bad weekend.

[sarafet]

i just need to write all this down, i've barely spoken a word to anyone today because my heads all over the place

my parents went to dublin on friday for my dads birthday, this is the first time they have went away together in 15 years. i was looking after my younger brother (11) and sister (15.)

my sister is a type 1 diabetic and she hadn't been feeling well for a few days, she's been diagnosed with an underactive thyroid a few weeks ago though, so we thought it may have been the new tablets making her sick. anyways, she wasn't too bad on friday, and her blood sugar levels were normal, then on saturday she said she still felt sick and didn't want anything to eat. we altered her insulin dose in the morning and her blood sugar was fine. she slept most of the morning. i realised how sick she must have been feeling about 1pm, she was supposed to go out with her friends, but cancelled. i tested her blood sugar then and it was up to 25.2 (average blood sugar level should be between 5-8 ) i made her eat a bowl of soup and take some fast acting insulin, half an hour after the soup she brought it back up, and by this time i noticed she was drinking a lot of water and getting sleepy. tested her blood - it was at 28.2. i phoned the hospital for some advice and a doctor told me to keep her hydrated and keep an eye on her blood sugar by this point she was throwing up the water she was drinking

basically this went on for an hour with me trying to get her to keep drinking and measuring her blood sugar levels every 20 mins. they came down to 26.9 but she the had a temperature and was getting really confused and saying random things (signs of high blood sugar.) then i phoned the hospital again as she seemed to be getting worse, i asked the doctor i spoke to last time if i could speak to someone else as he was still telling me to keep her hydrated he put on the registrar who asked me to bring her in straight away. we got her to the car and she threw up all over the drive way, then she started blacking out i phoned an ambulance and they were there within 10 minutes. her eyes were rolling to the back of her head and i had to keep moving her and talking to her so she wouldn't pass out, she didn't know where she was, the day, the time.

the ambulance had to take her to the nearest a&e to stabilise her. my OH had to watch my little brother, the both of them were absolutely shocked, they had never seen anything like this before anyways, got to a&e and she was put on a drip, infusion of insulin, and oxygen.

i phoned my mum eventually and her and dad managed to get a flight home and were with us by 12am. she was transferred to a paediatric unit last night when she was more stable.

i'm sorry if i've bored anyone whos reading this, i just had to get it out. oh and i are going to the hospital at 2pm to let my mum go home for a bit. i just feel awful, it's so typical this would happen the one time they go away, my mum also said last night - 'great nurse you're going to make' i know she was just upset, but i don't think there's anything else i could have done yesterday. it just happened so fast. i can deal with things like this when it's a patient i need to look after, my sister is a different story i was absolutely terrified.

thanks for listening girls

 

[fuffins1981]

Firstly, I hope your little sister gets better soon.
Secondly....Well done for trying so hard. You did everything you could do and what the doc told you to do. Your mom was just upset. Though I know it must have hurt. Afterall, you had been through a lot.
Thirdly, you did not bore me. On here we are all friends and are suppose to be able to tell eachother our problems (not always pregnancy related). It is a good place to share

I really hope your sister recovers fast

 

[Sherlock]

Awww have some of these

I'm so sorry this happened but it sounds to me like you did everything you could and were supposed to do. And your sister is getting treatment now and should make a full recovery. Are there any possible reasons she was so poorly yesterday? Is it something that happens often with her diabetes? Or just an unlucky rare one off?

It is sods law it happens this one time when your parents go away, but that is beyond your control. And when it is your own family you are caring for it can be much more traumatic than caring for a stranger as it were. I find that when caring for other peoples children, I deal calmly with it all, trips to A&E etc, but when my mother was injured I remember getting very panicked until the ambulance arrived and I was no longer in charge of the situation. But afterwards I realised I had done everything correctly on autopilot, just been distracted because it was my own mother I was treating.

I'm sure your sister won't me cross at you and your mum didn't really mean what she said either. In the heat of the moment sometimes we all say things we don't mean. So don't take it to heart.

Try to relax and know your sister is being taken care of Don't let it upset you for too long as it won't do anyone any good.

Have some more of these

 

[sarafet]

thanks so much girls it was just a shock really

sherry - this is what happened if you fancy a read -

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diabetic_ketoacidosis

i think it makes it 100 times worse because i know exactly how bad it can get and i was just absolutely terrified she sounds better this morning though, and mum seems to have calmed down a lot.

things like this kind of make you realise whats important in life though, i feel like i've had a sudden jolt back to reality or something, i've been living in 'baby world' too long

 

[muppetmummy]

I agree that your mother was just upset and didn't mean what she said.
It sounds like you handled the situation fantastically and did everything you could for your sister. It's not your fault if the first doctor wouldn't believe how serious things were.

It's a shame it happened when your parents were away for the first time, I hope it doesn't put them off going away in the future.

's for you and your sister. I hope she's better soon. She's lucky to have a big sister like you to look out for her.

 

[sarah2807]

Awww-sorry to hear you have had such a terrible weekend. I hope your sister is feeling a bit better and makes a quick recovery. I agree with what the other girls have said...it doesn't sound like you could have done anything else-it's just unfortunate that it happened when your parents were away, but just a coincidence....nothing to do with anything you did. In fact it sounds like you coped really well.

As for living in'baby world' I think we are all guilty of that!!!!

 

[ASD123456]

I'm sorry to har this happened to you this weekend. It sounds to me like you tried your best and did everything you could. Even if you were the best Surgeo in the world it would be much differne t treating your family than just a regular patient- t's just human nature.

I'm glad your sister is a bit better today and you did amazingly well to look after her like you did yesterday.


Alex xxx

 

[debecca]

I think you handled a difficult situation brilliantly

So glad your sister is now OK and getting the care she deserves. I agree with everyone else that your mum won't have meant her comment; it will have been said in the heat of the moment. If anyone's to blame in this situation it's the doctor you spoke to on the phone - he should have had you into hospital way sooner.

Well done you for coping. You were very brave

 

[Suzie and Faith]

I think you coped fantastically! My ex had this once and it wasn't nice! But he was on the mend within no time!

It's bound to be scary and different when it's your own family so you did amazingly well. I hope she feels better soon and i'm sure she'll be thankful that you looked after her

 

[kalia]

It must have been so scary and horrible for you!
It sounds like you were fantastic.
It also sounds like the hospital were a bit/lot useless on the phone
As everyone else has said, your mum was just lashing out because she was upset

I hope your sister is OK.

 

[nikkimitch]

Sounds like you handled a really difficult situation perfectly - you didnt take NO for an answer and got a second opinion when you needed it - you got your sister to hospital and I am sure because of you she will be fine.

Give yourself a pat on the back and give your mum a chance to calm down

 

[Geordie&Bairn]

Oh sweetie just seen this

how's your sister now love?
i know waht your Mum said must have hurt but im sure she didnt mean it really.
you should feel proud of how you handled the situation your right its one thing dealing with a paitent but quite another when ts a loved one,
i think you did an fantastic job and you helped save your sisters life.

and you did not bore us love were hear for each other and you desreve the support
hope your sister is feeling better now!!!!

sarah

 

[Jade&Evie]

I think you did fantastically- I would have panicked and not known what to do with myself.

I'm sure your mum was just frantic with worry and needed to lash out at someone when she said that- I do it to my OH sometimes but I never mean it!

I really hope your sister is ok- keep us updated but I'm sure she'll be fit and healthy again in time to be an Auntie

 

[sarafet]

thanks so much for your lovely words everyone, really cheered me up

OH and i spent the day at the hospital and let my mum get away for a sleep and shower. my sisters doing a lot better now, it's so strange how fast it comes on and then how quickly she gets better she's stopped being sick and her blood sugars are back around 7.5ish and remaining steady the great thing about paediatric wards is that they let people come and go as they please, (within reason of course,) but the staff are so fantastic, they have really done a fab job.

mum is also feeling better about things, although her and dad were going on a cruise in november, but they are now cancelling it

it's been a crazy weekend, and we're moving house on tuesday now, so OH is taking the day off tomorrow so we can catch up on things. roisin (my sister) should be out by tomorrow if things remain steady

thanks again girls, don't know what i'd do without you lot at times