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Does This Sound Right? (Medical Question)

post #1 of 10
3/25/11 at 7:49pm
Thread Starter 
I had to call 911 for Randall today because I thought he was starting to go into diabetic shock, or was fixin' to have a heart attack again. As it turns out, they said he had a severe viral infection of some kind. I'm concerned about whether or not it really is a viral infection because of the symptoms he had, and also because of his vital statistics that the paramedics took while they were here before taking him to the hospital in the ambulance. He was shivering uncontrollably and said he felt like he was freezing, and also complained of feeling like he had a fever. He also said he was nauseated & dizzy, and complained of having a bad headache. His vital statistics were: blood pressure 188/84 & heart rate 124. They checked his blood sugar because he is also diabetic, and it was 200 something (I don't recall the exact number). It also concerns me that his feet were swollen, which can also indicate heart-related problems (he's already had a stroke & heart attack - in which he had heart stents put in in December of last year).

It bothers me that they didn't keep him for at least overnight to monitor him. Can the symptoms I described indeed be related to a severe viral infection?

for any input/advice.
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post #2 of 10
3/25/11 at 8:11pm
That doesn't really sound right... if it were severe, like they suggested, why the heck did they send him home?

Given that there's a lot of factors here, your best bet is to get him seen in a non-ER setting ASAP. Lots of stuff is missed and/or misdiagnosed in the ER - they like to use "it's just a virus" excuse a lot.

In future situations remember that they cannot discharge you (or anyone else) unless you agree to it. If one feels that it's safer to stay and refuses to sign the discharge papers that's it.
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post #3 of 10
3/25/11 at 8:31pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by strange_wings View Post
That doesn't really sound right... if it were severe, like they suggested, why the heck did they send him home?

Given that there's a lot of factors here, your best bet is to get him seen in a non-ER setting ASAP. Lots of stuff is missed and/or misdiagnosed in the ER - they like to use "it's just a virus" excuse a lot.

In future situations remember that they cannot discharge you (or anyone else) unless you agree to it. If one feels that it's safer to stay and refuses to sign the discharge papers that's it.
I don't know why they didn't keep him there (at least overnight, anyway). Probably because they don't really care: the first question they asked him was if whether or not he had the $370.00 co-pay that was supposedly required. Like, yeah - he just came in in an ambulance, and stopped at the bank on the way there..

The hospital here sucks - especially one of the emergency doctors that always seems to be on staff every time he's had to go in to that hospital. I won't even get started on that - except to say that the time he had a heart attack, they tried sending him home then, too. I put a stop to that fast enough. .

I probably won't get a wink of sleep tonight, because I'll be worried about him and will want to keep an eye on him all night. He's notorious for "hiding" stuff. I'm gonna watch him like a hawk, and if I think anything's amiss, I'm calling 911 again....
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post #4 of 10
3/25/11 at 8:55pm
I am so sorry you are going through this.
Lots of for Randall.


You would think they would keep him overnight for observation at least, with his history. Did they find any virus? From what you said, it being virus related will be very low on the list of probabilities, unless they found something. DH mentioned something like Non ketotic hyper osmular state (related to diabetes) or an it may be something related to his heart.

Is there another ER in the area you can do tonight? In case you cannot drive anywhere else, keep a close eye and if things look out of the ordinary, call 911 again and be more insistent i the ER. Do call your regular doctor first thing in the morning (hoping the night passes without further incident) and if he asks you to take him to the regular ER, insist on him calling the ER and giving (worded as a request) them instructions/ explaining Randall's situation - I see DH do it a lot.
Hope he's doing better. There are many here who are in the healthcare field, and maybe able to give you advice, am sure. But for sure, nothing is the same as being seen by a physician in a hospital setting since they (unless they are callous) can do diagnostics.
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post #5 of 10
3/26/11 at 1:35am
If his blood sugar doesn't normally run that high (and I hope it doesn't!), it's certainly possible that an infection could cause it to spike. How is he doing now?
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post #6 of 10
3/26/11 at 3:43am
He was shivering uncontrollably and said he felt like he was freezing, and also complained of feeling like he had a fever.

Did they take his temperature? That sounds like a fever to me.

He also said he was nauseated & dizzy, and complained of having a bad headache.

The high blood pressure could account for the headache, and likely did. I know when my blood pressure is elevated, I get a headache.

Did they do any blood work on him to check his electrolyte balance? Nausea could be the result of a number of things, one of which is a low electrolyte balance of sodium or potassium, both required for heart (and other smooth muscle function).

His vital statistics were: blood pressure 188/84 & heart rate 124.

What is his blood pressure normally? The heart rate could be elevated because of the fact that he likely had a temperature, or that his electrolytes were abnormal.

They checked his blood sugar because he is also diabetic, and it was 200 something (I don't recall the exact number).

I'm sorry, but our measurements for tests here are different than the USA. I think the USA uses blood insulin levels and we calculate using blood glucose. Here normals are 3.6 to 6.0. So something in the 200 range sounds high to me. So my answer is based on that it's elevated.

