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Help. What should I do?

J

janphilips0

Newbie
Messages
3
Type of diabetes
Prefer not to say
Treatment type
I do not have diabetes
Hi, my husband (62yrs old) has had symptoms of diabetes over the last 4 weeks ( excessive thirst, peeing alot, tiredness and more grumpy than normal )
I persuaded him to go to the Dr. He had an HbA1c blood test on 21st April, results came in, on his phone last night at 98mmol/mol
I also bought a blood test device from Amazon, which arrived yesterday and his reading last night was 26.8
At 7am this morning it was 16.7
Should I take him to hospital or wait for the doctor to contact?
 
Personally I immediately reduced the carbs in my diet. Testing before then 2 hrs after each meal showed me how many carbs I can eat without spiking my blood sugar too much.
The first thing in the morning reading is usually the last to go down.
 
At 16 it is still far too high but manageable without being urgent as it sounds like you’ve already made contact with the dr. So now it’s come down a bit the goal is to keep it coming down. What treatment plan is in place? What changes are you making to diet?

Reducing carbs (bread, potatoes, rice, pasta, cereals, grains, pastries as well as actual sugary stuff) will drop levels significantly. Replace these with more naturally occurring fats that come with foods like meat, butter, dairy, nuts etc and also unprocessed proteins to avoid feeling hungry. Using the meter to test before a meal and 2hrs later will show you how much that meal affects him. A normal response is less than a 2mmol rise between the two. (Eventually you want the earlier reading to be 4-6mmol and the later reading to be under 8mmol) If the rise is more there were too many carbs for him to be able to deal with. Depending on what medication if any he’s been given for the diabetes you might need to go slowly with this to avoid going too low too quickly, giving you chance to reduce or eliminate the medication along the way. Metformin is fine to cut carbs with. Gliclizide or insulin needs more care and more frequent testing to avoid hypos.

At 26 I’d be calling the dr or 111 for advice that day rather than later. If feeling at all ill in anyway with those numbers go to A and E immediately. Occasionally it can cause serious problems like DKA (diabetic ketoacidosis). Less common in type 2 than type 1 but can happen. You don’t want to mess with the chance of that.
 
Thank you HSSS
After he got up he drank 2 cups of coffee with semi skimmed milk, no sugar, and 30mins later his reading was 17.2
As he is undiagnosed atm, and unfortunately, his Drs surgery have sent him a text saying they haven't got an appointment until 3rd May to see a diabetic nurse. I am worried that that is too long to wait, with the numbers he is showing.
Yesterday's meal was at 4pm. The tester arrived at 7pm and his reading was 33.5 and 30 mins later 26.8.
We ate the same thing (except he had a small portion of baked beans and I didn't) and I tested mine and I was 5.7. Did this just to check machine was working ok.
I am VERY worried but he doesn't want to make a fuss and is reluctant to go to A&E. Which is why I asked for advice from current people who live with diabetes. What would you do?
 
Agree with @HSSS call 111 they will be best to advise you, your hubby is not making a fuss he’s unwell and needs medical advice/intervention. Try not to worry he will be ok,

things to be eating in the meantime that will help reduce his blood sugars.
Meat, fish, cheese, eggs, bacon, above ground veg and salad, mayonnaise, olive oil, butter, cream a few nuts. Avoid any breads, potatoes, rice, pasta, beans and pulses, sugary sauces, full sugar drinks like coke etc, if he has to have them try sugar free but try sticking to water if he can sparkling water with a slice of lemon is lovely. If he wants a sweet treat sugar free jellies are good or a few berries with some cream or full fat Greek yogurt, be careful with fruit as it’s got lots of sugar, try sticking to berries, definitely no bananas. A couple of squares of 75% or above chocolate is fine too
 
janphilips0 said:
Hi, my husband (62yrs old) has had symptoms of diabetes over the last 4 weeks ( excessive thirst, peeing alot, tiredness and more grumpy than normal )
I persuaded him to go to the Dr. He had an HbA1c blood test on 21st April, results came in, on his phone last night at 98mmol/mol
I also bought a blood test device from Amazon, which arrived yesterday and his reading last night was 26.8
At 7am this morning it was 16.7
Should I take him to hospital or wait for the doctor to contact?
Click to expand...
Calling 111 is a good idea, I hope they were useful.

In the meantime, cutting carbs is the way to get his blood sugars down. The beans might've been the culprit in the meal, but I don't know what else was on the table. https://josekalsbeek.blogspot.com/2019/11/the-nutritional-thingy.html might help some get this sorted right-quick. Follow low carb and his daily measurements are likely to return to better numbers before he's even seen by the GP/nurse in your practice.

As for not making a fuss... Diabetes isn't something to tut-tut over. You're right to take action, as it is likely to save his eyesight, organs and limbs in the long run. It can be a big deal if left untreated. Treated, it can be an absolute breeze to handle. You just have to know how, and now, you do!
Hugs to you both,
Jo
 
janphilips0 said:
As he is undiagnosed atm, and unfortunately, his Drs surgery have sent him a text saying they haven't got an appointment until 3rd May to see a diabetic nurse. I am worried that that is too long to wait, with the numb
Click to expand...
an hba1c of 98 is the equivalent of having 15.1 on the meter all the time. Now obviously that never happens as glucose goes up and down continuously. But hitting over 30 is more than double that level and a serious problem and concerns me more than the high hba1c does in the short term. Did you tell the drs about the glucose reading? It may not be apparent to them that is is happening unless specifically told.

As said above the single best thing he can do is cut down, a lot, on the carbs, whilst seeking further help. Even if it turns out to be type 1 not 2 it will still help a little in the very short term. In the meantime if it goes above 20 again call 111 for advice, explaining how high it’s been going.
 
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