Shepherd Of The Gurneys: Diagnosis Of The Week

Sunday, March 24, 2013

Diagnosis Of The Week

Nigh on Impossible Stick and IDDM diabetic patient (and family entourage) on their 3rd visit in 7 days, and their 15th in 3 weeks time.

Pt. totally out of it, with a blood sugar reading of 1246 on initial lab draw.

After yet another half-night's being carefully flown down to the mid-300s, and yet another overnight ICU admit, pt. candidly admits to doing level best to kill most of half a gallon of delicious mint-chocolate chip ice cream that day.

While the initial urge to call this Sugar Suicide is a good choice, sober reflection will correctly diagnose this condition as
Low Grey Matter Titer.

And my state's Health and Welfare and Penal Codes notwithstanding, I'm firmly of the opinion that a diabetic eating a tub of ice cream meets the textbook legal definition of Informed Consent For Therapeutic Headslapping, (normally an independent intervention, but also backed up resolutely by the ER doc, as usual) and a serious argument for having granted Power Of Attorney to do the same to the rest of the Tard Family, for watching these proceedings from lunchtime to ICU, inclusive.

That scene in Harry Potter: Goblet Of Fire, where the dragon spews fire at the rock he's cowering behind is what I'm calling tonight's "patient education" portion of my nursing interventions for this patient. And if I can find a brochure for the local mortuary to hand them for the inevitable funeral planning, while everyone in the room is alert, conscious, and breathing, it should be the cherry on their cake. (You should forgive the pun.)

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