My mother is currently in the hospital and had to take some tests. Now they know she is a diabetic it is all over her chart. She had to wait all night and all day the next day until after her test before she could eat and take her insulin. I had to yell and scream at the nurse to get her something to eat. She was feeling light headed and her hands were burning. The could have made her test early in the morning not PM.

That happens a lot during a hospital stay. Sometimes the nurses are just overworked and there are always the ones that are just plain lazy, With our Mom, me and my sisters always take turns staying with her so we can make sure she gets what she needs.

I empathize. when I went to teh hospital and they dicovered by blood sugars were high I got a hot immedatley and then food began early.
SOP is that as soon as a dicbteic is dicovered a CDE( diabetes educator makes a visit, even if its at 2 in the morning) a nutritionist as soon as possible, and education on monitoring every three hours is beguin. You did the right thing about making anoise for food, and if not food they should have monitored her.
Failure to follow this ADA and AMA protocol can be considered malpractice.

testing in a hospital setting involve: Glucose, A1C, Cholestrol,. in some cases cardia enzyme test, Kidney function test, opthamological screening. then comes eduation and decision on medication and in hospital exercise.. its a whole week of being at a really strange SPA if you are at a good hospital. I was lucky that I was. But not everyone gets that kind of care. and for that I am sorry.

Keep positive and look for a diabetologist or ask for the CDE at the hospital to correct the errors.

julie

When you are in the hospital, make sure to ALWAYS bring your own:

-Glucose meter
-Insulin and/or any medications
-Glucose tabs and/or snacks

Have these with you at all times, just like at home. Have your doctor write a letter that states that you can provide your own diabetes management in the hospital, provided that you are mentally and physically in a position to do so.

Unfortunately, as you know, hospital staff are just too overworked and in short supply to manage high needs cases such as diabetes. Many nurses (and doctors) do not even have any specialized training in diabetes or realize how hard it is to manage. This is particularly the case in Type 1 (autoimmune) diabetes or for Type 2 diabetics who use insulin. This can be dangerous if a person needs insulin, and they do not get it on time.

If your mother is not in a position to care for herself, you should be the one to be educated on how to care for her, and always have her diabetes care supplies with you. Jimmy's Devoted is right, you should see a Diabetes Nurse Educator (CDE). You might also want to make sure that her doctor has written up a care plan with her insulin doses, correction factors, carb ratios, etc. for the nursing staff. I have met nurses who didn't even know what carb counting was!

Your best bet is to be prepared, and expect that the hospital staff, ironically, will not be able to provide good diabetes care. You know your mother and her routine best.

Please ask her doctor for the both of you to see a Nurse Educator and dietician and write a care plan for her while in the hospital.

__________________
Pre-Med Student

I also wanted to address your actual question....You are right 100%. A diabetic on insulin should only fast for a short period of time, and they are to be tested first thing in the am after no food or drink after 12 am (unless on an insulin pump).

If the test is severely delayed, it should be rescheduled.

Be sure to step in early and remind the nurse that the person is diabetic and needs their insulin and food. Sometimes patients can be "lost in the system" and forgotten about when things get backed up. It happens.

Test your blood sugar. If severely out of range (high or low), treat it and inform the nurse that you must treat your diabetes, and the test must be rescheduled. A letter from a doctor can sometimes help to make sure this doesn't happen again. However, delays still occur despite best efforts.

__________________
Pre-Med Student

I agree they are overworked sometimes to the point where they niss certain things but I feel as if you need to take your time in everything that you do when it comes to your patient thats what you are there for.

I agree with you 100%. Unfortunately, due to an overworked healthcare system and overflowing hospitals, diabetes often does not get managed the way it should for in-patients. Of course there are exceptions where some get great care, but I personally think people need to be prepared.

This is especially in the case of Type 1 diabetes, which requires constant care 24-7. Nursing staff nowadays just don't have the time, with their huge case loads of patients. There have been cases where Type 1 diabetics have gone into comas in *the hospital* because of poor care. Generally this has happened because the staff turned off the person's insulin pump not knowing how to use it or failed to treat a low blood sugar in time (I.e. the person was waiting for a nurse to bring juice and did not have glucose tablets on them). Now, usually hospitals will let you run high to avoid having to deal with a severe low. This, as many can see, is not great if you need to heal and get well.

Some Type 2's have issues getting healthy (and low carb) food choices. Others are tested less than they should be because they may not be on insulin. For both groups, insulin, meals, and/or medication may be late.

I can't stress enough that *if* you are well enough to manage your own diabetes care in the hospital, do it, it will serve you well. Always have someone with you if possible, to make sure you get proper care if you are not able to advocate for yourself.

I have heard a Type 1 diabetic on a pump say that she would only go to a hospital if she had a death wish...lol!

Bottom line, hospital care is NOT what is used to be in most cases, so be your own nurse! While I agree that changes need to be made, it will not happen anytime soon. You know your body and your care best.

__________________
Pre-Med Student

I also agree, even though they are overworked, It's still their responsibility to take care of the patient as well as possible. I have seen many careless mistakes made just because a nurse failed to remember to give a patient a shot that was needed.

I'm so sorry you had to go through that with your mother. I know that had to be really scary for you to stand and watch them ignore the fact that she was diabetic. I feel as if those type of people shouldn't work in hospitals.

Thats true but with that said you have so many openings when it comes to hospitals that when they have to option of hiring someone with good enough credentials, thats what they do.