Did he eat within an hour or two of having that diabetic test? If so, that's not going to be a true and accurate reading because all diabetics will have elevated levels after eating, which is why they are on medication.


It also concerns me that his feet were swollen, which can also indicate heart-related problems (he's already had a stroke & heart attack - in which he had heart stents put in in December of last year).

Again, I have to ask if they did a blood panel on him? Swollen feet can be the result of too much sodium, poor circulation (which a large number of diabetics have), poor lymphatic drainage, and elevated blood pressure. A severe viral infection would not cause that, at least none that I've ever heard of.

Did he have other symptoms such as general aches and pains, weakness, lethargy, cough/cold symptoms? It is flu season, so it could be that they thought he had the H3N1 flu virus, which there really isn't anything that can be done other than to let it run its course.

My advice is to take him to your family doctor as soon as you possibly can, or to another ER or urgent care centre. Make sure you are there to talk to the triage nurse so that they know your concerns and you can provide them with a detailed health history.

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post #7 of 10
3/26/11 at 4:28am
Deb, how is Randall doing this morning. I hope he made it through the night with no further incident. Randall needs to be seen by a regular doctor. Those ER doctors are for the birds. They sent me home with a medicine that never should have been prescribed and the wrong antibiotic. I ended up having to be treated by my gasterinterologist for two weeks with two different antibiotics. I think what the ER doctors do is just try to stabilize whatever is going on and send you home. Did they do any kind of test at all to check out his heart.
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post #8 of 10
3/26/11 at 8:57am
OH I am so sorry for you!!! How is Randall today??? I cannot believe they sent him home either. I do believe a serious viral infection can cause some of those symptoms. But, regardless, since he has had a past history of heart problems, I cannot believe they didn't keep him for observation and more test. Sending mega for you and Randall. Please update soon if you can
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post #9 of 10
3/26/11 at 10:03am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by natalie_ca
Did they take his temperature? That sounds like a fever to me.
His temperature was only slightly elavated - 99.8.

The high blood pressure could account for the headache, and likely did. I know when my blood pressure is elevated, I get a headache.

He does get headaches when his blood pressure goes up: so do I for that matter.

Did they do any blood work on him to check his electrolyte balance? Nausea could be the result of a number of things, one of which is a low electrolyte balance of sodium or potassium, both required for heart (and other smooth muscle function).

Yes, they did do bloodwork, which supposedly, turned out "normal".

What is his blood pressure normally? The heart rate could be elevated because of the fact that he likely had a temperature, or that his electrolytes were abnormal.

His normal blood pressure is usually in the 140-something over 80-something range.

I'm sorry, but our measurements for tests here are different than the USA. I think the USA uses blood insulin levels and we calculate using blood glucose. Here normals are 3.6 to 6.0. So something in the 200 range sounds high to me. So my answer is based on that it's elevated.

I asked him about his normal blood sugar count, and he said it's usually 120-something.

Did he eat within an hour or two of having that diabetic test? If so, that's not going to be a true and accurate reading because all diabetics will have elevated levels after eating, which is why they are on medication.

He said he hadn't eaten anything before the diabetic test.

Again, I have to ask if they did a blood panel on him? Swollen feet can be the result of too much sodium, poor circulation (which a large number of diabetics have), poor lymphatic drainage, and elevated blood pressure. A severe viral infection would not cause that, at least none that I've ever heard of.

Again, they did a blood panel on him, which was supposedly normal. It wouldn't surprise me any if he did indeed have too much sodium in his system, as he's notorious for eating plenty of junk food which is high in sodium content (and sugar content too for that matter) - in spite of my efforts to feed him decently.

Did he have other symptoms such as general aches and pains, weakness, lethargy, cough/cold symptoms? It is flu season, so it could be that they thought he had the H3N1 flu virus, which there really isn't anything that can be done other than to let it run its course.

He was weaker than usual, and somewhat lethargic - but he's been that way quite a bit lately - ever since he had the stoke & heart attack. As far as aches & pains are concerned, he's almost always hurting, due to having bad back. He moans & groans almost constantly, so it's difficult to determine just what he's moaning & groaning over...

He's doing better today. He's stopped the shivering for the most part, and has more strength and is up & about more. He's still not 100%, but considering the circumstances, I suppose that's normal. He is, after all, 63 years old, and not in the best of health. I was up all night keeping an eye on him to make sure he was doing okay and didn't have a relapse or anything. I intend on watching him like a hawk all day long too, and if I notice anything amiss, I'm gonna call 911 again. I'm also gonna contact his personal physician on Monday to see what he thinks should be done.

Thanks so much, Linda, for all your input. And thanks to everyone else too, for your advice, input, and well wishes.
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post #10 of 10
3/26/11 at 4:50pm
for Randall tonight and hope he feels much better tomorrow too
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