In the few weeks leading up to the
meeting April 12, Tim received emails from several unable to attend March's
meeting and Tim made sure to ask for extra chairs and made extra
copies for each. When the meeting started, 89 were in attendance.
The speaker said I have a special
presentation for you this evening. He said this is unplanned, but
started this afternoon and the family has consented. I will be doing
an intervention for you. He introduced the family, then the wife,
and the person with diabetes. There were a few hands quickly
covering mouths, as some recognized the person with diabetes.
The speaker asked the person with
diabetes (PWD) to explain the action he was taking and why. The
person with diabetes stood up and said I have some questions first. The
speaker asked him to continue. He asked how many people had
diabetes. Every hand went up and he was a little surprised. He next
asked how many had diabetes for more than three years. Only seven
people did not raise their hands.
Next, he asked how many had not known
relatives with diabetes. Nine people raised their hands. Now he
asked how many felt they had been misdiagnosed. No hands were raised
and he said I have been misdiagnosed and don't have diabetes. I will
do a test to prove it. Allen stood and asked when he had last had
anything to eat. He answered about four hours ago. Allen then asked
when he had last washed his hands and he said about an hour ago.
The PWD pricked his finger, tested, and
then asked his wife to read the results. She said 209 is what the
meter says. Then he picked up a second meter and also use this to
test. When he read the results, 88, everyone looked around in
disbelief. One doctor asked to see the meters before the test strips
were removed and they were put away. They were offered and the
doctor said, there is no blood in the test strip and the meter is
still showing the number 88.
The speaker interrupted then and said
the readings in his office three hours earlier were the same. The
wife of the PWD asked if this was what he was using and had the
meters preset to try to fool everyone. With that, she opened both test strip
containers and said that the ones for the one meter, all had blood in
them, and none on any of the strips for the second meter had blood.
The speaker asked if anyone had their
meter with them and new lancets. Ten of us raised our hands and the
speaker asked me to bring my meter up. Once there, he asked that I
remove the lancet and insert a new one. Next, I used an alcohol pad
to clean the lancet device and set the depth to #3. Next, the
speaker removed another alcohol pad and cleaned his fingers. Then he
removed a test strip and inserted it in the meter.
When he asked the PWD to hold out his
hand, he refused. He asked a second time and again he refused. The
speaker asked if there was anyone he would let prick his finger. The
PWD said he was the only one he trusted. The speaker announced that
he was in denial then and had some depression in addition. The
speaker turned to the group and asked Allen if he would come up.
Allen got to the front and the speaker asked if Allen agreed with his
analysis.
Allen said he agreed and asked the
speaker if he could ask two questions and the speaker agreed. Allen
asked the person with diabetes if he had pain in his feet that felt
like a thousand needles. He answered no, but his wife said he
doesn't like anything on his feet at night and had constructed a
metal frame to hold the covers up away from his feet. Allen asked if
he had been tested for vitamins D and B12. When he would not answer,
his wife said no.
The speaker asked when he had been to
his doctor and he would not answer. The speaker asked the wife and
she said about nine months earlier. She continued that he would not
see the doctor again and had protested seeing this doctor. If it was
not for their two children, the wife said he may not have gone.
The speaker turned to me and asked if I
had any questions. I faced the PWD and asked if he would let us know
why he would not accept us testing his blood glucose and why he was
afraid. He would not answer. The speaker turned to him and asked if
he would allow Dr. Tom to do an A1c test which would measure his
previous three months. He nodded his head and Dr. Tom came up and
asked to borrow my lancet device. He carefully pricked one of his
fingers, wiped away the first drop, and gently squeezed another drop
for the A1c.
After getting the blood for the meter,
he held it carefully for a several seconds and showed it to the
speaker. The speaker asked the PWD if he wanted to read the results
and he said no. Then Dr. Tom said it was over 14. Dr. Tom said this meant that his blood glucose for the three
months was over 350 mg/dl. Then Dr. Tom asked what his first
reading was and the PWD would not answer. His wife turned to Dr. Tom
and said even higher.
Continued in the next blog.
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