low carb diet in hospital

VioletViolet

Well-Known Member
Messages
408
Type of diabetes
Prediabetes
Treatment type
Diet only
I wasnt having a flu, I got diabetes. Sweet pasta, carrot soup, rice with peas, bread... that was their menu for me. I did everything they told me, but how they told me that high carbs are bad did not suit to what they actually gave me to eat. When asking them about it one nurse said that hospital cant afford to order diabetic food, another tried telling me that this is exactly what I need etc. Its me who cares the most about my health. I do not regret any of my choices while being hospitalized with t1d. Today I can eat the right amount of cabrs that suits me and give the right amount of insulin that Im comfortable with and live my life mostly happily. Thats what I fought for in the hospital. X

Flu? I didn't that- sorry I type things on my phone with my fat middle aged fingers and my meaning doesn't come across. (I also have aspergers and that doesn't help me communicate! :bag: )

I was just trying to agree how awful it is that good nutrition which is appropriate to whatever medical condition a person has isn't standard care in hospitals. :)
 
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miszu

Well-Known Member
Messages
248
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Flu? I didn't that- sorry I type things on my phone with my fat middle aged fingers and my meaning doesn't come across. (I also have aspergers and that doesn't help me communicate! :bag: )

I was just trying to agree how awful it is that good nutrition which is appropriate to whatever medical condition a person has isn't standard care in hospitals. :)

Sorry, it was my mistake. I also tend to get things wrong since english is not my native language. Thank you for clearing it up. :)) Hope u have a good day ! X
 

VioletViolet

Well-Known Member
Messages
408
Type of diabetes
Prediabetes
Treatment type
Diet only
Sorry, it was my mistake. I also tend to get things wrong since english is not my native language. Thank you for clearing it up. :)) Hope u have a good day ! X
We both want the best for each other thats all that matters!

You too xx
 
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1
I was only in hospital for 24 hours - tea with biscuits; white toast with tea; cornflakes, white toast and tea - that's what I was given as I wasn't there the day before when choices were asked for. Not even wholemeal bread or wholegrain cereal on offer - instead the worst of all carbs!!
 
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Lally123

Well-Known Member
Messages
231
Type of diabetes
LADA
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Lots of people.having problems with hospital food. Has anyone tried asking for the diet they want? In our hospital patients choose from a long menu which is geared to the average patient and special choices for veggie/vegan, coeliac, halal.etc clearly marked. If there's nothing they want then they just speak to the staff who contact the kitchen who send up a chef to talk it through and sort it out. The menu itself is generic, it has to be because it aims to please hundreds of people a day with lots of turnover. And let's not forget that, though low carb is of major importance to posters here, it represents only a tiny proportion of diabetics who present only a small percentage of a hospital population. No generic menu will offer what is essentially a niche menu but that doesn't rule it out. So speak.to.the chef you may be pleasantly surprised....!
 

Taliesin

Member
Messages
8
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
injustice, intolerance, bad manners, things that offend my neuropathy, food, the few days before a hospital visit, being helpless, "does he take sugar", wilful ignorance
You can always ask to see the dietician in hospital and he or she will prescribe a diet suitable for your condition.

Sadly that doesn't always work... I was in hospital with Fanconi's syndrome and severe malnutrition five years ago. One symptom of Fanconi's is distorted thinking, and though I'd had the sense to stop taking my gliclazide thinking that my carbs intake wasn't high enough to justify it, one of my delusions was that a litre of fruit juice and a pot of yogurt were an adequate diet. I'd lost all joy in food, both in terms of eating and cooking (previously a serious hobby). My joy in food has never returned. The consultant, the dietitian and my GP all agreed that I should be supplementing with Ensure, and didn't blink an eye when Ensure became my only source of food. Well, not until my BG hit (old numbers) 29...

