"glucomonster" hospital experience

[DebbyA]

Did anyone else have this? It's one thing I was not prepared for from VR.com or any of my reading.
Starting in the ICU and through my last morning at the hospital, I was hooked by IV to a machine for monitoring glucose levels. (I am not diabetic.) Every hour someone did a glucose stick and fed some information back into the machine. The problem was that part of the implementation was a loud two-tone alarm and flashing red light that went off at the end of EVERY hour next to my head. It took from several minutes to (once) 30 minutes for anyone to respond to it. By the third night I was holding my little purple fingers up whenever anyone walked into the room. But also on the third night I had a nurse with the brains and compassion to say she was putting the alarm out in the hall, because SHE was the one who needed to hear it.

The machine was a Glucomaster, but the nurses referred to it as "glucomonster".

 

[Phyllis]

Dick didn't have a machine like that, but he was constantly getting his finger stuck to check his glucose level. He is not diabetic either, but I think it is common to have higher levels after surgery. About the third day into this he screamed at the poor nurse that she could not stick his finger one more time!

 

[netmiff]

nothing new to add, except to say that I was finger-stuck several times, and needled several times too; seems routine after OHS, maybe even surgery in general, but they do routinely test it. Oh, I am not and never have been anywhere close to being diabetic.

 

[ALCapshaw2]

Interesting.

I don't recall any finger sticks, either time.

'AL Capshaw'

 

[Superbob]

Did anyone else have this? It's one thing I was not prepared for from VR.com or any of my reading.
Starting in the ICU and through my last morning at the hospital, I was hooked by IV to a machine for monitoring glucose levels. (I am not diabetic.) Every hour someone did a glucose stick and fed some information back into the machine. The problem was that part of the implementation was a loud two-tone alarm and flashing red light that went off at the end of EVERY hour next to my head. It took from several minutes to (once) 30 minutes for anyone to respond to it. By the third night I was holding my little purple fingers up whenever anyone walked into the room. But also on the third night I had a nurse with the brains and compassion to say she was putting the alarm out in the hall, because SHE was the one who needed to hear it.

The machine was a Glucomaster, but the nurses referred to it as "glucomonster".

Good Lord! I AM diabetic and had nothing like the Glucomonster in my five days post-op in the hospital. I do remember being awakened at 4 every morning by a nurse taking my blood sugar the old-fashioned way, but that wasn't so bad...especially when she told me how sweet I was.

 

[WayneGM]

I was being pricked several times a day with a hand held machine for glucose level. However, I don't recall a Glucomaster.

 

[marie]

I too was checked but with a hand monitor no monster for me.
Earline

 

[briansmom]

My son was checked constantly while he was in ICU, but again, like the others just with a hand machine. I asked about it because his sugar levels were high and sometimes he had to get insulin, in spite of the fact that he has never been diabetic. They told me that the trauma of surgery can cause the temporary need for insulin, it went away after a few days.

 

[nickm3]

I received a finger prick every hour for the first 3 days or so post-op then once it stabilized a bit the frequency was about once every four hours. My understanding is that by maintaining your glucose levels within a tight range it helps your body with the healing process.

Nick

 

[DebbyA]

I understand that the body is flooded with glucose during surgery, and there is a need to administer insulin to regulate it in the days following surgery. From what I heard the nurses say, this machine is a great advance in fine-tuning that regulation process.

The two things I'm having difficulty with are accepting the 10-30 minute delay in responding to a loud HOURLY alarm, and the suspicion that I was part of an equipment trial without my consent.

Maybe next week I'll gather the resolve to contact Patient Relations, or maybe I should just let it go.

 

[Plumber1]

I didn't have the glucomonster either but did get my finger pricked four times a day. I was recently diagnosed with diabetes and expected my nurses to check my glucose levels. My blood sugar did swing quite a bit but was told it was from steroids they gave me during the procedure.

Mark

 

[Superbob]

I understand that the body is flooded with glucose during surgery, and there is a need to administer insulin to regulate it in the days following surgery. From what I heard the nurses say, this machine is a great advance in fine-tuning that regulation process.

The two things I'm having difficulty with are accepting the 10-30 minute delay in responding to a loud HOURLY alarm, and the suspicion that I was part of an equipment trial without my consent.

Maybe next week I'll gather the resolve to contact Patient Relations, or maybe I should just let it go.

My sense is that Patient Relations at Inova Fairfax would want to know if there were some glitch with equipment affecting patient care. I was very pleased with my care there three years ago, but I didn't have any loud hourly alarms going off. I would think they would want to know about that, and tame the Glucomonster for the comfort of patients.

 

[ALCapshaw2]

Anything that is counterproductive to patient recovery should be brought to the attention of Nursing and Hospital Management as well as the Surgeon.

You could start with the Charge Nurse who is "in charge" of each shift. There should also be a Nurse Manager behind the scenes. For times / cases where satisfaction is not achieved, many (most?) hospitals have a Patient Advocate that can be called. If it is something that is truly counterproductive to recovery, the Surgeon should be advised. They have the power to see that changes are made, and fast!

'AL Capshaw'

 

[netmiff]

I woke up from surgery with a third-degree burn .

Good grief, what did they do to you to cause that???

 

[DebbyA]

Oaktree, no offense taken at all. Your experience was dreadful.

I realize I had a very high standard of care. It wasn't just luck that I was home in 3 days with no complications (not even the night sweats I've just seen a new thread about). That's why I dithered 3 weeks before posting. Just wondered if this is something so common no one else thought it worth mentioning, and that's why I was unprepared.

The surgeon's PA was the first person I saw after the 30-min episode, and I also questioned the monitoring at the post-surgery appointment.