Any advice would be helpful so I can ask and fire at the medical team.

 

[Lucyr]

It is normal for blood sugars to increase when unwell or suffering from an infection. Ketones of 0.1 are completely normal and so no cause for concern. Her blood glucose is high but will hopefully come down as the infection clears.

 

[Mummabear]

It is normal for blood sugars to increase when unwell or suffering from an infection. Ketones of 0.1 are completely normal and so no cause for concern. Her blood glucose is high but will hopefully come down as the infection clears.

They are saying her infection has gone and no longer getting iv antibiotics she's staying in hospital due to her high bloods. My main concern is that they aren't given her insulin right away. Yesterday she went 4 hrs after a reading of 25.5 before they gave her anything.

 

[Leadinglights]

If at home she is following a low carb diet then the carbs in the hospital food is going to be much higher than she is used to but I can take a while for blood glucose to go back down following an infection. They may be being cautious with the insulin as they don't want to risk her going hypo but you should speak to them if you are worried.
Do you know what insulin they are giving her, as if it as a long acting insulin the timing would be a certain time after the previous dose.
I hope she soon feels better. Is her blood glucose normally well managed.

 

[Mummabear]

If at home she is following a low carb diet then the carbs in the hospital food is going to be much higher than she is used to but I can take a while for blood glucose to go back down following an infection. They may be being cautious with the insulin as they don't want to risk her going hypo but you should speak to them if you are worried.
Do you know what insulin they are giving her, as if it as a long acting insulin the timing would be a certain time after the previous dose.
I hope she soon feels better. Is her blood glucose normally well managed.

Hi,

She has not always followed a low carbs at home but her levels are around 6-12. She's managed to loose 2 stone which has helped.

They are giving her the fast acting insulin in hospital

 

[trophywench]

Yes, but which 'brand' of insulin is it - cos none of them work pdq.

Those of us without any of our own insulin production and using insulin pumps use exclusively 'fast acting' insulin in them so eg if our blood glucose goes higher (or lower) at 10 am, we need to increase (or reduce) the insulin from 8am ish in order to produce a change at 10 ish.

Doctors in hospitals and elsewhere, only react PDQ if it's a life threatening emergency. I can assure you your mom didn't have one! OK her BG was high - but could still go quite a bit higher before it would become dangerous short term. So as long as they can get a regime sorted out for her to handle her levels at home on a day to day basis before they discharge her, that sounds OK to me.