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Very confusing day

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stephknits

stephknits

Well-Known Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 1
Last week a asked for a phone call from my diabetic nurse, Julie, as the gliclazide wasn't making any difference and I wanted to try upping the dose. The receptionist said I couldn't book a call with my diabetic nurse, but I could with any other nurse (!?) so I said it needed to be someone who could authorise a change in drugs, so she got a dr to ring back. So dr P rings back later that day and says yes, I can double the dose, but could I drop off a urine sample. I have not ever seen dr p. I drop off the sample the next day and then this morning I get a call from dr p before work saying there were ketones in it and could I drop off another sample? I said I could do so after 3pm and he said no, he wanted me to do it now as he was concerned by my BS scores in the morning and the ketones and thought I might need to be admitted to the hospital.
I sorted work, dropped off sample and went in late. I then received a call from dr p saying there were ketones in this sample and he would like me to get to a & e. He would contact the diabetes team and I would take a letter he left at the surgery to the hospital. I sorted work, Childcare, husband etc and arrived at the hospital with the letter. It said the following:
Mrs p was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in sept 2013. Her bm has not been below 10 in over 2 months. She feels tired and exhausted and has polyuria and polydipsia.
Recently ketones have been detected in her urine even after she has eaten. Her BMI is only 20.8. Morning BMs over 15 despite 2 oral hypoglycaemic drugs. I suspect she may be a type 1 diabetic. As symptomatic and ketones for admission.

At a&e they said the diabetes team had not had any instruction for admission. I waited 1.5 hrs to see the triage nurse, who said 15 wasn't very high and then a further hour to see the dr, who said they couldn't do admissions for diabetes, it had to come from my gp and to go home. I contacted dr p at the surgery who said he had been unable to get through to the diabetes team at the hospital and that he had now asked for an urgent referral. I have to ring him back if I have not heard anything in the next week....

I feel like I have been on an emotional roller coaster and am looking forward to an evening with a nice big glass of wine and possibly even a square of 90% chocolate... :(😡
 
Oh blimey, what a horrible day. I hope you're enjoying that glass of wine and chocolate! I'm sure it must be scary but your doctor might just have played a blinder. If you are type 1 better to get the best treatment sooner rather than later. I understand a number of adults are assumed to be type 2 when they are in fact type 1 just because type 2 is more common in adulthood. Having just recovered from Dka it is not to be trifled with so the sooner it's investigated the better. Did they give you ketone sticks to test with?
 
Oh dear what a day! It sounds as though your GP is very much on the ball, and if you are indeed type 1 you need to be diagnosed sooner rather than later - is the hospital's policy to wait until a patient is seriously ill before they bother checking? If your BG is 15 it is likely that you do have some residual insulin production, which makes things less clear cut. Hope you get seen soon and feel well in the meantime.
 
Sorry you are hving a roller coaster of a ride, I don't know enough about keytones and will have to leave it to the others. One nurse did say it could be a possabilty of me having keytones as my BS was in the teens and 20's for a good while, but it was not followed up.

If the gliclazide was not working, I can see why the doctor was very concerned as you may not be producing insulin and would need a urgent look at your treatment espec with the keytones present.

If you want to check if keytone are present and you can get a prescription for keytone test strips. I would ring Abbott Medisense or Gluccomen up as both these companies do meters that can test for keytones. Worth telling them when you ring that doc says you are possibly type 1 and have already found to have keytones and they should send the meter free.
 
Thanks all, I didn't think to ask for sticks to measure ketones either, so will look into that. To complicate things further, we are off on a Tudor recreation tomorrow where we will be camping for a week. Food is provided - breakfast toast or cereal, lunch 16 th century, dinner mass produced pasta slop usually with ice cream for pud. I guess I should be pleased I have not started on insulin, as I expect I would have found the camping and lack of any control over the provided food a challenge too far!
Am enjoying the wine, but went with Greek yogurt as my treat (polishes halo).
Thanks again for the support, it means loads. 🙂
 
Sorry to hear about your rubbish day. But if you are type 1 then you need to get sorted! I just wanted to say that if you ask for ketone strips make sure you get the blood ones with a meter. Urine ones only tell you what was going on a few hours ago and are a waste of time in my opinion!
 
