Diabetic student's lunch taken away

[Purple_Scrubs, BSN, RN]

I am SO hot right now! :angryfire :angryfire :angryfire My diabetic kiddo was high when she came in with her tray before lunch, so of course it took a little extra time with checking ketones and all that jazz. Well the whole grade was eating lunch in one of the classrooms while watching a movie, and by the time she figured out which room they were in and got there, the rest of the class was almost finished eating. The teacher assisting in the classroom told her she had TWO MINUTES to eat then TOOK HER TRAY at the end of that time. The student told her she was diabetic and had just received insulin and needed to eat, but the teacher did not listen (this is not her classroom teacher, who was not present during this).

Thankfully, her teacher found out and sent her to me with a note. Well, we tried to figure out how many carbs she did not get to eat and then make up for them with juice, but it is all estimations. I am dreading to see what she is in a little while when she comes back in...it is either going to be sky high or bottomed out I am sure.

I hate to think what would have happened if the classroom teacher had not found out and intervened. Scary.

[safarirn]

Did you talk to the principal, or your director?

When we know better, we do better.

I can guarantee this teacher has no experience with diabetes. I think this is the perfect opportunity for education. I would give her a bunch of information on diabetes and stress the importance of scheduled meal times & not missing meals. I would explain to her the MEDICAL reason the student was late for lunch.

I would also tell her the consequences of missed meals.

Knowledge is power and when we KNOW better, we DO better.

[Purple_Scrubs, BSN, RN]

I think it is mostly a case of miscommunication. This teacher is "extra help" for the classroom, which is large. I had no idea she was even there, so she did not get my normal speech. The teacher who she is helping out for DID know about the student's condition and I suppose failed to either alert this teacher or alert me that someone was going to be helping in the classroom.

The regular teacher, God bless her, was HORRIFIED that this happened and I am sure will make certain it does not happen again, LOL! She was terrified that her BG was going to bottom out, which it sort of did (59), but I got her back up quickly. It just really got to me that the student TOLD this teacher she was diabetic and the teacher did not 1) listen to her when she said she needed to finish lunch or 2) conferr with the regular teacher or myself. From what I have heard, the other students in the classroom were even trying to help the student, telling the teacher that yes, she does go to the nurse and gets shots.

I mean, did she think the student was making it up???