HealingWell
Search Close Search
☰

Not sure how to start...

Support Forums
>
Diabetes
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply
❬ ❬ Previous Thread |Next Thread ❭ ❭
Posted 3/9/2012 4:06 AM (GMT 0)
This might be a long story and I'm not sure what I'm looking for. Ideas, advice, stories, whatever, I guess. I'm normally in the UC forum.

My uncle has severe diabetes (type 2, as far as I know) and spherocytosis. Last week (Thurs) his heart stopped, and he stopped breathing. His partner did CPR and he went to the hospital. They got his heart started but he was in a coma. Later we found out his old GP had done kidney tests and my uncle was experiencing renal failure, but the doctor didn't say anything. He had very bad edema with that. I thought that diabetes can affect your kidneys, that's why I mention it. I think my mom said they have pumps in his skin to control the diabetes, and I know he's having dialysis now. He can breathe on his own now and his heart is beating well, but he is still in renal failure and what they call a semi-coma (whatever that is - he can respond but is sedated a lot).

-Opinions on the doctor and renal failure?

-What if he needs a kidney transplant? And hypothetically, if he did, and I were to be a match/donate, what if I got diabetes later (my dad, uncle, grandma all had it, and possibly others)? How strong of a family thing is it?

-Does dialysis help something like this, or does there need to be some other long term solution?

-Any other thoughts?

I think mostly I wanted ideas and opinions from people who might have some inkling of what I'm talking about.

Thanks for your time everyone =)

Posted 3/9/2012 6:10 AM (GMT 0)
 

Hi Elephantpipe and Welcome!

I don't have a clue about the process.  I'm  embarrassed to say that I haven't read up on it.  Maybe I just don't want to know yet.  My hubby's aunt died at age 44(Type 1, I think) with this.  She went blind first, then her kidneys.  Two of my net Friends in their 50's and 60's died too of renal failure.  Their length of times on dialysis varied quite a bit.  It is not the long term answer, a transplant is.  Very sad indeed.  I'm sorry to hear of your Uncle going through this scary experience also.

As far as the Dr., true that some do not tell their patients about progressing conditions which I think is very wrong.  Especially the younger adults with different conditions and the elderly.  Is it possible that the Dr. did tell your uncle but your uncle maybe kept the bad news to himself?  

Bless your heart!!  How generous of you to even consider donating a kidney to your uncle.  That is you and your uncle's decision of course if he is able to understand.  You are young with your whole life ahead of you.  No one knows who will get Diabetes.  Actually, I think there are trials/tests for children.  Sorry, my brain is goop tonight.  Lack of proper sleep. 

In my family, more were dxd. with Type 2 than not, many years after I was dxd. with Type 1.  Not many others were dxd. with Type 1 in my family thankfully.

I wish you and your uncle well Hon.  :-)

Posted 3/10/2012 1:10 AM (GMT 0)
I'm really sorry about your uncle's health problems.  Yes, it's true that kidney problems (as well as heart and so on) can arise from diabetes and this might happen over a long term with very uncontrolled blood sugar especially.  It's really really disturbing that his old GP didn't mention anything to your uncle about his kidney problems - that's a serious case of malpractice, isn't it?  Having diabetes in the family raises the possiblity of diabetes in other members, so it would be a good idea for you to be tested annually and you need to keep an eye on yourself and your own health, too!  I don't know about possibly being a kidney donor.  You would need to clear that with both his doctors and yours if it comes to that.  I hope for the best for him.  How old is he and how is he doing now?
Posted 3/10/2012 2:16 AM (GMT 0)
msOuchie, my grandma also died from it. She went blind and her foot was black - they amputated it and then her leg, but she didn't make it even though she got through the surgery. But she didn't like doctors so she had waited way too long.
I don't think my uncle would have kept it to himself. His partner has been taking care of him for a very long time and my uncle is very tough... I don't think he would push something aside like that.
I should probably have some tests done. I guess my aunt has it too, so that makes at least four people, and just on my dad's side. All I know is I don't have spherocytosis. I just wonder what would happen if I only had one kidney and then ended up with diabetes. That would be no fun, lol.

Lanie, I know he's had some serious problems for a long time. So I wonder if they'll even bring a transplant up. I also think it's malpractice. But I think everyone wants to avoid stress, and/or they're just nonconfrontational. I hope when my uncle's able he does something about it, if he has the funds. He is... I'm terrible with ages... but he's the youngest of 5, so I think he's between 30 and 45 or so... sorry it's so broad lol. But he's fairly young. They've gotten 8 liters of fluid out of him and today he tried to talk some more and called people by name and even tried hugging them. So I think he's feeling a lot better. The ventilator hasn't had to kick in for him yet and his heart is still beating well. All the specialists are optimistic but the renal failure's obviously a problem.

