Diabetes and Having a Cardioversion

[jeanjeannie50]

Has anyone on the forum had type 1 diabetes and a cardioversion?

My sister, Jen 77 today, has mild learning difficulties. She had a letter a few days ago re her cardioversion next Tuesday. It told her to contact the diabetic nurses for advice pre the procedure (she's diabetic). She showed me the letter this morning which said that was what she had to do. I asked her if she'd done that and she replied no. When I asked why, she said she hadn't read the letter! There were two together and she'd only read the first one over the phone to me, spelling the names of drugs it asked if she was taking, she wasn't on any of them.

I rang the diabetic nurses this morning and left a message on her behalf, my daughter and I took Jen out for lunch today and then did some shopping. When we arrived back at Jens house we discovered that the nurses had called 3 times. I called them back and of course there was no answer.

I guess the problem with her being diabetic is not being able to eat the morning of the procedure. Has anyone on the forum had type 1 diabetes and a cardioversion? What did you have to do re the no eating beforehand?

Jean

[meadfoot]

Various hospitals cardioversion protocols seem to suggest that diabetes patients should not take their insulin or diabetic medication on the morning of their procedure. Whether that is advice throughout the NHS I have no idea. I guess the hospital will return your call again tomorrow with their advice.

Good luck Jen.

[jeanjeannie50 in reply to meadfoot]

I bet the diabetes nurses don't work at the weekend. Would be nice if they did.

Thanks for your reply.

Jean

[CDreamer]

Suggest you look up the local NHS website and advice for cardioversion, I agree with Meadfoot.

[jeanjeannie50 in reply to CDreamer]

Good idea, thanks for your reply, will go and look now.

Jean

[pusillanimous]

I'm not diabetic, but 'the not being able to eat' before the cardioversion did surprise me. I went for a check up with my Cardio a few years ago - and after all the checks he told me I was in AF (I'm mostly asymptomatic). He asked me if I would like a cardioversion while I was there. I said yes, since I'm here. I was admitted (my appointment had been at 9am, and I had had breakfast earlier). He did the a quick cardioversion early that pm, and I went home shortly after. I don't know if sufficient time had passed since I had eaten, but no mention of eating was made, until afterwards, when I was given a sandwich.

[jeanjeannie50 in reply to pusillanimous]

That's strange to hear that it was no problem you having had breakfast before your cardioversion.

I'm only just getting to know a bit about diabetes. I don't know if what my sister tells me is true or not. She eats sweets and cake and sometimes says she feels a bit shaky and needs to eat a rich tea biscuit. She also buys orange Dextrosol (sugar) lozenges. Old fashioned me thought that people who were diabetic couldn't eat anything containing sugar! Think I'll find a diabetic forum and see what they think.

Thanks for your reply.

Jean

[pusillanimous in reply to jeanjeannie50]

Yes, it was just so easy (maybe he did not do it, and just told me he had)😄

[jeanjeannie50 in reply to pusillanimous]

Oh you innocent you!

How lucky you were to have a cardioversion right away. I often had to wait up to 4-6 weeks before having mine. That time waiting was dreadful for me and at times I could hardly walk from the kitchen to sitting room. When I talked to my cardiologist, he shouted at me "That's rubbish you saying you have to wait. There's no reason you'd have to wait". When I said I did he said, "Don't tell me what my staff do they report to me and I know it can be done immediately". It's not nice being called a liar. His staff wanted to know my INR result from taking warfarin for 4 weeks before they would do a cardioversion.

