Re: Went to ER for hypo

On Wed, 15 Mar 2006 18:37:35 -0800, Andrea2
<andrea6192001nospam@xxxxxxxxx> Huffed and Puffed the following into
the madness of usenet:

We went out to dinner last night. After they brought my food I
injected 22 units of insulin to cover what I thought was a 70 carb
meal; salad, steak, baked potato, corn and rolls. After I finished the
salad and a few bites of the steak and corn I started feeling sick. I
asked the waiter for a glass of 7 up, and drank a little. Then I got
real sick and threw up on myself, the table and floor. I was so
embarrassed I could die.

My hubby paid the bill and apologized for the mess and we went to the
car where I chewed up 6 glucose tablets and drank some more of the 7
up. Then I threw up again on myself and the car. He took me to an ER
which was nearby. The ER was crowded and patients were being held in
the hall on gurneys, which is where they put me. Then I blacked out,
the next thing I knew I was laying on the most uncomfortable treatment
table in the world. They had an IV in my hand that was dripping
dextrose in my vein. My hubby said I never really passed out but was
acting funny for a while. The nurse said my BG was under 30, she
tested it again and it was 165. I told her to take the IV out because
I didn't want it to get any higher because I was pregnant. She
wouldn't take it out but went to get the doctor, after 20 minutes no
doctor came so I turned the IV off myself. Hubby got a nurse and we
told her I was ready to go home. She said no, not until the doctor
cleared it and it said on my chart to keep me there for 4 hours for
observation. I told her to take the IV out because I had to go pee.
She wanted me to pee in this bottle thing. I refused that idea, I said
I was going to pull the IV out if she didn't so she took it out. My
clothes were a mess so hubby went out and got my jogging suit from the
car. I got dressed and went out to the desk. They said I would have to
sign a release, it stated that I had refused recommended treatment and
was releasing myself. I refused to sign it because there was no
recommended treatment, only observation. We went to the cashier/office
and completed the release papers and left.

When we got home I asked hubby if I had done the right thing, leaving
like that. He said no, I should have stayed until the doctor cleared
my release. He said he didn't want to say anything at the time because
he knew I was getting mad and it was best to keep his mouth shut
tight.

I will never go in that ER again even if I am bleeding to death right
outside their door.

Andrea2
Type 2


actually they did give you the correct treatment. However they should
have called an endo and OBGYN for a consult as to how high to bring
your BG back up. The observation period was to make sure you did not
go hypo again. Which is a very real possibility.

Some things you should discuss with your pregnancy team:
Splitting your meal time insulin. Taking half or less at the
beginning of the meal and the rest at the end of the meal to insure
that you actually eat the whole meal. Adjust the second half of the
dose according to what you actually finished eating.

If a severe hypo occurs like that again, provide you in writing the
exact recommendations of your pregnancy team. How to treat it, how
high to bring the BG back up. How long to stay under medical
observation after the BG comes back up. And contact info for your
team's primary doctors in the case of an emergency. Carry this with
you at all times. Also if you have a wallet put a card taped to your
driver's license instructing medical personnel to look for the printed
instructions in an enveloped marked In Case of Medical Emergency.

Make sure your husband and your friends and family know where these
instructions are and that they must be followed in the case of an
emergency.

What you describe is a typical reaction to a severe hypo. I've been
there too many times. And the ER does usually want to bring your BG
up well above where you want it right now because of the pregnancy.
Without direct instructions from your medical team signed by your
doctors "every" ER will follow the same pattern of treatment as that
which you received.

You need to be aware of the "loss of consciousness" that you
perceived. What actually happens is that you do not actually pass
out. You go into a black out something like an alcoholic would
describe. You are up, mobile and talking and responding. You may or
may not appear to be behaving strangely. But you will have little to
no memory of the event. In this state diabetics have been known to
get behind the wheel of a car and drive, some without injury or
accident others causing severe accidents, injury and even death, and
some mistakenly getting pulled over by the cops who assume they were
driving under the influence and may even be attempting to flee arrest.
As a result of that last one, some diabetics have been arrested and
put into lock up without receiving proper emergency care, some have
died in lock up. Others were forcibly brought to the ground by
various means. One I saw on a TV medical show was chased down as he
ran away from the cops and EMTs on foot and had to be tackled and
forced to accept help. Another a few years back was pulled over after
several miles of a "low" speed chase, had his drivers side window
smashed out by the cops and a police dog set on him through the window
as the cops opened the door and dragged him out and to the ground.
Because the police thought he was under the influence and claimed he
attempted to run them down after they pulled him over.

You also need to have a sit down with your husband because in this
state, you could actually attempt to reduce medical help in the ER and
want to check yourself out. You could appear to be normal. You
should agree with your husband on a course of action to take in such a
situation and that should include not allowing you to leave before
your BG is tested and comes back at a level your Endo/OBGYN team agree
is safe for you and the baby. Your husband has to be prepared to
argue with you and refuse your wishes if you are hypo.

My loved ones have no problem getting in my face and shouting at me
and ordering me to do what I need to do when I am hypo and refusing to
accept help. Sometimes that is the only way I will respond correctly.
They know what level my BG has to be before they relax this stance.

It's frustrating, and somewhat frightening when sit back and look at
it from the outside as if this happened to someone else. But you need
to do so, in order to get a clear picture of the risks you were in.

Glad your doing better now. and seriously, discuss splitting the
dose. Half at the beginning of the meal and the remainder, adjusted
for what you actually ate at the end of the meal. This will go a long
way in preventing hypos.

--
Mâck©® Deltec CoZmore Pumper
Type 1 since 1975
http://www.alt-support-diabetes.org
http://www.diabetic-talk.org
http://www.insulin-pumpers.org



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