I apologize for the length here…use what helps and throw out the rest!
Well, as Frodo would say, “I’m home from the adventure! The hospital discharged me about noon today. 
On the good side, I’m not in pain and hope it stays that way. In short, I’ll say everything went great, right up to the night nurse that failed to listen to her patient. So, If you’ve got a procedure/surgery coming up here’s what I did, what happened, and what I recommend:
First: BE YOUR OWN ADVOCATE! It’s a mantra all T1s need to learn and use! I was already head down this road, and spurred on by @Eric, @ClaudnDaye, and several others here on FUD and Doris over on JDRF. We, and our loved ones/care givers, have to speak up for ourselves in every medical encounter. Endo’s, other docs, nurses, techs all rely on what they learned in school and chose to keep up on; for many, that means 20-50 years ago! A LOT has changed!
What I did:
Told every doc, nurse, or tech that touched me I’m a T1, use a pump, CGM, and use the Loop app on my phone to control the pump.
Wrote an information sheet with Name, address, phone, emergency contacts/phones, T1 status, what not to give me (drips with dextrose/sugars to be avoided unless needed/essential); how to check my iPhone (if open) for BG (take it fully charged and unlocked with no sleep period, or provide the code to unlock and access); how to easily check BG on iPhone (if locked) (simple tap and swipe left to right shows Dexcom widget, Loop widget, Sugarmate widget). I gave a copy to the admitting person, I recommend multiple copies: one for admitting, one for the surgical team (anesthetist best one to give it to), one for the floor nurse, one to be placed in your chart if not on it, etc. You might go so far as asking for a signature on an “original” from whomever you give one. I’ve even done one up with pictures of my phone, the unlock code prominent at the top, arrows point to apps to use to show or do what’s needed (particularly if the surgeon or anesthetist has any interest at all) showing how to read current BG, IOB, increase/decrease insulin. You really need to trust the person/people you give that last one too, but I figure they already have my/your life in their hands!
If you stay overnight:
Tell the floor/room nurse and any assistants/techs of your T1 status, pump (show it to them), CGM (show it to them), any app you use to run/monitor on a phone or the PDM you use (show it to them).
Ask if they were informed of T1 status, what NOT to give you (drips with dextrose, high carb meals, watch for steroids with side-effects for T1s.
Check how many shifts of nurses/assistants/techs they have, what times they change; ensure you put them through the same routine.
Everytime someone touches an IV to add/change anything going into you, feel free
to ask what it is, what it does, what it contains (my hospital had a sign up recommending this!), remind them why you’re asking and be polite.
My experience:
The folks during the surgery and at the hospital were very accepting/understanding of my pump, CGM, and Loop app running it all (sounds like something Elron should say, eh!). After the surgery, the nurse on the ward took them in stride and ensured nothing hooked to my IV had dextrose in it. Unfortunately, the night nurse did NOT get the message; and while recognized my T1 status, she followed the doctor orders in the chart at a 9pm IV bag swap and went from saline to 5% dextrose. I was groggy but know I told her I couldn’t have dextrose. Communication failed and I ended up with a dextrose drip until 6am. My Loop app automatically did its thing and tried, but failed, to control the inevitable BG rise. At 12am I noticed I was 190, took a correction dose of 1 unit based on the 3 I already had on board (4 at 200 doesn’t do enough) activated a Loop preset for 150% over the next 3 hours, and went back to sleep. Woke up at 4am at 215 BG and turned the 150% back on. At 6am the nurse woke me for a blood check/pressure/temp. Loop advised I’d been over 200 for 6+ hours and still rising; it had tried and failed to compensate, but at least kept me under 215. The nurse was there to swap out the IV and I asked her to read me what was in the bag, when she said 5% dextrose, I knew what had happened, told her to turn it off, remove it along with the replacement she had in hand, and hang a saline drip. She started to argue, but I had my wits about me now. I advised her if my Loop app hadn’t tried to resolve it, I’d be in the 400’s if not higher and possibly on my way to DKA, coma, or death…(ok, probably a little melo-dramatic)…but that got her attention and she disconnected the drip entirely.
The hospital discharge doc told me the the records indicate the surgeon directed the dextrose drip. I’ll be checking, getting the actual documents, and having a serious discussion with whoever wrote them. I appreciate the medical community is huge, can’t all be experts on everything, but when patients bring important matters up to the professionals, the progessionals need to step up and stop relying on pro forma paperwork, orders, and procedures.
Any way, the surgery is over, I’m hopeful of getting back to my great BG range control, and actually being able to do things around the house…swearing at lows!
I love #WeAreNotWaiting
I think we need #WeAreOurOwnAdvocates
