How Long Were You In Hospital??

[Adrienne]

Umm slightly different here. It was three months from birth, 7 seven anaesthetics later and minus one pancreas and we went home on insulin injections. Spent the next two years in and out of hospital with temperatures incase of internal infections, in the process catching colds, rotavirus, MRSA whilst in hospital for all the different visits!!!!!!! Not good times

If anyone wants to know (who doesn't already) what Jessica really has (she is only pretending to be a type 1 diabetic) this is it www.hi-fund.org. Her story is under Jessica but needs updating.

 

[Twitchy]

My mum took me to our normal GP and despite the fact that I had *textbook* symptoms of diabetes, he told her I just had a virus and she was being an overprotective mother!

That sounds familiar! I was only 11 months old, but luckily my mum was a nurse & spotted the signs. The GP tried to fob her off with the "it's just a virus, come back in a week if she's not better" line, but apparently mum being the feisty lady she was demanded that he do an immediate urine test. Shortly after, a presumably sheepish (& I suspect, extremely brow beaten) GP had to admit that, yes she was right, no she wasn't being silly, it was diabetes. I think if she'd meekly taken his advice, I wouldn't be here today, bless her.

 

[Munjeeta]

My diabetes too was left to get worse by my GP... I was 11 and my mum, who kept going to them over the course of a few months, was told she was neurotic, in spite of the fact I weighed just over 4 stone and drank like a fish... (At home, anyway. At school if I drank I had to go to the loo and I wasn't always allowed so I simply stopped drinking for the time I was at school) That or I had an eating disorder (which surely he should have done something about if it were the case?!) By the time I was admitted into hospital I weighed 3 and a half stone (I lost half a stone over night the night before my admittance) my bs was 44.4.

Once in hospital I can't fault the care I got - wonderful nursing staff. I was in for 11 days and mostly I remember those 11 days in a positive light... Injecting grapefruits, watching my friends' faces drain of colour on seeing my syringes and racing wheelchairs up and down the ward...

 

[brightbaby]

Well I got admitted to hospital with an infection and couldnt keep any food down or water and got my blood tested just for admissions and the nurse asked if I was diabetic and I said no, and she said well your sugars are up at 28.

So ended up getting admitted for 4 days and hooked up to a drip on either arm. Got a bit of education on diabetes and got blood tests every 4 hours. Hot shown how to do my injuections 3 hours before left hospital.

In a way quite glad to get out so quickly as allowed me to adjust to it so much bette.

 

[Northerner]

...Got shown how to do my injuections 3 hours before left hospital...

I got shown about an hour before leaving - hadn't seen a pen before, and it hadn't sunk in until that point that I was going to have to do this for myself from now on!😱 Apparently, there was only one DSN for the whole of the (large) hospital, so she was continually rushed off her feet. She was brilliant though!🙂

 

[Adrienne]

I got shown about an hour before leaving - hadn't seen a pen before, and it hadn't sunk in until that point that I was going to have to do this for myself from now on!😱 Apparently, there was only one DSN for the whole of the (large) hospital, so she was continually rushed off her feet. She was brilliant though!🙂

Jessica was having 0.00025 unit of Insulatard once a day. I had to learn how to mix it up using saline and so I could inject about 4 units which had the 0.00025 of insulin in that 4 units. I had to mix silly amounts ie 5 of insulin and loads like 50 or 60 odd units of saline and discards loads and then use a syringe.

When she eventually got to having about 2 whole units at a time or maybe a bit more than that we moved to pens.

 

[sofaraway]

Jessica was having 0.00025 unit of Insulatard once a day. I had to learn how to mix it up using saline and so I could inject about 4 units which had the 0.00025 of insulin in that 4 units. I had to mix silly amounts ie 5 of insulin and loads like 50 or 60 odd units of saline and discards loads and then use a syringe.

When she eventually got to having about 2 whole units at a time or maybe a bit more than that we moved to pens.

wow! my brain can't even seem to work that out.

I learnt to inject in a 45 minute session in my DSN's office. I tried once putting the needle into myself but not injecting anything. I then went to stay with my girlfriend and she supported me to give my first real injection.

 

[aymes]

wow! my brain can't even seem to work that out.

I learnt to inject in a 45 minute session in my DSN's office. I tried once putting the needle into myself but not injecting anything. I then went to stay with my girlfriend and she supported me to give my first real injection.