Just let him cross my path, when I'm the powerful one. 😂

Jean

[pusillanimous in reply to jeanjeannie50]

I'm in South Africa, and it was private - I was on warfarin for a week only because the visit was shortly after diagnosis. Can't really blame backward South African medicine as my Cardio is Edinburgh trained 😄

[DawnTX in reply to jeanjeannie50]

I agree with you when you’re having any type of procedure. You are not supposed to eat even our pets are told not to eat 12 hours . Usually a big part of that is if you were to vomit, you could choke on allow you small sips of water. I have never heard of any procedure where you were allowed to eat. As far as it can I want to say I was told to take my diabetic med, but I am only a type I was told to skip my anticoagulant for a couple of days my very last procedure, which I expected to stay off everything I was actually told take everything as normal. I don’t know if it was the length of the procedure which was about six hours or why. You should do the letter says to do unless you have spoken to your doctor or telling you to do elsewise. I know sometimes they also do not give you anesthesia whereas I have yet to have a procedure without it except for the implant of my loop recorder and I didn’t thing.

this just shows how different we all are and our doctors and their opinions. It seems pretty clear cut to me. They sent a letter now you know about the letter why would you go against it?

all I usually do is just share what I have had and how it was handled because it’s truly different for the most part in other parts of the world

with the cardioversion if they do what I had done, I would definitely be afraid of getting nauseous or worse and would not want anything in my stomach. Here in the states they put a type of block between your teeth just before you go to sleep they also run things to check to see if I have any blood clots inside before they do the cardioversion this is standard procedure. I’ve only had two cardioversions, but they are by the book each time.

best of luck I know the frustration of getting calls back. I had a concussion Monday someone messed up. I need a CAT and I am still waiting to hear back from someone of course it’s the weekend that won’t happen until Monday. At least I had been on the phone with the person on hold 10 minutes twice. Third time I could hear her and then she put me back on hold without saying a word that’s when I hung up and she never bothered calling back. My doctors are great but trying to get to them is a nightmare. I already said once they don’t have to give me a stress test just calling the office. Does that for they don’t know how to properly answer the phone any professional should know they ask you if you would mind holding and then they give you a chance to answer not just throw you on hold. I can my heart rate pick up just from that.

doctors know great customer service but evidently they can’t seemed to find anyone to hire. Who knows it. I don’t know how much money those people are demanding. I don’t think they should even make as much as they do at a fast food. Can you tell I’m frustrated

are they aware of your sister‘s problem I would point it out make sure they note it. Either send to you if you are her caregiver in anyway. I do not need one, but I live with my cousin and I have him down as one anyway. I have tried to educate him along with myself since I got a fib, etc..

life changes in a heartbeat we know that because the second we got a fib, nothing was the same again it’s good to have back up

[jeanjeannie50 in reply to DawnTX]

Thank you Dawn.

[50568789]

Don't want to second guess what the diabetic nurses might advise. I am Type 2 but insulin controlled, and had both an ablation and a cardioversion on separate occasions last year. Each time I agreed a protocol for morning procedure with my diabetic nurse (same both times) which involved no food after midnight, reducing insulin dose and regular checking of blood glucose level. Straightforward management, didn't enjoy not eating but hospital nurses kept an eye on everything and all went well.

[jeanjeannie50 in reply to 50568789]

That's very helpful, thank you.

Jean

[RexH]

Hi Jean,I am type1 , i haven't had a cardioversion , but an ablation, took 5 hours. All procedures would be similar prodicol. Being a type 1 is very different to type 2, we make no insulin, and therefore far harder to control sugar levels. The usual thing before any procedure is they ask you to lower your long acting insulin , say 75 % of usual dose, and have no fast acting insulin, which you need for meals . The hospitals should always put type 1's first on the list , as they should be prioritised.

It's always complicated, and for example if you are not prioritised, your sugar level can drop, or even go too high, and as with me I needed clear apple juice to bring my blood sugar level up as I was to low , hypo , while in another procedure , I was not prioritised, was 4th on the list , my sugar level was high , plus my ketone levels were high, Anesthetist said I needed apple juice plus fast acting insulin and long acting insulin, before they could operate.

Anesthetist allow clear apple juice, (not cloudy) before procedures for type 1's when needed.

Hope all goes well for your sister 🙏

[jeanjeannie50 in reply to RexH]

That's very helpful thank you Rex. I'm taking Jen for her pre-med tomorrow at the hospital, hopefully we may be able to talk to a diabetic nurse then. If not I hope they will call her tomorrow when she's back at her home. Jean