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Thankful to be Alive

Posted on November 25th, 2009 by Retired-Ed in Daily Life

It’s the time of year when Americans everywhere like to say what they are thankful for. I have a very good reason to be thankful this year. I’m thankful to be alive! I doubt if many of you have had the opportunity to wake up and find your bedroom full of paramedics dressed in Day-Glo orange. Last Friday morning, I had that opportunity. I was roused by an emergency doctor who said,  ”Come on, you need to go with us to the hospital.” My enlightened response was, “Hospital? Why?” They had what they thought was a good reason. Some of my readers know that I am diabetic. I have been for over 20 years. I take insulin twice a day, and managing the diabetes is a continuing struggle. Diabetes is not necessarily a death sentence, but it is certainly a life sentence.

A few weeks ago, I needed to get another prescription for insulin. It is extremely difficult, sometimes impossible, in these times for a civilian to get in to see one of the military doctors. I got to see a PA (physician’s assistant) who seemed quite competent. She prescribed my medications for me and ordered some lab tests. I had the blood and urine work done, and the next day after the tests, I got a call from her telling me to come back in to the clinic because I was spilling sugar into my urine. For the uninitiated, that’s not a good thing. She told me that I needed to see an MD, a medical doctor, because my problem was beyond her level of comfort. OK, fine. I called for an appointment, and wonder of wonders, I could get one that day. (Civilians are second-class citizens with regard to military health care. The health care providers are here for the troops and their families. Civilians must call after 10:00 AM for a same-day appointment.) I told the appointments clerk that I needed to see a physician. I reiterated, “An MD!” She said that I could see Dr. X (name redacted to protect the innocent) at 1330. When I got there, I was surprised that Dr. X turned out to be a lieutenant colonel, which means that he had some experience. That was promising. When I related my history, he said, “I’m a PA, just like her. But I can confer with the doctor.” Well, that’s just dandy, but one takes what one can get. I need to digress to explain that the German medical system is first-rate. I have no problem with them, and we do have a German physician that we see regularly. However, the insulin that they use here is not the same as what I can get from the American pharmacy. It’s risky to switch meds without intense supervision. I may have to do that, but for the moment, I am still using the American system. So, the PA, after consulting with the doctor, upped my insulin just a bit in order to control my high blood sugar. I was to keep a record of my sugar levels three times a day. In addition, I took an extra dose of Metformin (an oral medication) each day. He told me that I needed to come back for a re-evaluation in two weeks. “But you can’t possibly realize the difficulty in getting an appointment,” I said. “No problem. I’ll give you a written form to give to the appointment desk.” OK, fine. I took the written order to the appointment desk, and the clerk said that I was to be seen by LTC X in 2-3 weeks. (Note the difference already). They schedule those appointments 24 hours prior and they would call me. On Friday, it will be four weeks, and I still haven’t been called.

Well, the additional insulin caused me sometimes to have hypoglycemia, which is low blood sugar. If it gets too low, it can cause shock or even death. Last Thursday night, before I went to bed, I checked my blood sugar. It was low, so I ate two glucose tablets, half of a Ritter Sport candy bar, and a bag and a half of M&Ms. That should have been enough to send the glucose level into orbit! Not so. My wife noticed at around 2:30 that I was not conscious, and she could not get me to respond. After trying various interventions which didn’t work, she finally called the Bavarian equivalent of 911. They told her that she had to calm down in order for them to help! She must have been a wreck. Anyway, they responded and hooked me up to an IV of what was probably glucagon, but I don’t know for sure. After infusing me with enough sugar to bake a few apple torts, I was roused. I argued with them about going to the hospital, and I finally was able to convince them that I was lucid and would be OK. The blood sugar has been on a roller-coaster since then, and I’m worried about resuming any exercise for the moment, yet exercise and diet are two of the foundations of good diabetes control. I’ll keep you posted. By the way, the German system has a position called Notarzt, or emergency doctor. He/she accompanies the paramedics on necessary occasions. I just got the bill for the Notarzt, and it was close to $500. I still don’t have the bill for the FOUR paramedics who were crowding into my bedroom. All I can say is that I should have eaten more M&Ms that night!

What else am I thankful for this Thanksgiving?

I wish everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving and a start to what I hope is a joyous holiday season.

Retired-Ed

4 Comments

4 Responses to “Thankful to be Alive”

  1. citywendy Says:
    November 25th, 2009 at 7:21 pm

    I’m so thankful you’re okay!!

  2. larrybruce Says:
    November 26th, 2009 at 1:05 pm

    Now I have one more thing to be thankful for on Thanksgiving! I’m glad you are OK. I hope you get everything regulated soon.

    I hope your readers have noticed that you we visiting a GOVERNMENT run system. Do you think this would have happened with your private home-town doctor in the states? Oh, and I bet you would have seen a doctor the first time, not a PA.

    Again, I’m glad you are OK. Happy Thanksgiving. I’m thankful you are OK!

  3. Retired-Ed Says:
    November 26th, 2009 at 1:09 pm

    Thanks, Larry. Yes, the irony was not lost on me. If people only knew.

  4. Kathi-in-Iowa Says:
    November 28th, 2009 at 5:02 pm

    Oh my, Ed! We are so glad that you are OK and hope that you get everything under control soon. I can only imagine how frightening that must have been for “the Queen.”

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