My last a1c was (new numbers) 56. In the past year since I started eating Huel I've had doctors and the diabetes nurse dismiss it as faddy nonsense. I've had to change hospitals due to moving, but at my last visit to my old hospital the dietitian I like was back from maternity leave - she actually went to the Huel website, and read through it muttering "well they can't have included... bloody hell, they have!" over and again. If I need to be in hospital again, I fully intend ignoring what I described to the consultant in 2012 as "nutrition-free garbage, designed to give the illusion of having eaten, that the worst transport caff would be ashamed to serve up" (I think I was still a little disinhibited when I said that), and taking my own food with me.
 

Magisham

Well-Known Member
Messages
152
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
I was recently admitted to hospital for 2 weeks. My BGLs rose dramatically and Dr wanted to increase my insulin. I knew that this was a result of the high carb diabetic menu but fought constantly with the medical staff over this, I was in hospital because of a broken bone not my diabetes. Australian dieticians in general including those who work for Diabetes organizations are so far behind the times. I ended up getting my family to bring me in suitable meals and guess what the BGLs dropped. Has anyone else had this experience??? and if so how did you handle it? I am so tired of fighting with health care professionals who are so ignorant about diet and diabetes/
My partner was diagnosed with diabetes after having a kidney transplant. The meals they gave him in hospital were disgusting. I didn't know much about the benefits of a low carb diet then, but I did know that a plate of boiled potato, mashed potato and a 2" square of lasagne, followed by tiramisu, was not the best meal he could have! They seemed to have no idea what he should or should not be eating.
 

broccoliSK

Active Member
Messages
27
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
After reading this thread, I'm already dreading any future hospital stays. It's funny how there's 370 million diabetics in the world, roughly 5% of the world's population, and yet I sometimes feel like this world is absolutely unprepared for our presence.

The last time I was in hospital was when I was diagnosed with diabetes. I was in a room with another guy who also happened to have been diagnosed with diabetes at the same time and we were both shaking our heads at the meals they gave us. Lots of rice, potatoes, bread, etc. And it's not like you're asking for something special, just a low carb version of standard meals. I mean, if they are already serving you chicken with rice and some veggies, why not just give you less rice (or none) and more chicken and veggies?
 
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Md2t

Member
Messages
17
Type of diabetes
Type 2
I was recently admitted to hospital for 2 weeks. My BGLs rose dramatically and Dr wanted to increase my insulin. I knew that this was a result of the high carb diabetic menu but fought constantly with the medical staff over this, I was in hospital because of a broken bone not my diabetes. Australian dieticians in general including those who work for Diabetes organizations are so far behind the times. I ended up getting my family to bring me in suitable meals and guess what the BGLs dropped. Has anyone else had this experience??? and if so how did you handle it? I am so tired of fighting with health care professionals who are so ignorant about diet and diabetes/
Hi! I am type 2 controlled by diet (real food, low carb, intermittent fasting) and despair of getting suitable meals in hospital. Recently in for only 24 hours, I treated that as mostly a fasting day. I ate half the evening meal, leaving the high-carb items uneaten, and had just a cup of tea for breakfast. The only breakfast offered was cereals and toast. The nurses were concerned that my overnight fasting blood glucose was so low at 4.4 mmol/l (79 in US units) but grudgingly accepted my assertion that it was a perfectly acceptable level and they did not try to force high-carb food on me. On the positive side, three nurses took leaflets from me about the real food lifestyle (see Public Health Collaboration's website) and even discussed displaying then on their ward's noticeboard.
 

smithd8

Newbie
Messages
1
Type of diabetes
Type 2
I was recently admitted to hospital for 2 weeks. My BGLs rose dramatically and Dr wanted to increase my insulin. I knew that this was a result of the high carb diabetic menu but fought constantly with the medical staff over this, I was in hospital because of a broken bone not my diabetes. Australian dieticians in general including those who work for Diabetes organizations are so far behind the times. I ended up getting my family to bring me in suitable meals and guess what the BGLs dropped. Has anyone else had this experience??? and if so how did you handle it? I am so tired of fighting with health care professionals who are so ignorant about diet and diabetes/

