This past New Year’s Day was my holiday to work. I went in that morning feeling a little bummed to know my family was at home, but knowing there were still patients needing to be cared for like any other day. As I received my assignment sheet, I noticed that I would be filling in for the diabetic educator that day. Our unit Children’s Hospital admits all of the new onset diabetics for a series of educational classes, teaching them what they need to know about their new diagnosis. On certain days of the year, the diabetic educators take the day off and our unit is responsible for supplying a nurse to become the “substitute teacher.”
The charge nurse informed me that we had one patient in the Emergency Department that was being admitted for new onset diabetes. She was 17 years old, two months away from turning 18. She was very tall and thin, and when I first saw her, I was certain she was a type 1 diabetic. For this story, we will call her Sarah…..