So Angry

[PurplePoppy]

My mum has been in a wonderful care home since last August. She suffered a TIA about four weeks ago, which was very frightening not only to her but us as well. She recovered. Then at the end of last week she had what we thought was another one, but was told by the doc that it was a stroke this time. Dad and I didn't think she'd pull through and even warned my brother (who lives a fair distance away) to expect the worse. We couldn't believe it when I phoned Saturday to be told she had recovered and was even walking about and talking. This is all so cruel. How many more TIA's or Strokes will she and us have to go through.

The reason I am so angry though is because today mum's arthritis flared up really bad. Her right hand was so painful, she would get very distressed if you went anywhere near it. The home phoned the local doctors surgery, which is a couple of streets away, and requested a doctor come out asap. They were told the doctors wouldn't come out for this.

I am absolutely disgusted that my mum has to go to the surgery for anything, as this frightens and stresses her, but considering she only had a stroke a few days ago, I think it is so out of order. I bet if it was the doctors mum he wouldn't stand for it.

 

[Margarita]

Don’t blame you for feeling so angry, to right !! am so sorry to hear that this happy to your mother , xx

 

[Áine]

hi purple poppy

sorry you and mum are having such a difficult time. sounds like one thing after another at the moment.

i'd guess there's politics about home visits that unfortunately your mum has got caught up in. you might want to speak to the practice manager at mum's surgery about it and talk about how it could be better managed in future.

Á

 

[noelphobic]

I can sympathise with this as my mum was ill a few weeks ago and the GP wouldn't come out - the nursing home was just advised to call an ambulance and send her to hospital. I was even thinking of changing her GP over this, but then I found out that because it was a weekend it would have been a locum service and most of the local GPs use the same locum service.

I hope your mum is feeling better soon. Have you considered having a word with someone at the GP surgery?

 

[DeborahBlythe]

My mum has been in a wonderful care home since last August. She suffered a TIA about four weeks ago, which was very frightening not only to her but us as well. She recovered. Then at the end of last week she had what we thought was another one, but was told by the doc that it was a stroke this time. Dad and I didn't think she'd pull through and even warned my brother (who lives a fair distance away) to expect the worse. We couldn't believe it when I phoned Saturday to be told she had recovered and was even walking about and talking. This is all so cruel. How many more TIA's or Strokes will she and us have to go through.

The reason I am so angry though is because today mum's arthritis flared up really bad. Her right hand was so painful, she would get very distressed if you went anywhere near it. The home phoned the local doctors surgery, which is a couple of streets away, and requested a doctor come out asap. They were told the doctors wouldn't come out for this.

I am absolutely disgusted that my mum has to go to the surgery for anything, as this frightens and stresses her, but considering she only had a stroke a few days ago, I think it is so out of order. I bet if it was the doctors mum he wouldn't stand for it.

Hi Purple Poppy, sorry to hear how things went today. It certainly doesn't sound right. Homes very often have their own GP 'attached' to them who will visit routinely. (At my mum' s home the doc visits once a week, on a Thursday). I take it this doesn't apply here?
Aine's advice is good. Hope things are better for you and your mum tomorrow.

 

[PurplePoppy]

Thanks to all who answered my post.

Just had a call from mum's home saying she's had another attack . Don't know yet if it's a TIA or a stroke. They're waiting for doctor to go.

I think it's awkward as we've said we don't want mum to go into hospital. I'd have to camp out by her bed if she did go in. Such terrible stories of lack of care for elderly, let alone someone with dementia.

Mobile just went and the doctor phoned the home and said nothing can be done. It's just a waiting game to see if she recovers or not. The home asked the doctor if they should call 999 if mum gets worse, but he said no.

 

[Helena]

Purple Poppy

You have my thoughts with you as we went thru the same last year
I think you need to be prepared for the attacks to come fairly fast now and each one makes her brain more vulnerable

Thats how it was explained to me by a very caring consultant in the hospital

 

[Áine]

thinking of you purple poppy.

 

[Grannie G]

Purple Poppy, so sorry it had to be this way.

 

[PurplePoppy]

Thanks for your support. Just a waiting game now.

 

[Skye]

PurplePoppy

So sorry. This waiting must be so hard for you. We're all thinking of you.

Love,

 

[Nell]

The hardest time for you - you are in my thoughts. Take care of yourself. Nell

 

[PurplePoppy]

Thanks for all the support.

Latest on mum is that they tested her blood (mum's diabetic on tablets only) and it was 1.6, which is extremely low. The doctor was called and he gave mum an injection to raise the level. Home was supposed to call be 8.30/9pm, but no call, so I phoned at 9.45pm. Mum's bloods had risen to 3.6, which is still too low really. If they fell during the night, the night carer was to call the doctor again and another injection would be given. After first injection within a matter of minutes mum was talking and appeared to be coming out of the attack. We still don't know if she had a TIA, a stroke, or whether it was a hypo attack from such low blood levels. Of course she could have had a combination of any of these. The night carer said that mum was still no where near right.

