Dangerous advice

Have you received incorrect advice about carbohydrate in foods being ok, as it's 'natural'?


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hels

Well-Known Member
Messages
311
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
I was in hospital for nearly a week a couple months ago for the birth of my son so it was important that I kept my blood sugars under control to help him come into the world safely. My diabetes team were happy for me to manage my own blood sugars and not go on sliding scale for the birth if I could keep my sugars below 7. I had a few days of hanging around eating hospital food which wasn't ideal for keeping control. However the staff who brought the meals around and took our orders for what I wanted were very good at helping me find suitable choices - I did have some slightly odd combinations and they gave me extra of the foods I got on with. One lady in particular sat down with me and made a real effort to ensure they provided me with the right food - I had taken supplies in with me and also visited the nearby Lidl but she said they had a responsibility to provide me with food.
 
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Anni316o

Newbie
Messages
2
On a recent hospital stay I was provided an evening meal of cottage pie(potato on top), mashed potato, AND roasted potato. When I explained that this was in fact unsuitable for me due to the amount of carbs I was told that no one else with diabetes had complained. I accepted the food and ate a little of the mince mixture. Later I was asked if, because I'd eaten so little. I would like to have a sandwich box sent up from the kitchen or some toast! I politely declined.
I also had the delights of a dietician telling me I needed to have several portions of carbohydrate in a day she was indignant that my carbs should not consist of only fruit and veg not bread/potato etc.
 
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greyposter

Well-Known Member
Messages
198
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Cruelty to animals.Bullies,Soaps.
Last time I was in hospital, they actually forgot to feed me... I'd asked for the "diabetic option", and they simply didn't have owt so forgot to provide anything at all. I'm rather poor at confrontation (Aspie, alas) so actually had a rudy hypo before they sorted things.

Moral of the tale?

Don't be a twit like me: make a fuss, scream and shout if need be- but make sure you are at least fed!
Worked in hospitals a few years ago. Just be firm, pleasant and persistant.
 

timerich

Well-Known Member
Messages
113
Type of diabetes
Family member
Treatment type
I do not have diabetes
Dislikes
wet weather, litter
My first DBN meeting I was ordered to eat more carbs, white meat and oily fish ( I am a vegetarian!) I was also told to drink fizzy drinks, rather than water ! Also to eat only low fat products... Think she was trying to kill me !
Lol, that is so typical of the advice my husband has received on numerous occasions.
 
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KiwiBaby2013

Member
Messages
8
Type of diabetes
Prediabetes
Treatment type
Diet only
When I was in hospital pregnant with gestational diabeties and a host of other complications, I was always given "diabetic" hospital food - low fat yoghurt, margarine, whole meal bread (the nurses kindly toast for you if you ask), cornflakes with low fat milk. Every dinner or lunch was with mashed potato or rice. Snacks were crackers or low-fat yoghurt. When I did my BG levels they were in the 10/11 range!! They'd never been up that high! The diabetic nurse kept telling me "balanced diet", blah blah "eat more carbohydrate in the form of rice/potatoes or grains"...I tried to get my point across about carbs and glucose....they wrote on my medical notes that I was "non-compliant". . I got my husband to bring in my own food and my levels went down.
Quite shocked at the diabetic advice given by the diabetic clinic. Interestingly the non-diabetic nurses seemed to know what I was on about.
 
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AloeSvea

Well-Known Member
Messages
2,051
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Other
On a recent hospital stay I was provided an evening meal of cottage pie(potato on top), mashed potato, AND roasted potato. When I explained that this was in fact unsuitable for me due to the amount of carbs I was told that no one else with diabetes had complained. I accepted the food and ate a little of the mince mixture. Later I was asked if, because I'd eaten so little. I would like to have a sandwich box sent up from the kitchen or some toast! I politely declined.
I also had the delights of a dietician telling me I needed to have several portions of carbohydrate in a day she was indignant that my carbs should not consist of only fruit and veg not bread/potato etc.