I didn't stay in hospital, went into the diabetes centre first thing in the morning, left about 2pm. My introduction to injecting was the nurse talking me through it while I did my first one (mixed insulin to start with) then I was sent on my way with various leaflets to read. Looking back that seems like a shockingly hand off introduction to insulin injecting, but at the time it seemed pretty natural. I think because I was misdiagnosed for a while beforehand I was kind of expecting it took starting to inject very matter of factly (is that a word?), like I'd already addressed the emotional side of it.

 

[Patricia]

Very lucky at diagnosis: we (I) had suspected for about two weeks something up, though E himself first noticed thirst and loo visits. We kept an eye out, knowing symptoms. He had a big competition coming up, so we put some of it down to stress. Then when it was over, within 24 hours I made the decision that a visit had to be made to doc's. My husband took him to the GPs on a Wednesday. I knew a urine test would be required, so sent him with one. There was sugar in it. A blood test showed level of 31mmols. The GP sent them home temporarily, then rang an hour later having spoken to the consultant: get to hospital.

My husband phoned me at work, and we all went to hospital. Within a few hours, the story is much like everyone else's. We have never done an injection for E: from the beginning he did his own. He was in hospital for three days, but the 'education' bit didn't happen until a rush at the end, which was frankly a disaster. I left thinking that it was about SUGAR not carb, and for a type 1, all about low GI etc...The dietician just wasn't up to scratch and sent the most confusing messages ever.

E was never ill, and has never had ketones. We were extremely lucky to a) catch it early and b) have such an alert GP. Still, as is E is the only child type 1 in this large surgery -- incredible really that the GP caught it. Of course, perhaps helped by my husband going in saying 'we think it might be...'. We have a long relationship with our GP -- 17 years -- and he has seen us through a number of fairly major medical emergencies. So I guess he knows to take us seriously when we pitch up!

 

[katie]

wow! my brain can't even seem to work that out.

I learnt to inject in a 45 minute session in my DSN's office. I tried once putting the needle into myself but not injecting anything. I then went to stay with my girlfriend and she supported me to give my first real injection.

My experience was similar. My DSN told me what to do and then I had to give an injection to myself, I think it was a blank one but I cant really remember! It took a while for me to pluck up the courage and then I was like oh, that wasnt so bad... Then I was sent home and my mum helped me out at first.

 

[sofaraway]

I think because I was misdiagnosed for a while beforehand I was kind of expecting it took starting to inject very matter of factly (is that a word?), like I'd already addressed the emotional side of it.

I can sort of relate to that, I felt so ill that I was desperate to get on insulin, having to inject was much more of an emotional relief. I'd known that I was diabetic for a long time so it wasn't such a massive adjustment.

 

[Pigeon]

Just wanted to add a quick message to say my GP etc were great, so it's not all bad!

Went to the GP concerned about losing weight, he thought it was thyroid trouble and didn't actually ask any questions about diabetes symptoms, but did a blood test for everything. He then rang me (I was out) and then put a letter through my door when he saw the blood sugar results, so I went back the next day and he got straight on to the diabetes clinic. I went that afternoon and got the full annual check MOT, cried for a long time on the consultant and the DSN (and the dietician too, I think), got shown how to inject and check blood sugar and then told to come back the next day to avoid an information overload, which was a good idea, I think. So thankfully I didn't have high levels of ketones, and so didn't have to be admitted. Then I went back a week later, then 2 weeks later, then after a month, and the nurse kept ringing me at home to check how my readings were going. So I really couldn't fault them, and they were really good for emotional support as well as the medication and injections etc. It's a shame it's not that good everywhere in the country!

 

[Northerner]

Pigeon, good to hear that not all doctors get it wrong! Shame it can't be the standard that all experience.

 

[Kei]

My 6-year-old was rushed in the morning of Thursday 23 July with DKA - BG 30. She came home after her evening meal on Tuesday 28 July. We've had home visits from the diabetic nurse and dietician and they are at the end of the phone if we need them. I do feel somewhat unprepared for looking after her myself, BUT she wanted to come home and was starting to become hysterical at being cooped up in the hospital.

Kei

 

[litto-miss-loz]

I went to the doctor with a swollen neck and that was to do with my tyroid but my mum mentioned that i had the symptoms of diabetes so they done a test and the next day the receptionist at the surgery phoned and told me to go straight to the doctors. So i went up and the doctor said i was sitting at 26.
I was crying and I asked if I was going to die and all he could say was "we are all going to die one day" now cmon i was only 14 and I knew I was going to die one day but I meant from the diabetes!! what a horrible thing to say that made me cry even more. Anyway I was in hospital for 2 nights and 3 days. I injected myself straight away which was no problem, I was just happy to be alive lol

thats my story xxx