ICU and DKA

Career

So after getting my rubbish GCSE results I decided on an apprentiship at Access training doing animal care NVQ level 2 they found me a placement at Derby and DIstrict RSPCA. I was so excited to be starting my adult life to begin with I was doing Monday and Fridays 8am to 5pm and do the paper side of my NVQ in the week up in Ilkeston. I had told the manager I was diabetic (not through choice) just thought that I should. My blood sugars were still quite stable but I wasn't sure how they would react to my new activity as it's not like I would be sat at a desk all day like school. So I loved this new job it's working with animals which was my plan I was getting a qualification for it and earning £30 a fortnight and all travel expenses were paid back to me. My blood sugars were also fine with this new life style however I had contracted a water infection (which is quite common in diabetics) I was put on antibiotics and my blood sugars were a little higher than usual I put it down to the infection (at the time I didn't actually know this but when a diabetic has an infection the insulin you take for your food actually goes to the infection rather than the food you've eaten and that's why your blood sugars are higher so your suppose work out how much insulin you need for the food and than for what your blood sugars are). However Thursday night in 2003 I came home from work (I was now pretty much full time) I felt extremely thirsty and urinating a lot which I thought was probably the infection but then I couldn't keep any thing down not even water I kept getting a sharp pain in my side which I thought was probably from heaving. I was so tired so I went for a nap (which I shouldn't have done so it seams) but when I woke I felt 10 times worse my mum rang NHS direct as was now after hours for the diabetic clinic they told me to eat toast even after telling them I couldn't keep anything down. A few hours later I could hardly breathe (tack cardiac) my blood sugars were in there high 20s (should be between 4-8) so we decided to go to A&E (it turns out I should have called an ambulance) but when I arrived they sent me to resus by now I was really ill I actually had DKA diabetic ketoacidosis a potential life threatening complication in type 1 diabetics (I had never heard of it) all I remember was a lot of doctors around me putting drips in me a oxygen mask and chest pain. I had so much acid in my blood I was taken into ICU I was extremely ill and was then put on a sliding scale to try and regulate my blood sugars this would be a combination of insulin and dextrose. I was in there for a few days until the acid was no longer in my blood stream in was then moved onto a ward with my continuous sliding scale. My blood sugar was checked every 2 hours if it was high they would give more insulin bringing my blood sugar back down to normal I was in hospital for a week. Going home the following Friday I felt so much better I now knew what DKA is and symptoms of it and hoping it won't happen again. I returned back to work on the Monday to everyone surprise but I loved my job!