Taking time to help a friend--

The day was mostly spent with a friend who needed to go to the ER. Her health issues had mounted to become a potential threat to her survival. I found it quite frustrating to see doctors ignore what to me was obvious.

My experience with former patients in the hospice setting came to bear. It was clear when I had a patient drop weight so close to the end of their life that their time was short. My friend was diagnosed as diabetic about four years ago. Her only problem was that her body is not absorbing the medication and her sugar levels were swinging high and low in a short amount of time. If she ate anything, her sugar level spiked to over 300. Then if she threw up what she ate her levels went as low as 8o. Not good.

Again the symptom of a dramatic weight loss ordinarily would appear positive, but not in her case. Her body was burning up the excess fat too rapidly and it was her diabetic condition that caused it. The doctor that sent her to ER told her to go to get another opinion. Then her regular doctor denied he had even suggested it. Besides, he later questioned if she even had diabetes in the first place. It just didn't make a lot of sense to me.

She went away with a referral to see another doctor, an internist to monitor her diabetes who was highly recommended as the best in the area. She had some other issues with another condition that requires her to have surgery. So that will likely happen when she can get in to the the referral doctor. The ER doctor was helpful and had to deal with the situation the best he knew.

My friend thanked me for being there. It was the least I could do. I would do it for my children anytime; a friend is no different. I pray God may bless her in her journey to get her health back along with some concrete answers.