What is even worse in my opinion, is that diabetic professionals, consultants, registrars, nurses and dieticians always want me to eat more carbs as part of a "balanced diet" and to increase my insulin to take care of it. I am angry as I could have been low carbing for 20 years, following Dr Bernstein's (US Book) book which advocated lo carb and which I pooh-poohed because of what I had been taught by the "professionals"
 

Jeff.T1DU

Newbie
Messages
3
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Dr. Bernstein offers a fill-in-the-blank template to give your doctor. It's an appendix in his book, “Diabetes Solution” - if you haven't read the book, I highly recommend it. He outlines the detriment of high BG for recovery and specifies a normal diet rather than diabetic for greater choice in meals. Also spells out types of IV to be used/avoided and that the hospital staff shouldn’t take your supplies. In a nutshell, if you’re thinking clearly, you should be given complete control of managing your BG.
 
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stayingalive

Member
Messages
18
I was recently admitted to hospital for 2 weeks. My BGLs rose dramatically and Dr wanted to increase my insulin. I knew that this was a result of the high carb diabetic menu but fought constantly with the medical staff over this, I was in hospital because of a broken bone not my diabetes. Australian dieticians in general including those who work for Diabetes organizations are so far behind the times. I ended up getting my family to bring me in suitable meals and guess what the BGLs dropped. Has anyone else had this experience??? and if so how did you handle it? I am so tired of fighting with health care professionals who are so ignorant about diet and diabetes/

I don't know about Australia but in England and Wales the catering is outsourced to non-medical professionals who have no dietetic knowledge. The high carb approach (its cheaper that way) combined with no exercise at all can be a disaster. Low carb is more expensive (please argue if you know how to keep it cheap) so we don't get it when instituationalised in any way. I also wonder whether prisoners with Diabetes get doubly punished this way. Doesn't bear thinking about.
 
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Banting_Coach

Member
Messages
5
Type of diabetes
Don't have diabetes
Treatment type
I do not have diabetes
Dislikes
Sugars, Carbs, wrong information about foods
Reading all the above posts, it is indeed heartbreaking that the medical profession is still so far behind knowing how important the LCHF Lifestyle is for patient's recovery.
However do bear in mind that generations of incorrect or even little nutritional training will take a while to correct.
Then too remember that there are very powerful vested interests that 'want' the general population to consume their sugary, starchy foods for turnover.
Most thinking patients have had the correct food brought in by concerned family members.
I've seen and heard of numerous cases of post-operative patients being connected to a glucose drip for days, as it is the hospitals way of treating the cases!
Happy recovery!
 
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pollensa

Guest
I was recently admitted to hospital for 2 weeks. My BGLs rose dramatically and Dr wanted to increase my insulin. I knew that this was a result of the high carb diabetic menu but fought constantly with the medical staff over this, I was in hospital because of a broken bone not my diabetes. Australian dieticians in general including those who work for Diabetes organizations are so far behind the times. I ended up getting my family to bring me in suitable meals and guess what the BGLs dropped. Has anyone else had this experience??? and if so how did you handle it? I am so tired of fighting with health care professionals who are so ignorant about diet and diabetes/
I am from Byron Bay Australia but residing Mallorca.

I can relate to your plight, but really whether its the Australian or all world Doctors or majority, dieticians or other, its an uphill battle to all regards their acknowledging or been INTERESTED or MOTIVATED for their patients regards foods that should or should not be eaten, my Doctor here in Mallorca said eat all the rice you want Paellea, but have veggies for 2nd course. If Rice is a no no too many carbs, why would I even want to put a grain of rice in my mouth, why did he not suggest as I do, grate Cauliflower to make rice substitute, plus its much better and tastier as well.

They are thinking from the old school and new, and the Diabetes world has to have a shake up review and get updated on what is best for those experiencing high sugars.

I totally agree with you, its not easy, but you did the right thing, getting your family to bring you far more healthy meals, even restaurants do not cater for less carb menus, or diabetics, now that something to think about and how to become a millionare as the big pharmas boys are.

Sorry about broken bone and hope its on the mend no doubt quicker than being in hospital.

