Monday, May 30, 2011

I've hit the wall



Always read the instructions and look at the blood machine thing especially when it only has two cartridges of 6 lancets each and the "educator" wants 4 to 5 readings done a day for the first couple of weeks. Took one whole cartridge to get a drop of blood on Friday night and a whole load of anxiety. So back to Southland on Sunday and I walked from Centre Dandenong Road to Southland, round of applause please. Decided to keep going and visit Mater.


She said I looked like death then got that look on her face, the one of terror that I might go before her and my sister will be looking after her. My sister gets the same look when I get ill because she'll get Ma. I was glad I made the effort as there are now more men than women and they have taken over the activities room so she can't go there for her craft. She was in her room and pleased to see me. One new person in her room, very cadaver like until she sat up and I realized it was 'The Pincher'. The new nurse found out why we call her that when she copped a beauty on the leg. They keep her nails short but I swear they grow overnight like a vampire's.


So it's 12.53 and I'm sitting here in dressing gown and cloak, it's sunny outside and I might in a hour or two hang out some washing. Depression belts me on the head every time I do a blood test and it's all over the place like a wet dog shaking. I am not supposed to go more than 4 hours without food, breakfast - snack - lunch - snack - tea - snack. Along with nothing to elevate the cholesterol, put on weight or have the BGL going berserk. I am not having 3 wholemeal crackers with peanut butter as a before bed snack, it's disgusting. According to my lo-GI book I can have a slice of fruit bread and I'm having it.


I have a new lancet pen that is supposed to be relatively pain free for blood collecting. Bullshit.

And you prick the sides of your fingers because this gives you 20 different places for pain.

My stress level and blood pressure rises accordingly and now I discover I've missed an instruction for loading the pain machine and have to re-do the cartridge. It would be really much easier if the illustrations and the instructions were side by side, illustration 1. right beside instruction 1. And don't turn the page the wrong way and think you're going mad because the words aren't making sense, it's the Spanish instruction page. And don't keep the machine and pen in the wrong temperature space or a steamy place, they don't like it and tend to pack it in.


A bit like me.

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

Isn't there some old non compos type in your mother's home who you could practice your lancet technique on?

Ozfemme said...

Are you Guinevere because you do lance a lot?

(I'm sorry. I'm really sorry.)

Elephant's Child said...

Aaaargh. I feel for you. When I was learning to stick needles in myself I practised on oranges. Which didn't hurt a bit. When it came time for the real deal it was a whole new ball game.

JahTeh said...

Andrew, the sticking in part is easy, it's loading the damn pen that had me in a sweat.

Oz, you're going to regret that as soon as I email your mother and tell her you deliberately opened the side gate.

EC, If I only had to do it twice a day, it wouldn't be so bad but 4 to 5 means remembering which finger got stabbed last. It's funny about human skin, it's a lot tougher than we think.

The Editor said...

I have the sort of advice for you that, if you heard it, you would kill me and get worse, so I'll not bore you with it.

But I feel for you, JT.

I don't know what else to say... :(

Anonymous said...

drat. my comment disappeared.
fampl !
X X Brownie

Anonymous said...

yesterday I was cutting back blackberries in the garden and had blood everywhere - go prune your roses and solve the problem?

grate a carrot is another guaranteed way to see blood.
X X AOD

JahTeh said...

Well, Bear, it's just like getting out of one prison only to find yourself in another with the walls made of food rules, health rules, diabetes expert's rules, cholesterol rules, blood pressure rules and every man and his dog rules.
You know how well I handle authority but I suppose I'll adapt or shoot the experts.

Annie O, the blood drop has to be uncontaminated by anything or it all has to be done again. Damn blood machine flashes big error sign, I tell you it's all big brother territory. The diabetes tart can go back on the machine which then tells her the BGL and what time I had it. There goes my lying about breakfast at 8 o'clock more like 9.30 or ten.

River said...

LOVE the picture of you smacking the wall!
I remember the meal/snack routine from my mum's days. Her meals were anything that resembled a full plate and her snacks were usually a cheese sandwich. With that awful plasticy "cheese" that comes individually wrapped in plastic.
As for the wholegrain cracker with peanut butter, I'd choose the fruit slice too.
I thought those pinprick things came fully loaded and disposable?

Kelly & Sam Pilgrim-Byrne said...

Hey JT, it sounds harder than it should be. My maching is simple and I never have troubles getting blood out. I'm at work though and can't remember the brand. Do you want me to send it to you tonight?

Jayne said...

Squeeze the fleshiest bit of your fingers/thumb for a few seconds before jabbing - it stops the sharp bit going in too far and it collects blood at the tip for the glucometer.
Whack a band aid on it immediately - to remind you of which finger got jabbed last.
Slap the diabetes educator as you feel like it :P

JahTeh said...

Jayne, this has different settings so I've taken it down a notch which is much better. Bandaid? I've drawn fingers on paper, X marks the spot and then there's the washing with soap only and hot water to make the blood flow.

Muriels, I have this from the Diabetes Assoc, state of the art, non-painful and its memory stores 500 blood readings with time and date. It's a shame my fingers aren't state of the art. Funnily enough I'm right handed but working the stabber goes better with the left hand. I still have to write down the reading the book and I hope she appreciates the blood splatters from the first night.

This pen has a cartridge of 6 lancets and I only change when it's empty. It means there isn't a sharp point out, it goes back into the cartridge and you can't make the mistake of using an old one twice. River, my mother's still going and she lived on plastic cheese and toast. I can never find the opening to the plastic wrap and I won't give up my Nimbin cheese, full fat but low salt and non animal rennet. I find I eat less if I like something.

Middle Child said...

My son in law has diabetes - his leg was amputated on St Pat's day this year - so...do what you have to do - I am in the same position re extremely high BP which the GP could not and did not care about controlling till I demanded to see a specialist - he was shocked and acted that night...new meds BP finally normal after four years too high...but kidney issues - not too bad...I think our 50's/60's are the wake up call for us from the baby boomer generation - we are so self sufficient and don't expect help from anyone - whereas our mothers and fathers, grandparents mostly had people around them - families lived closeby - to see out for each other...from what I see many in our generation are looking out for parents as you do - and have no one to look out for them - in your case you lost you son - in mine the girls are just too far away - so we do stupid things falling over when we didn't used to do - balance issues change as we get older - having health issues which we deal with because thats what we have always done - just take care of your self ok!