I often have to hold my tongue as a nurse.
So I have this certain patient that I have been seeing in her home for a month and a half now. We’ll call her Ms. B (note, not her real name or initial, thanks HIPAA).
Ms. B has a lot of trouble with her health. She is only in her mid 50s. She is very overweight (450 lbs.), cannot walk (weight and osteoarthritis), has uncontrolled diabetes (her blood sugar is always 200+. It should be between 70-160 or so max.), and some other health problems as well. We are teaching her about diet, especially because of her diabetes, as well as just general diabetic care. Last Monday I visited her home and our conversation went sorta like this:
Me: What was your blood sugar this morning?
Ms. B: Oh I didnt check it, I was too tired.
Me: Well lets go ahead and check it then.
[blood sugar is 300]
Me: Well, its awfully high today! We need to make sure the doctor knows how high its been. What have you eaten today?
Ms. B: Just a snack this morning, and my son is on the way with lunch from McDonalds.
Me: Ok…what kind of snack did you have?
Ms. B: Oh, just some leftover christmas candy.
Me: *Thinking to myself…first of all, its FEBRUARY…that candy is probaby gross…*
Me: Candy, for breakfast? That isnt part of your diabetic diet plan.
Ms. B: I know, but since we just moved I thought I deserved a treat.
[son comes in door with bag from McDonalds, Ms. B opens it up and begins to eat a cheeseburger]
Ms. B: I know cheeseburgers arent in my diet plan either, but I thought I deserved a little treat for lunch too.
And now I sit horrified as while I am teaching her about diabetes and focusing on diabetic diet, she inhales FIVE CHEESEBURGERS. For dessert she ate an entire box of Valentines chocolates that probably weighed a half pound.
Fast forward to our next visit, Friday. The patient went to the ER this week sick, and has been miserable all week, apparently.
Ms B: I just dont know what I am doing wrong, Im trying to watch my diet and Im taking my diabetes medicine most of the time but my sugar is still high!
Me: What was your blood sugar this morning?
Ms. B: Just 465, but I didnt eat much today [said as she is eating 3 ham and cheese sandwiches].
I want to grab the woman and shake her and say YES THE REASON YOU ARE SICK AND FEEL LIKE CRAP AND YOUR KIDNEYS ARE FAILING AND YOU HAVE TO HAVE A CATHETER IN ALL THE TIME AND YOU ARE LOSING FEELING IN YOUR FEET AND YOU ARE HAVING SEIZURES AND CONSTANT YEAST AND KIDNEY INFETIONS IS BECAUSE YOU DONT TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF AT ALL AND EAT A DOZEN DONUTS AT ONE SITTING AND HAVENT WALKED IN 5 YEARS. Also, the bugs in your house that land on your sores from where you scratch yourself dont help either, lady. Oh, also, it fruit doesnt count as a “healthy” snack if it is covered in chocolate, mixed with pie glaze, coated with sugar, or dipped in caramel.
February 15th, 2009 at 12:50 pm
It’s not her fault, it’s that nasty son of hers for bringing all that crap back from mcdonalds. He probably bought her that candy too. I bet he’s trying to off her for that time she walked in on him masturbating to teletubbies.
February 16th, 2009 at 10:01 pm
She deserved a treat, OK?
Meanie nurse!
February 18th, 2009 at 8:22 pm
This is the kind of woman that if she lives will end up on Discovery Health or TLC or something as “the fattest woman alive”. Every time I see someone like that I wonder how people/loved ones can keep feeding them. They are just as much to blame as the idiot doing this to themself. I think I’d be cooking vegetables all the time and say “If you can’t get up off your ass to feed yourself then I guess you’re stuck eating these carrots and peas aren’t you?”
February 19th, 2009 at 10:44 pm
Holy shit that’s some high blood sugar (we use mm/L here so I had to convert it). I am impressed you managed to hold your tongue. Some people don’t get it.