Hi, I best explain the background first. My mum was type 2 diabetic on Novomix insulin and went into a nursing home for a months respite last September as I was struggling to look after both her and my dad, he had vascular dementia. My mum walked in under her own steam, was perfectly compos mentis although she had recently been diagnosed with Alzheimers.
To cut a long story short within 2 weeks she was bedbound and doubly incontinent, very confused and extremely paranoid. I went in to see her and inquired about her blood sugar readings as they were always up and down, and I just wanted to see how they were managing. I was told they had been really high, the last reading being 31.2 mmol (the two previous readings were 30.0 and 26.8) They said they were waiting for the GP to call them back. Meanwhile they were giving her snacks of biscuits (diabetic they made sure to point out when I queried why they were doing that)
This was Monday 12th of September when they called the GP. When she called them back she told them to monitor her glucose levels and her meals and she would call back on Thursday. I am most definitely not an expert on diabetes, my mum managed everything herself and I only got involved in the last couple of years when she was a bit forgetful. However, I did have an episode where her blood was registering HI and we ended up calling the ambulance. She was admitted to hospital for two weeks with ketoacidosis, but this was sometime before this. Up until this she had only ever had hypos, I didn't realise how dangerous hypers could be.
I'm not asking anyone to say the Dr was negligent, but now I'm querying whether she should have been sent straight to hospital. What also makes me question this is the nursing home can't provide me with the blood glucose chart for the week starting 13th Sept -19th Sept.
My mum changed over this time, she was totally confused and very paranoid. At one point I suggested she may have a urine infection as she was acting so strangely. I wonder if the prolonged high blood sugar may have cause something to happen in her brain? She really never was the same again. When eventually she came out (took two extra weeks to get equipment, hospital bed, hoist and a full care plan as she never walked again, struggled to even feed herself) she wasn't well. Soon after she was diagnosed with cancer in her lungs, lymph nodes and liver and died in December. I am writing up a complaint about the nursing home but I also wondered if the Dr was at fault, does high blood glucose always cause ketoacidosis? Could she tell if my mum was suffering from that simply by asking the staff questions over the phone?
I'm just trying to understand, I'm asking the experts. Thank you in advance, K
To cut a long story short within 2 weeks she was bedbound and doubly incontinent, very confused and extremely paranoid. I went in to see her and inquired about her blood sugar readings as they were always up and down, and I just wanted to see how they were managing. I was told they had been really high, the last reading being 31.2 mmol (the two previous readings were 30.0 and 26.8) They said they were waiting for the GP to call them back. Meanwhile they were giving her snacks of biscuits (diabetic they made sure to point out when I queried why they were doing that)
This was Monday 12th of September when they called the GP. When she called them back she told them to monitor her glucose levels and her meals and she would call back on Thursday. I am most definitely not an expert on diabetes, my mum managed everything herself and I only got involved in the last couple of years when she was a bit forgetful. However, I did have an episode where her blood was registering HI and we ended up calling the ambulance. She was admitted to hospital for two weeks with ketoacidosis, but this was sometime before this. Up until this she had only ever had hypos, I didn't realise how dangerous hypers could be.
I'm not asking anyone to say the Dr was negligent, but now I'm querying whether she should have been sent straight to hospital. What also makes me question this is the nursing home can't provide me with the blood glucose chart for the week starting 13th Sept -19th Sept.
My mum changed over this time, she was totally confused and very paranoid. At one point I suggested she may have a urine infection as she was acting so strangely. I wonder if the prolonged high blood sugar may have cause something to happen in her brain? She really never was the same again. When eventually she came out (took two extra weeks to get equipment, hospital bed, hoist and a full care plan as she never walked again, struggled to even feed herself) she wasn't well. Soon after she was diagnosed with cancer in her lungs, lymph nodes and liver and died in December. I am writing up a complaint about the nursing home but I also wondered if the Dr was at fault, does high blood glucose always cause ketoacidosis? Could she tell if my mum was suffering from that simply by asking the staff questions over the phone?
I'm just trying to understand, I'm asking the experts. Thank you in advance, K
