Husband in denial

[Swizzlebob]

I sent my 51 year old husband to see the Gp for a Wellman/mot, he was told his weight was ok, BMI of 30.5 as he did not drink or smoke. He was sent for blood tests but Gp did not expect anything to be untoward.

A blood test later and a recall back to see another Gp, he was told he was diabetic his hba1c? Was 78! But my husband idi not think that they could Dx his on a non fasting blood test, I looked in the info pack the Gp sent home with him, look it be high enough to me.

He had a fasting blood test last week and we went to see the nurse last night, results were not on her screen but hba1c is down to 68, still too high but he has lost abit of weight and is taking more exercises nurse ensured him he was diabetec.

But he spoke to his grown up kids and said I might have diabetes! He also seems to thing if he gets his extra weight , 2 1/2 stone off and keeps it off and his blood sugar comes down he will not be diabetec anymore, I told him I didn't think it worked like.

Nurse has just rung fasting blood was 9.1.

I do have a question, how long are people normally given to lose weight etc to reduce their blood sugar before they look down the medication route?

Sorry this is all new

 

[gfmoore]

You both need to do some reading. I suggest Blood Sugar 101, not the cheapest and in American units (÷18 to get the uk units, conversion chart in back of book) BUT it will save your husbands life. It has mine. A month ago I experienced some bluriness and it frightened me enough to actually do some research. Up till then I wasn't really bothered. Just took whatever meds the docs gave me and kept eating my after dinner choccy buscuits. I was heading for blindness, amputations, kidney disease, heart attack, nerve pain in my arms etc and so on. I didn't even realise how dangerous this thing is. I count myself very fortunate that I've woken up hopefully in time.

You both need to realise that its not his fault he has diabetes, nor is it because he is overweight - I am too - actually his weight may be due to his body's response to this metabolic disease.
You can't cure diabetes, but you can control it and live a long and relatively normal life
All the best

Sent from the Diabetes Forum App

 

[Lazybones]

Dear Swizzlebob,
Sorry to hear of your husbands recent diabetic diagnosis. Once you've crossed the Diabetic thresholds for being diagnosed with diabetes then I'm sorry to have to say this to you, but he will now have his diabetes with him for the rest of his life.
Getting his weight down to what is considered a 'NORMAL' range will make controlling his diabetes much easier , as will choosing the right foods to eat in his diet, and restricting (but not eliminating) his daily carbohydrate intake. This site can point him in the right direction as to a suitable choice of diet.
As for diagnosing diabetes using the HbAic test result, yes this can and is now used to diagnose diabetes either by itself or in conjunction with the standard FASTING blood glucose test.
He should learn to take things one stage at a time, as being newly diagnosed with diabetes can be both frightening and is something that he might feel only effect other people. We've all started out on this diabetic road at some time and with care and choice of diet, excercie he should be able to live a NORMAL life.

 

[Daibell]

Hi. The HBa1C test is non-fasting and is much more useful than a simple fasting blood sugar test in measuring the level of diabetes, so the HBa1C should be your measure. His BMI is too high? Losing weight should help a lot with blood sugar reduction and as you find on the forum most of us would say to reduce the carbs in the diet and any excess portion sizes. It could take a good few weeks even months to reduce the weight. The next HBa1C taken after a stable month or two at a better weight will help guide the GP on whether to start meds. Most GPs would already have started with Metformin which is a good safe drug and helps a bit where there is insulin resistance due to excess weight

 

[Swizzlebob]

Thank you for all that.

My husband was adopted as a baby so no family history is known, but his adoptive dad had un diagnoised type 2 diabetes, so he/we are well aware of the risks involved as he suffered a few amputations and died of heart failure caused by diabetes at 67.

My husband has always been large and I am supporting him in losing weight. The Gp seems on top of things and he has already seen the practise nurse and has hie special eye test next week, along with another meeting with the Gp to talk about DESMOND . The nurse said she will see him in 4 months to do some more tests.

I myself have a chronic illness,CFS and am undergoing tests for MS, so it looks like things are going to be fun from now on!?

Am I wrong in being worried that his blood sugar seems very high? Can diet and exercise bring it down to where it needs to be?

I am confused over the diet he needs to follow, he has lost about 1/2 stone since he first saw the Gp, by following a low fat diet and cutting out chocolate, ice cream and cake and biscuits, does this sound ok?

 

[Etty]

Welcome to the forum. There's lots of good advice here, so ask anything you like. Yes his BS is too high and needs to come down to avoid complications. Diet can certainly bring it down and is the most important thing that he can do. BS is mainly lowered by reducing carbohydrates, and by weightloss. Cutting out sugary foods is good, but starchy ones (bread, cereal and flour products, potato etc.) need to be reduced as well. There's no need to lower natural fats (butter, cheese, cream, olive oil etc.) when eating this way. Many of us follow a diet similar to the one described on this Swedish website:
http://www.dietdoctor.com/lchf
If you join him, it will be easier for him, and less work making separate meals for you. And it may even help with your health.