I'm off to hospital myself this morning (just routine appointment), but told them I wouldn't be around till around midday, so I'll get an update then.

 

[Margarita]

My mother been 3.6 before and I can tell you the change in how she a acts is freighting to see if you never seen someone like that.

I always put it down to her AZ progressing , this was happening a lot 2 years in to mum AZ , I feel that when they blood sugar are so low it can mimic the systems of dementia geting worse , at that time I was not doing my mother blood suger, then I called in the district nurses .

and they show me how to check her blood sugar level , once they show me that , it was amazing the improvement in how alert my mother became , as I did not know it had to be done blood sugar level , because she was only on medication I am wondering now how they could of let your mother blood sugar level go to low in the first place and she in a care home yes ? Not nurseing care home ?

If in Normal care home do they have a nurse ? Has your mother had an assessment in needing nursing care now she on Insulin or before she was put on Inslin don't want to wind you up , but if that was my mother I would want to know how come no one pick up on her blood suger leavel untill it got so low, that now she needs Insulin now

 

[PurplePoppy]

Margarita, My mum doesn't need insulin. She was only on tablets. I believe she has now been taken off them.

This morning the home tried to get me on my mobile. I phoned them back and was told the doctors had been trying to get her into hospital so her bloods can be monitored. No beds at the hospital. My dad phoned the doctors and left a message, and the message came back from the doctor that he wasn't trying to get her into hospital at this time. I think the home had been told this just to placate them.

Anyway, I spoke to the home a little while ago and was told mums bloods are back to normal and they are checking them every other hour at the moment. Mum is up and walking about. They said she was back to normal (well normal for her), although rather hyper at the moment.

Seems that this was yet another false alarm. Until the next time

 

[Margarita]

Oh just that you said

bloods had risen to 3.6, which is still too low really. If they fell during the night, the night carer was to call the doctor again and another injection would be given

Anyway forget about that , Main thing is that she better , glad to read that

 

[Grannie G]

Thanks for the update, PurplePoppy,

My husband has been as low as 3.6 on medication, Type 2, but never lower. His levels were erratic a few months ago, between 3.6 and 12.9 and the GP said he was more concerned about low levels than high. This surprised me, as I thought the highs were more serious.

I hope your mum`s levels will stabilize.

 

[Margarita]

This surprised me, as I thought the highs were more serious.

I do know that low level can lead to a coma High level can lead to I think it’s a stroke, My mother sister never control her diabetic when on tablets , that it lead to her having to go on insulin , then she never control that , if effected her kidneys and she had a stroke one night .

I am now wondering that why high and low are both serious , so keeping it at around 7 should be safe, but with my mother it go to 12 also wondering if it was because my mother sister level so so high , that she had a stroke that she came out of , but then had another one that killed her.

found this site

Maybe your health care provider has told you that you are at high risk for heart disease. Or, perhaps you already have had a heart attack. Having diabetes means that you are much more likely to have coronary artery (heart) disease, a heart attack, or a stroke.
http://www.diabetes.org/type-1-diabetes/well-being/taking-care-heart.jsp

And that was it my mother sister was told she had heart problem, sorry about going on about this as it happen last January and now its only now that I can clearly understand what happen to her , she was only 62 with diabetes 2 , that lead to diabtes 1

 

[PurplePoppy]

The injection that the doctor gave mum to bring her bloods up had glucose in it, not insulin.

Normally your bloods should be below 7 before you eat and not go up over 10 two hours after you have eaten. Hypos can kick in when bloods go below 4.5 (it can vary for each person). If you consistently have high bloods you are at risk of the various complications of Diabetes, although for older people any complications may not have time to develop before that person passes away through age. If the bloods go too low you can go into a coma and it can be fatal.

In my mum's case, the doctor isn't worried about high bloods, as it's the least of my mum's health problems, but low bloods are a different thing.

People seem to think that Type 1 Diabetes means insulin and Type 2 doesn't, but that's not correct. Often as a progression of the disease, people with Type 2 will have to go onto insulin. I have Type 2 and had to go onto insulin because the tablets were giving me such awful side effects. Through changing my lifestyle I have now managed to come off the insulin on a daily basis and only take it as a correction dose should my bloods blip too high.

Thanks for all your kind words and support.

 

[noelphobic]

, she was only 62 with diabetes 2 , that lead to diabtes 1

if someone has had type two diabetes for some time and has been treating it with diet and exercise and/or oral medication, they will generally go on to insulin if these methods aren't working. This does not mean that they now have type one diabetes, it means that they still have type two diabetes but are now using insulin as a treatment instead of or as well as the previous measures.