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How bad is this then? I dont understand

P

Philip99

Member
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19
Just been away for a week with my Mum and Dad (they are a bit past going by themselves) and am shocked by my fathers diet.

He has been diabetic (2) for years and has been on insulin for at least 4 years.

He eats bread, chocolate like you have never seen, and anything sweet he can get his hands on without my Mum seeing. And I mean ANYTHING. The second she leaves the room/house, he is up searching for some sweets or biscuits. She tells me he is impossible and just has no control at all. I tried telling him how bad it is for him, but all he says is that his blood readings are low, which they are...between 3.5 and 5 all the time.

He just adjusts the amount of insulin to compensate.

This cant be good for him surely? Or is it OK because he keeps his blood levels low.
 
It sounds like he is not on the correct insulin dosage any levels below 4 are not good as that is then hypo levels for someone on insulin having lower levels sometimes makes you more hungry as well.
 
I don't use insulin myself, but I guess he could be using high insulin levels to counter all the sweets, so when he's NOT eating (when mum's around) his levels go low. Can't see it's good for him.
 
How do you know that he is between 3.5 and 5 all the time? Is that from the meter itself - and when are those readings taken (at +1 and +2hrs) ?
 
swimmer2 said:
How do you know that he is between 3.5 and 5 all the time? Is that from the meter itself - and when are those readings taken (at +1 and +2hrs) ?
Click to expand...

He does his meter test 4 times a week-usually at breakfast time.
 
Philip99 said:
swimmer2 said:
How do you know that he is between 3.5 and 5 all the time? Is that from the meter itself - and when are those readings taken (at +1 and +2hrs) ?
Click to expand...

He does his meter test 4 times a week-usually at breakfast time.
Click to expand...

Wow. As i said, I'm not an insulin user, but that sounds woefully inadequate. How does he know he doesn't get massive peaks after all those sweet carby foods, and just gets a low in the morning?
 
Hi. Testing only four times a week when on insulin is certainly not adequate. Also if you eat carbs heavily and take insulin levels to match then the size of blood suagr swings will be proportionately higher risking both hypos and damage thru sugar spikes. Trying to change his habits sounds very difficult but it might be worth finding how much insulin he injects and whether that level is excessive? If it is he might listen if he understand the risks.
 
Philip99 said:
He does his meter test 4 times a week-usually at breakfast time.
Click to expand...

I think this is going to sound harsh Philip, but that's next to pointless. I could test my reading before breakfast and then eat sweets all day - as long I let up by mid-evening my morning readings would probably be reasonable.

Does he have a set of HBA1C results for the last few years? as I suspect these would tell a different story. It's the peaks that do the damage.
 
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