The Doctor Is In and A Nurse Learns to Watch Her Back

Ummm…..yeah!

Because those “healthy” men who don’t think they need to see a doctor are probably harboring triglyerides so high the fat in their blood rises to the top of the tube (yes, I just saw it yesterday) or their cholesterol is 6,589 or…..

….they have diabetes.

Afraid of needles?

Grow up.

Afraid of the prostate exam?

Dying of prostate cancer is worse than the rectal exam.

Got the “It can’t happen to me, machismo attitude?”

Get your head out of the pile of sand you buried it it in.

You are not immune from life, aging or disease.

Get a grip. Use that macho man attitude to overcome your fear.

Ask around. Get some referrals.

Make some calls.

See a doctor.

You owe it to your wife, your kids, and your grandkids.

Any Questions?

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John’s first doctor’s appointment was interesting.

Dr. Hsu is quite a character. An internal medicine doctor specializing in metabolic disorders (aka: endocrinologist), he has a great sense of humor.

The first thing he did at the appointment was hand both John and I a pamphlet on Type 2 diabetes and tell us we had ten minutes to read it. When he came back, he’d test us and as a nurse, he expected 100% correct from me!

Instead of lecturing he asks questions.

Here’s a paraphrasing of the first visit.

Dr: Why do you take your blood sugar four times a day?

John: Because the hospitalist said to do it that often.

Dr: But why do you take it?

John: To see how well I’m doing?

Dr: You take your blood sugar to see if you need to make changes in your lifestyle. In your diet. For you, twice a day at random times should be enough. You only take your blood sugar to see if you need to make changes.

I told the doctor that I had gotten all the bad food out of the house and had bought Glucerna shakes and bars and sugar free everything.

Dr: That’s no fun. I’m not a fan of these diabetic products. You eat normal food in controlled portions. I prefer that “real food” be eaten.

Whoa! I thought the whole world would be changing and all we really had to do was eat healthier, exercise and tweak how we were doing by the blood sugar readings.

He set a goal of 110-140 fasting and a two-hour after eating goal of 160.

He increased the metformin to 1000mg and divided the dose into twice a day.

(I know to those who have diabetes, these numbers seem wonderful. John’s A1c was 8.7 so he had been dealing with the diabetes for awhile. He responded well to the metformin, thank goodness.)

He stopped the atenolol. John’s BP was only elevated in the hospital. We were to check his BP twice a day and he gave a prescription for atenolol if we wound up needing it.

Dr. Hsu put much of the decision making on his patients I noticed. Perhaps because I was a nurse. But it seemed to empower his patients. The doctor could advise, the patient could choose to take the advice. John was still a bit confused about it all, but we left with three gazillion pamphlets on diet, cholesterol, eating out, weight loss….

You name it, we had a reference for it.

That day we went home and I signed John up as a member of the American Diabetic Association.

Did you know ETOH increases triglycerides?

I did not know that.

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John picked up on his own care and blood sugars pretty quickly. He’d call me at work to ask questions and get an opinion on how he should handle his blood sugar reading and what would be okay to eat.

I felt comfortable returning to work as John was essentially healed from the gallbladder surgery and was really getting comfortable with the diet.

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How can I put this delicately?

The ER has eyes and ears everywhere and it you say something about someone, it will get back to them.

It got back to me.

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I was informed by a very reliable source when that unflattering things had been said about me while I was gone by co-workers on certain shifts. And that I needed to watch my back because, essentially, these people were not my friends.

Indeed, I had a few people independently tell me the same thing.

And I was told what was said and who said what. So I know who they are.

No, these people are not my friends, they are my co-workers.

I was devastated.

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I did not quit.

I’m a nurse to take care of patients so that is what I decided to focus on.

I work in the best ER on the planet in terms of patient care and in one of the best hospitals I’ve ever known.

The problem is my job went from being a place where I invested every part of me to just a place where I go to work and do my job, do it well, and come home.

Everything seems good on the surface. We joke, laugh, help each other and talk about the same things we always have.

But I know.

I watch my back.

And those stab wounds hurt.