Thanks Sally, very helpful, will ring surgery tomorrow as would quite like to monitor this whilst on holiday.
 
Steph, enjoy your hols, though monitor your BS levels very closely. The glucomen lx plus meter comes with 2 keytone test strips to get you started, if you rang them 1st thing in the morning, you might be lucky to get a meter by post on saterday. Can't remember how quick they are at sending meters out, but think the last one they sent me was next day delivery.
 
Let's put it like this mate - if you ARE T1 then you are going to feel so ill, nauseous and exhausted by about next Monday or Tuesday if not sooner, untreated - you'll need to go to A&E wherever you happen to go. Oh and if with that, you need desperately to SLEEP at inappropriate times like immediately after a meal - don't do that - please try to stay awake as long as possible and GET TO A&E even if you have to call 999 to get there.

If you don't feel like that, it probably means you are T1.5, which you could be anyway., and your pancreas was just having one of the off days it WILL have until it pops its clogs.

I'm always rather suspicious meself about Type when fairly youngish T2s appear. I don't know how old you were when diagnosed but Patti was well over 50 and Northerner was somewhere near that too. Both unquestionably T1. They misdiagnosed Patti. Now - she has a pump !

As you have young children in view of the childcare comment, I know you are younger!

And please can everybody have a Dr P ? Stick to him like glue and don't let go!
 
Thanks Pav, could get it sent where I am going, so will google that now. I think it would help put my mind at rest on holiday
 
What a day! Hope you get it all sorted soon.
And have a lovely holiday.🙂 Tudor camp? Sounds fab!
 
What an awful experience! Can't add to the good advice so far. Sounds like you are lucky to have found Dr P who cares about his patients, as has already been said, hang on to him. Hope you have a really brilliant holiday and enjoy yourself, weather should be good. Take care 🙂
 
many thanks for all the great support and advice, much appreciated.
I agree trophywench, I don't think I am type 1,but maybe something else. At any rate, the drugs and diet are not currently working so am looking forward to sorting something out. Am finding work a real struggle today.
I was diagnosed at nearly 43.
Will keep an eye on things on holiday, am only going down the road!
Pav - many thanks for the link, have ordered the meter, should be at my home tomorrow.
I honestly dont know what I'd do without this forum, a wonderous place! 🙂
 
Have a fun Tudor time, and fingers crossed they have you sorted soon.
 
On- going saga, went to pick up my perscription ready for the holiday and they have lost it!
On the plus side, have got my appointment with the hospital team next Wednesday. Very much worth leaving Tudor-land for. 🙂
 
Good news the appointment has come through that quick, hope all goes well for you.
 
Hope your next post isn't from A & E and you get to your Wednesday appointment without TOO much drama and you can keep awake to enjoy your weekend !
 
stephknits said:
On- going saga, went to pick up my perscription ready for the holiday and they have lost it!
On the plus side, have got my appointment with the hospital team next Wednesday. Very much worth leaving Tudor-land for. 🙂
Click to expand...

Oh I'm glad they've sorted it relatively quickly, I get palpations at the mere mention of the word ketones! Have a good time in Tudor land and hopefully by Thursday you'll be on the right track.
 
Bitter sweet

I went to the cinema last night for first time 2 weeks after back operation, progress. I took bottle of water and called into sainsburys to get some high cocoa dark chocolate well hence to say there was a lot of choice so i went for the one that said said 6 pieces 12 carbs 2.5% sugar i only had one square and yuck way to bitter. My alternative not to waste is to melt and dip strawberries in it.
 
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