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MikeyBikey - The Road Back

rebrascora said:
I wonder if the regrading of your alleged "frailty" was down to you having to forcefully challenge them so often about your diabetes management!! Mind you that should have earned you a "raging bull" upgrade I would have thought and rightly so! Really sorry to hear they are being awkward about your diabetes management again now. I really don't know how you contain your frustration.
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I actually never totally lost and used four letter words. The only occasion was when I was having a r new cannula inserted and I found the first attempt seriously painful and said we best avoid that area. However she only moved it about 1/3rd of an inch and drove the needle straight into a tendon. As you will appreciate my journey at times but I have avoided screaming or swearing bar occasionally swelling under the covers at phantom cramps. But this pain was a level outside what I have ever experienced and I let out the Eff word! The nurse was unphased and moved further up the arm. One person in a nearby bay complained that people in pain should be moved elsewhere. I was not moved but a few days later a person in my bay screamed as two doctors probed a nasty leg ulcer!!
 
PattiEvans said:
I hope it was the person who complained!
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No, it wasn't. The person who screamed was in my bay. Most of the time most of the guys were diabetic with foot problems bar the one with a leg ulcer. The scale of the problem is vast but I now think Libre (or equivalent) should be rolled out to Type IIs as it should reduce complications and long hospital stays.
 
Woke to a BG of 8.0 but breakfast around an hour late as a tissue viability nurse turned up. Finished with a spectacular bandage to just under my knee! I am getting confused by the differing responsibilities of community podiatrists, hospital podiatrists working with the consultant, tissue viability nurses (community and hospital based) and district nurses bar many like passing on responsibility!

When they tested my BG before lunch they said it was higher than expected and I pointed out I had had a late breakfast and that lunch was ll over half-an-hour away. Then because of yesterday they mid-afternoon and over two hours later said there was no .need to test before tea. I insisted they did and it was 2.5 mmol/L lower.

Quite annoying nurse this evening. About 8!00 she pulled the blinds down and offered to turn off the lights! And less than an hour later she offers to do it again! And just before I posted the sister came in and without a word adjusted the bed,! Why?
 
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MikeyBikey said:
Woke to a BG of 8.0 but breakfast around an hour late as a tissue viability nurse turned up. Finished with a spectacular bandage to just under my knee! I am getting confused by the differing responsibilities of community podiatrists, hospital podiatrists working with the consultant, tissue viability nurses (community and hospital based) and district nurses bar many like passing on responsibility!

When they tested my BG before lunch they said it was higher than expected and I pointed out I had had a late breakfast and that lunch was ll over half-an-hour away. Then because of yesterday they mid-afternoon and over two hours later said there was no .need to test before tea. I insisted they did and it was 2.5 mmol/L lower.

Quite annoying nurse this evening. About 8!00 she pulled the blinds down and offered to turn off the lights! And less than an hour later she offers to do it again! And just before I posted the sister came in and without a word adjusted the bed,! Why?
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Words fail.........mmm
 
Had a hypo this evening. After I had eaten some sweet biscuits and a sandwich they decided I should have something called Gluco Boost! Unnecessary as my BG was rising by then. It's quite nauseating and when they brought a second I told them of my experience of chucking up glucose remedies do they left it on the side.. Hypos seem to make hospital staff panic and overtreat them! :(
 
MikeyBikey said:
Foot clinic today so back to the hospital I spent so long in. Fingers crossed transport arranged properly as the Rehab team took it out of my hands.
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Everything crossed it goes well
 
Too tired to write much bar the foot looks slightly inflamed again so prescribed a further course of antibiotics. Also my phone has decided to play with Libre do wonder if it imports a module that was updated,?

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Oh Mikey, your foot does look sore. I hope the antibiotics work. Are you still getting messed about with your insulin doses? I hope you manage to get some sleep tonight. Sending hugs x
 
Oh dear Mikey! That is very disappointing! Your high BG levels will not have been helping with that either. They really need to be made to understand this and that tighter diabetes management is really important for healing and recovery.

Keeping fingers crossed that we see some significant improvement next time.
 
rebrascora said:
Oh dear Mikey! That is very disappointing! Your high BG levels will not have been helping with that either. They really need to be made to understand this and that tighter diabetes management is really important for healing and recovery.

Keeping fingers crossed that we see some significant improvement next time.
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It seems more likely to me that the HCP's idea of tighter control differs from ours, and they have an inbuilt fear of hypos.

I'm sure we, here, all understand a single hypo can be catastrophic, but it'd be nice if some HCPs also understood that regularly, sustained elevated levels can lead to catastrophe too.

So frustrating
 
To be honest I don't see hypos as catastrophic. Most are a mild inconvenience and very easy to fix and with CGM they are less likely to catch us unawares, so the risk of a bad one is extremely low whereas the risk of infection in a surgical wound from levels being even a bit too high, let alone mid teens or hitting 20, is very high, so they are doing a very poor risk assessment of the situation.
 
rebrascora said:
To be honest I don't see hypos as catastrophic. Most are a mild inconvenience and very easy to fix and with CGM they are less likely to catch us unawares, so the risk of a bad one is extremely low whereas the risk of infection in a surgical wound from levels being even a bit too high, let alone mid teens or hitting 20, is very high, so they are doing a very poor risk assessment of the situation.
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It's got even more stupid now! As my BG was low (actually just over 5) I was told I could not have my insulin till after the meal. OK I thought if itskrd you happy. However, nearly four hours later I still have not had it. My basal will be out of sync. When I asked for the fourth time the sister accused me of harassing her!

And I have seen a letter from.the DSN who appeared unannounced when I was waiting for the balance. She says I am accusing nursing staff for my unstable BGs,and yhat the sensor issues are probably me! She also hints atpjydio changing me to more modern insulins despite me telling her that in previous attempts I don't recognise hypos and Libre is too unreliable.

There's is too much focus on interfering with my diabetes and too little on physio yo give me back my independence!
 
She just came back and I have had my insulin but reduced both doses as it is so late. She didn't really want me to have any as she said my BG was low (7.3., and rose to 7.9 while we were debating things)!

Tomorrow will be a better day - I hope!
 
I am on a reducing dose of Amitriptyline which do far seems to be going OK. However, one of the GPs that visit the unit has decided to reduce another. I unclear which it is but know I currently have the worst phantom pain in months. Sadly I missed seeing the main consultant on his Monday visit as I had the outpatient appointment that in the end was not really useful. All incredibly frustrating!
 
My foot was redressed after lunch. I had hoped it would look better than it does but feel it went backwards after the Tissue Viability Nurse redressed it. I have no confidence in her as she said I did not have a bed sore when I felt I did and the nurses agreed with me! She, the diabetes nurse and the dietician can stay out of my life...

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