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My Dad

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7fholmes

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Hi i am 15 and don't really no that much about diabeties but my dad is diabetic.
He doesnt eat diabetic food...does this matter??
He gets quite moody and angry over small little things i have read this happens when you have diabetis but i would like to have some opions from people who have diabetes.

Anyother information you would like to give me about diabetis would be greatly acceptted

Thanks
Emma Holmes
:P
 
Hi Emma.

Since you say 'dad' I assume he has so-called 'adult onset' diabetes or 'type II' as it is also known.

This probably means that your father doesn't use insulin but other forms of medication that aim to control his blood sugar.

Now, whilst he probably doesn't need to eat 'diabetic food', he does really need to eat the kind of foods that won't upset his blood sugar too much. This means that foods that contain a lot of sugar should be avoided. Also foods that contain a high level of carbohydrates can cause big fluctuations in blood glucose/blood sugar.

Carbohydrates include bread, pasta, potatoes, cereal, fruit. These should be included with meals but not in high amounts.

Regarding your fathers moods, he may be 'moody' due to fluctuations in blood sugar (I know I can get tetchy if I don't eat regularly and my blood sugar drops). Alternatively, perhaps he is feeling angry and frustrated at having this 'disease' to deal with. He may be in denial as to the seriousness of his condition as well.

Good luck with it all. I hope your father comes to realise that if he wants to be around to see his daughter grow up, he needs to manage his diabetes correctly.

All the best,
Alex
 
Hi Emma and welcome to our forum.
First thing you need to know is that there is no such thing as "diabetic food". You will see in chemists and supermarkets cereal bars, chocolates, biscuits, etc labelled as "diabetic". What this means is that instead of making them with sugar they have used a sugar substitute. The general advice (for example from Diabetes UK) is don't touch them. They actually don't taste very nice and the substitute they use is a pretty powerful laxative. So if you ever buy your dad a bar of "diabetic" chocolate, just make sure you don't get between him and the bathroom door!!

Basically a diabetic should eat the same as a non-diabetic person, but just needs to eat less of the things that cause a large increase in blood sugar, These are obviously sugar itself, but also the starchy foods - bread, pasta, rice and potatoes. That doesn't mean your dad isn't allowed to eat these - but he needs to eat smaller portions of them than he is probably used to having. So, for example, have only half the potatoes than normal but more of the other vegetables, or a bigger portion of meat.

A diabetic may have blood sugar that is too high (hyperglycemia) or too low (hypoglycemia). With high sugar levels you might feel listless and sleepy, but not usually grumpy (unless of course he is just angry at having diabetes). One of the commom symptoms of low blood sugar is becoming argumentative, irritable and impatient (but then some people are like that anyway!).

Why not get your dad to log in to the forum and have a browse around. If he (or you) have any questions or need some advice, there's always someone here who can help you.
 
Hi Emma,

and first of all, you deserve great credit for your initiative and for asking the right questions! This is just the place to do it.
Does your father inject insulin? As an insulin user myself (also with a 15 year old son) I know that is a good candidate for inducing mood swings as Dennis and Alex have said. These mood swings are due to blood sugar fluctuations, particularly when blood sugar drops too low.
Also, 'diabetic foods' are best avoided for a number of reasons, so the fact your Dad doesn't eat them is no bad thing. Proper, natural, unprocessed food is the thing and as the guys already said, be particularly careful with sugary or starchy foods as these make blood sugar levels difficult to control.
Now tell your Dad! He'll be well chuffed that you've taken such an interest.

All the best,

fergus
 
heyyyyyyyyy,
yeah as those people were saying it depends what type of diabetes he has,
but i got diabetes and like you say with your dad somtimes i get really grumpy.....
not sure what its like for older people tho cos' im only 13.
but yeah he should obviously stay healthy etc. but i dont think he's gunna get seriously ill if he eats normally as long as he takes the rightr amount of insulin for what he eats

=D
 
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