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Helping an elderly parent with Diabetes

A

Andrew Bellamy

Newbie
Messages
2
Type of diabetes
Family member
Treatment type
Insulin
My mother has been dealing with T2D for about 10 years. Firstly with diet, then tablets, now insulin. One frustrating aspect of her condition is the erratic nature of he glucose levels. Over night it can drop from a frighteningly high 20 mmol/l to below 4 mmol/l. and on other occasions it can be around 9 mmol/l and barely drop. She almost gets the feeling that her body overreacts to sugar rather not reacting. Her record keeping of glucose levels is exemplary but finding a pattern is like platting fog. Any advice? I have recently agreed with my mother to become more involved in her treatment mainly to understand D better and to be preapred for when the time comes when I may be her carer.
 
That's how my mom is except for nearly 30 years now. Has your mom been put on the single insulin dose per day as opposed to the twice a day treatment. My mom has. It's like a slow release dose. It's since I've been looking after my mom when she broke a bone in her foot, that I've been learning about how she controls her D and how I need to start controlling mine. When you talk about 'overreacting to sugar, do you mean in the Reactive Hypoglycaemic way , where the blood sugar level plummets after taking in sugar, or do you mean inasmuch as her BG level is rising. Could a lot depend on how much insulin is administered and at what time of day? There are lots of good knowledgeable people on this forum and I'm sure they will collectively find a solution. I'm still learning!
:hungover:
 
Thanks for replying. I don't know enough yet to fully understand the terms. Going to he'd with a high BG can result in a plummet. I need to check if it is only when very high that the over reaction occurs.


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I've come to realise that taking regular BG tests really give an insight into one's condition. My mom had her first hypo last week and I'd never seen one before and didn't recognise any of the signs .. she wriggled out of bed and got wedged down by the wardrobe... good job I was still there to rescue her. I hung around because I could see she wasn't herslf.

DIstrict Nurses came in at lunch time, earlier that day, to give her her daily dose of insulin and her sugar is usually around 10 mol then, but by 11pm she'd crashed really low. I suspect she was forgetting to eat! I started preparing her food for her after that. She'd couldn't remember what she;d eaten or when. So I go to see her every day now and always take a BG test so that I KNOW what her levels are. Andrew if you can fine tune your Mom's regimen you can get a handle on her BG levels. I gather that keeping them in a safe region is the way to go.

Is your mom on any oral medication too. ..... I;ve noticed my mom forgetting to take her metformin in the mornings. She's 82 so I think she's starting to get fed up with it all.

I own two monitors now and test BG at any appropriate times. The cost of the strips will bankrupt me but it's gotta be done.

:inpain:
 
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