Mallorca
 
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Brendan1973

Newbie
Messages
1
Type of diabetes
Type 2
I remember my ward being given a lecture by the hospital dietitian on what foods to avoid. About 10 minutes later our lunches, largely comprising items which we had just been warned to avoid, arrived. When the dietitian was asked about this she replied that her department were not allowed input into hospital menus or to comment on hospital food.
 

Damtov8

Well-Known Member
Messages
55
Type of diabetes
Type 2
As you were on insulin why oh why didn't you just increase the amount your were injecting? being in hospital ie. inactive and with an injury would increase your numbers as well so you were on a hiding to nothing.
Hopefully you are now on the mend.

That is absolute ignorance because doing that creates a whole host of other problems such as neuropathy and eye problems to name just a couple. Why should I let Doctors damage my excellent control of my blood sugar and excellent eyesight in hospital just because carbs are cheaper and easier to feed to people
 
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Tim13056

Newbie
Messages
3
Type of diabetes
Type 2
I was recently admitted to hospital for 2 weeks. My BGLs rose dramatically and Dr wanted to increase my insulin. I knew that this was a result of the high carb diabetic menu but fought constantly with the medical staff over this, I was in hospital because of a broken bone not my diabetes. Australian dieticians in general including those who work for Diabetes organizations are so far behind the times. I ended up getting my family to bring me in suitable meals and guess what the BGLs dropped. Has anyone else had this experience??? and if so how did you handle it? I am so tired of fighting with health care professionals who are so ignorant about diet and diabetes/

My wife and I have a pact; if one of us is hospitalized, the other swears to bring in keto-friendly food!!! Hospitals and dietitians in the USA are absolutely clueless on the appropriate foods for folks with T2D.
 

leahkian

Well-Known Member
Messages
302
When i have been in hospital my BG always goes high due to been stuck in a bed, so the doctors put my insulin up to bring it down. I have had arguments with doctors and all the rest of the diabetic team telling them that once i get out of hospital that my sugar will drop low as i will be doing more than lying in bed. One of the times i was taken into hospital and put on a drip as my BG was going high to low, the doctor told the nurse to increase my insulin. I told him that it was not going to happen as my sugar was going low, he tried to get to the infusion but i stood in the way and told him i would turn the infusion off if they did not check my BG. He agreed but was not happy about it, 30 seconds later a reading of 2.4 was on the screen and the infusion was stopped and glucose was started. The doctor never said anything and walked away. When you are in hospital in the UK and you do not want to eat off the menu you can ask for a voucher to go to the canteen, i only found out this as the nurse on the ward told me but it is not something they tell you. I switched my diabetic care after a run in with a doctor about a DAFNE course which i would not attend, as i told him i had been carb counting for over 25 years and as i tried to explain to him that no 2 diabetics are the same and all the research they do with carb counting is just a average of what information they collected. The final straw was when i was given a jacket pot and told to take 8 units of insulin which i told him was too much and i would have a hypo within 2 hours. I took the 8 units and within 90 mins i was having a hypo, that is when i change my care from north Durham to Newcastle and i wish that i had done it years ago. I now see another Consultant and when i have a problem we sit down and talk about it to see what is the best course of action. The only problem is that if i am bad i have to go to my local hospital which was not what i wanted but my new Consultant told me when i get out of hospital to ring him and then to see him the next day. Now that i have had a transplant my local hospital do not want me there so they send me to Newcastle as soon as a bed is found.
 
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devans

Member
Messages
24
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Insulin
Dislikes
not getting access tot he Diabetes Co Uk Cookbooks
As you were on insulin why oh why didn't you just increase the amount your were injecting? being in hospital ie. inactive and with an injury would increase your numbers as well so you were on a hiding to nothing.
Hopefully you are now on the mend.
While I agree that insulin levels rise because of illness, I dont agree with raising my insulin levels because of the high carb diet provided. I am hugely insulin resistant and have worked very hard to reduce my BGL's. An increase in insulin would set back my hard work and was not necessary because the levels dropped when my low carb diet was reintroduced whilst still ill and in hospitala.
 
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