Our hospital system

**Mom** · 27th May 2007, 20:19

Recently we have read about the appalling treatment that FROSTY received from the hospital system after his off at Taupo. I would like to add my story to the mix to give a bit of balance to the equation.

My son has not been feeling 100% for a couple of weeks and rang me Wednesday night for some Mom advice. He has recently left home and is living in the central city (Akld). After a trip to a doctor on Thursday and a blood test or 5, he rang me to say that they suspected Diabetes. Results on Friday confirmed the diagnosis and he was told to get himself to the hospital! Seems out of the blue he has developed type 1 diabetes (thats the insulin dependant type).

He was admitted Friday afternoon to the assessment area of Auckland hospital while they waited for a bed to become available for him. The facilities there are state of the art and the staff are amazing. He was seen immediately, the required drips and insulin/glucose pumps set up. He was given all the equipment he needs to test blood sugar and inject himself etc and a heap of information to read. He was transferred to a high dependancy bed within hours and will remain there for a few days until everything settles.

I have nothing but praise for the speed that he was seen and treated, the facillities are wonderful, the staff are great! So rest assured folks, all is not lost, we still do have a first class health service, for medical emergencies at Auckland hospital anyway.

**Highlander** · 27th May 2007, 20:26

Good stuff.
Glad he is getting the treatment he needs, and good for you speaking up.

All too often in todays society we hear long and loud about the negatives and the postives are kept hush hush.

**Edbear** · 27th May 2007, 20:28

Sorry to hear about his situation, sympathies, even though he will no doubt be able to live a relatively normal life with it under control, it still sucks! Good he has such a supportive and involved family around him too!

Glad you got such a good response from AkH, I've found that hospital to be very good from personal experience too.

Nice to hear positives among the gripes lately!

**xwhatsit** · 27th May 2007, 21:09

Diabetes is ghey, but I know a couple of people for whom it causes minimal inconvenience, so the best of luck to him and hope it is as sortable as it is for my friends.

I have nothing but praise for the Auckland hospital system either; twice I have fscked my knee, once in Brisbane and once in Auckland. In Brisbane, I had to go through the private system (medical insurance FTW) as it would be months before I could get an operation for a fractured kneecap.

In Auckland, not only was I seen to and X-rayed promptly and by much more knowledgeable staff, but on-going treatment (and indeed any operation, if I needed it) was available almost immediately.

What happened to Frosty was stink, I don't want to trivialise that; but the emergency areas of hospitals are always overloaded, and that's why triage exists. The beds that Frosty could've had but didn't were probably taken up by people with more life-threatening injuries. The time period it occurred was also unfortunate; over a weekend like that, hospitals always seem to peak with patients. I saw this when I was in hospital for a while a few years back; come the weekend all the drunks and car crashes and assorted injuries seemed to peak, but by Tuesday they'd all gone. Weird. Stuff being a Doctor/Nurse/etc.

**riffer** · 27th May 2007, 21:19

Originally Posted by xerxesdaphat

Diabetes is ghey

Interesting comment there Mr Xerxes.

Are you speaking from personal experience?
Diabetes doesn't suck any more than being red-headed does.

Nice to hear your boy got the four star service Mom.

As alluded to before, if he ever wants to discuss the implications of diabetes, or wants some advice on living with a daily insulin regime, PM me and I'll give you my email address and phone number so he can get in contact.

Diabetes in not a death sentence. If anything its made me more aware and appreciative of the life that I do have.

**curious george** · 27th May 2007, 21:30

Originally Posted by riffer

Diabetes doesn't suck any more than being red-headed does.

So they are both ghey as each other then?
Wot if you are a ginger AND have diabetes? Hmmmmmmm

Go Auck hosp!!!! Your tax dollars working for you :-)
Sounds like Frosty had a crap time, better to crash closer to home...
He must have been pretty stable though to transport him, and hopefully his recovery will be at home, not at Taupo where it might have been had he stayed there.

**Mom** · 27th May 2007, 21:32

Indeed Diabetes is not ghey, nor is it an end to life as we know it. Admit to it being a hell of a shock for me, he on the other hand seems to be taking it in his stride, he is 18 with a hell of a lot of living to do, he intends to get on with it! However this was meant to be more of a big

to the staff at Auckland hospital that are looking after him now.

**riffer** · 27th May 2007, 21:37

Originally Posted by curious george

Sounds like Frosty had a crap time, better to crash closer to home...
He must have been pretty stable though to transport him, and hopefully his recovery will be at home, not at Taupo where it might have been had he stayed there.

Actually, he had to find his own way back to Auckland mate.

**Paul in NZ** · 27th May 2007, 21:37

Sent you a pm - like Riffer I'm a type 1 as well... Let us know if we can answer any questions...

Let him check this out!

http://www.realitycheck.org.au/

Cheers

**xwhatsit** · 27th May 2007, 21:38

No lol I think I used the wrong word there. My apologies.

I mean having diabetes is ghey, as in... a pain in the neck. It is a bit of a pisser that your son got diagnosed with diabetes.

Sorry, must be a different definition of the word I'm using.

**riffer** · 27th May 2007, 21:38

Originally Posted by Mom

Indeed Diabetes is not ghey, nor is it an end to life as we know it. Admit to it being a hell of a shock for me, he on the other hand seems to be taking it in his stride, he is 18 with a hell of a lot of living to do, he intends to get on with it! However this was meant to be more of a big

to the staff at Auckland hospital that are looking after him now.

With an attitude like that your boy will do wonderfully Mom.

The offer still stands though. The road ahead is not easy. There will be good days and bad. The first time he gets a bad cold or flu will be a real test for him. If you have diabetes and get sick, you go down hard.

**curious george** · 27th May 2007, 21:43

Originally Posted by riffer

Actually, he had to find his own way back to Auckland mate.

Your kidding? Twas lucky he had some mates down there then...
An ambo would have transported otherwise, but wouldn't have helped out with bike.

Originally Posted by xerxesdaphat

No lol I think I used the wrong word there. My apologies.

I mean having diabetes is ghey, as in... a pain in the neck.

You must have been thinking of the red heads...

Bummer with Diabetes, still lots here are proof it not the end of the world.
Thanks for the 'Thanks', I can accept on behalf of ADHB staff, unless there are others who work there too, then we can split it.

I gotts say sometimes you get nothing but crap about how bad the hospital system is, it's nice to know it worked for somebody

**R6_kid:Me** · 27th May 2007, 21:47

I had a friend who passed away at the start of the year indirectly from diabetes.

It appears she slipped into diabetic coma/siesure and drowned whilst taking a a bath. She was 20yrs old, and the most energetic and amazing person i can remember meeting. She never let it get to her, but unfortunately it got the better of her.

Make sure he keeps an eye on it Mom, it's all too easy to get too casual about it.

**riffer** · 27th May 2007, 21:53

Fuck. That's rough. Sorry to hear about that.

Actually, I've read a bit about the effects of high temperature water lowering the blood sugar.

I used to have a spa in our old house and I noticed sometimes that if I'd had a spa late at night before going to bed it sometimes brought on a hypo at 2 or 3 in the morning.

Hypos - wouldn't wish them on my worst enemy.