This kind of thing is outrageous. I live in mortal fear of having to be hospitalised for this reason. At least you got to teach the dietician something - but how tragic that is what you had to do!
 
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AloeSvea

Well-Known Member
Messages
2,051
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Other
When I was in hospital pregnant with gestational diabeties and a host of other complications, I was always given "diabetic" hospital food - low fat yoghurt, margarine, whole meal bread (the nurses kindly toast for you if you ask), cornflakes with low fat milk. Every dinner or lunch was with mashed potato or rice. Snacks were crackers or low-fat yoghurt. When I did my BG levels they were in the 10/11 range!! They'd never been up that high! The diabetic nurse kept telling me "balanced diet", blah blah "eat more carbohydrate in the form of rice/potatoes or grains"...I tried to get my point across about carbs and glucose....they wrote on my medical notes that I was "non-compliant". . I got my husband to bring in my own food and my levels went down.
Quite shocked at the diabetic advice given by the diabetic clinic. Interestingly the non-diabetic nurses seemed to know what I was on about.

When the shock gets too much (and I absolutely agree with you on this count) - think about the poor folk who had figured out that leeches didn't work! Back in... (whenever it was that the medical profession used leeches to treat people...). This nonsense that saturated fat is bad for us and factory made high glucose food is good for us - for non-diabetics as well as us diabetic ones - is like being told that having leeches sucking our blood will cure us of what is ailing us. Thinking about the leeches helps me survive living in a weird world when it comes to carbs and diabetics. And good on you for the non-compliance! When there is so many of us saying - 'hey! But no!' They might actually start taking more notice and getting with the real-health programme.
 
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Celeriac

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,065
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
I had dinner out in a pub, caught e.coli 0157 and spent a week in the isolation ward of my local hospital. My husband brought me organic low carb food fom home whenever he could (he was commuting to London). I got nagged by nurses in front of my family and told that I wasn't eating enough starchy carbs !

I found a PDF online of a paper given at a conference, in the 60s about treating people with diabetes by giving them low carb food. I'd hope that most people wouldn't now offer bread to someone who needs a gluten free diet (my husband) so why do HCPs insist on following discredited research about low fat and attempting to feed us carbs grr
 
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tim2000s

Expert
Retired Moderator
Messages
8,934
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Other
When the shock gets too much (and I absolutely agree with you on this count) - think about the poor folk who had figured out that leeches didn't work!
What do you mean leeches don't work? I've been taking them for years!!!!:eek:
 
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Arab Horse

Well-Known Member
Messages
884
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
What do you mean leeches don't work? I've been taking them for years!!!!:eek:

Actually until fairly recently (may even still do) leeches were used very successfully for temporal arteritis! They were specially bred (clean) leeches and were kept in jars. They were put on the temporal artery and could reduce the pressure safely without having to do anything to risk a bleed.
 
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lessci

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,023
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Actually until fairly recently (may even still do) leeches were used very successfully for temporal arteritis! They were specially bred (clean) leeches and were kept in jars. They were put on the temporal artery and could reduce the pressure safely without having to do anything to risk a bleed.
They're also still used for some skin grafts as they encourage the blood flow through the grafted area
 

Arab Horse

Well-Known Member
Messages
884
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
They're also still used for some skin grafts as they encourage the blood flow through the grafted area

Thanks for that, didn't know if they were still used and also didn't know about the skin grafts. I am now a bit wiser than I was yesterday!
 

Scimama

Well-Known Member
Messages
942
Type of diabetes
Type 2 (in remission!)
Treatment type
Diet only
My first DBN meeting I was ordered to eat more carbs, white meat and oily fish ( I am a vegetarian!) I was also told to drink fizzy drinks, rather than water ! Also to eat only low fat products... Think she was trying to kill me !

Last time I was in hospital pre-diagnosis I was offered a corned beef sandwich or ham sandwich - I am vegetarian, I was told but you can take it out and its only wafer thin ham.
I don't intend to be in hospital now I and T2 on low-carb, though our local hospitals all have large-chain coffee shops and M&S food in them with lots of high-carb offerings!
 
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