I was thinking last night, last time I popped over to the diabetes forum everyone here was sweet (and this time too). It must be because your blood sugar's so high ;) (lame joke but whatever, I thought it was cute)

Thanks again =)
Posted 3/10/2012 3:16 AM (GMT 0)
So, he's younger than I was thinking.  In any case, I'm glad he's doing better in the hospital.  You need to take care of yourself, too.  yeah
Posted 3/10/2012 4:13 AM (GMT 0)
He's also not overweight at all. He's always been thin. He's already had his spleen removed (because of spherocytosis I think).

Yes... I need to drink more water and cut down on ice cream. I live right down the road from a Quality Dairy.
Posted 3/10/2012 4:43 PM (GMT 0)
Elephant Pipe, as one person living with UC to another, one of the best things you can do for yourself is to avoid Prednisone as much as possible. It does elevate blood sugar, and can cause type II diabetes with longer use. There are a number of us here who attribute our type II to Pred use.
Posted 3/11/2012 9:01 PM (GMT 0)
Yeah, I do try to avoid it as much as I can by using supplements and stuff like Rowasa when needed. That signature was old and I'm not on it anymore =) Thanks. I should probably stay away from it specifically, especially with my family history, I guess.
Posted 3/12/2012 1:49 AM (GMT 0)
Thank goodness your uncle is still alive, wow how scary, yet amazing what our bodies can endure. You are so sweet thinking of donating a kidney. I'm sure if this is a possibility you could ask a dr or nurse and they could steer you in the right direction and someone could answer most of your questions. I hope your uncle recuperates quickly from all of this. Stay healthy, eat well, exercise, you also need to take some time out for you for rest and de-stressing.
Posted 3/14/2012 2:16 PM (GMT 0)
Yeah, it was pretty sudden, even though he'd had bad problems before. He pulled his ventiliator out, he was sick of it, because he's been breathing on his own. They got at least 8 liters of fluid out of him, more I think. He even talked a little bit. Also, my dad came home from KY, so he can start taking care of his own diabetes. He wasn't able to come back because he slept in the car and his foot was too swollen to even get his shoe on (it was reconstructed a few years ago). I posted about my dad here before, about his diet... still no luck there, lol. But I'm going to start taking care of myself better. Maybe I can avoid it, I don't need any more problems, lol.
Thanks again, everyone!
Posted 3/15/2012 1:34 AM (GMT 0)
You can try to help people but I found that you cannot change them.  The best you can do for your family members is to be there for them and suggest better choices in their lifestyle.  (I know this from my own family.)  But - you have the power to change your own lifestyle for the better since you are an adult, not a child.  You are young and you have a wealth of information available to you with the Internet, something that has only been available to us for around 30 years.  Learn as much as you can and take care of your own health now to avoid more problems later in life.

smurf  

Posted 4/14/2012 5:01 AM (GMT 0)
I don't know if anyone is interested in an update or not, but here it is. The hospital wants him out now, but the rehab facility wouldn't take him. He's on dialysis three times a week, and I guess the other day his sugar dropped to 20?! I didn't even know that was possible. His memory comes and goes. He has now gotten to what my mom calls the "swearing stage" (he told my dad, who does not work at the hospital lol, "I'm going to call the darn office and you're going to be ****ing fired!").
When my dad comes back he'll be bringing my uncle's dog to live with us temporarily (or permanently, depending on what happens). It's a good dog too, it basically saved my uncle's life twice.
So that's what's happening. I hope everyone here is doing well!
Posted 4/14/2012 12:09 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks for the update.  It sounds like his blood sugar is not being controlled, which can lead to delusion.  I'm really sorry.  I understand he has a few health problems but normalizing the blood sugar should be a priority.  How are they doing this?
Posted 4/20/2012 2:31 PM (GMT 0)
I thought they had insulin pumps, but I'm not sure what else they are doing or should be doing. It seems like they could have something that would alert them when it's too high or low. Do they have something like that at hospitals?
Posted 4/20/2012 2:43 PM (GMT 0)
Honestly, I don't know what the hospital would do.  An insulin pump has to be "installed" on your uncle but I don't know if the hospital would do that temporarily.  Sounds like he should have one all the time.  I suppose the nurses would be checking his blood sugar rather often and administering his diabetes meds according to his needs.  See if you can get more information through your dad if he's up there more often.  I hope he's doing better.
Posted 4/26/2012 8:06 PM (GMT 0)
Okay, so I found out he doesn't have pumps (don't know why not). They actually sent him home, if you can believe that! Much as everyone wants to see him comfortable we were all kind of shocked. They tried to send him to another facility but someone screwed up the paperwork so they wouldn't take him. He's back in ICU again now (and at a different, hopefully better, hospital). His sugar tends to drop right after dialysis. Once it was so low the meter couldn't even get a reading. I sure hope this hospital is better. That last one... let's just say no one better send me there, ever.

I don't understand why they sent him home. I just watched a something about a lady who's been in the hospital for TWO YEARS after a stroke, because she won't leave and they can't discharge her without a plan. But they send home someone with brain damage and who's basically constantly at risk for dying. Just, ugh.
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply