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Hospitalization with your Diabetes
When you are admitted into the hospital, you need to make certain that your doctor and the nurses caring for you understand your routine, medications and insulin, and how you manage it at home. Achieving the best care possible is important while there. Being an inpatient is stressful enough with worrying about why you are there in the first place. An illness in your body stresses you out, along with surgeries you may be having, and other medical tests. Your routine care in hospitalization should include regular blood sugar monitoring by the nurses. Results should be noted in your hospital chart. Insulin and medication doses should be timed properly with meals and there should be the right dosages made according to your glucose testing results. Your admitting doctor should also be looking at your needs for possible medication and insulin adjustments. A lot of your hospitals have their own standards of high or low blood sugar levels which may differ from your standards at home. If your blood sugar drops drastically while in the hospital, it should be treated promptly. The hospital typically gives insulin to most diabetic patients. Insulin will either be given intravenously or by injection. If you are on a pump, short acting insulin may be prescribed. Insulin given by IV is usually given if you are having surgery, which creates a lot more stress on the body, then for a non-diabetic. If you are on steroidal drugs, having cardiac problems, have ketoacidosis and dehydration, the intravenous insulin will definitely be called for. Glucose monitoring is an important factor while in the hospital. This helps the hospital staff and your doctor keep strict tabs on your glucose control. The blood sugar monitoring in the hospital is just like you do it at home. The only thing different is they use their own Accu-chek meter instead of yours. Your glucose tracking by medical people there will be tailored to your individual needs. Most frequently, it is done about every 4-6 hours. Your diabetic meal plan in the hospital will usually consist of a balanced carbohydrate meal plan. If you are scheduled for surgery, then liquids served instead will contain sufficient carbohydrate such as clear broth. The carbohydrate is needed before surgery to prevent some serious hypoglycemia. Before you leave the hospital, a nutritionist or dietitian should give you a good meal plan that will fit your needs at home while you are recovering from whatever surgery or illnesses you have. Above all, you need to speak up for yourself if you don't understand something that the hospital personnel is doing differently other than what you do at home. Don't be afraid to question anyone, or talk with your doctor about your care during the hospital stay. Your health is very important with diabetes, and achieving the best control of blood sygar during this time is of the utmost importance.
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