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Newbie-Worried about my mum

S

Shezie

Member
Messages
6
Hi all
My mum has recently been diagnosed with diabetes type 2.She is taking 1 tablet a day (cant remember name-begins with m)
I have soo many questions to ask re: diet-lifestyle etc.
I recently lost my dad to cancer,so we both still very raw.
Yesterday mum was listening to radio 4(i think),they were talkin about diabetes type 2,the bit mum picked up on was "it reduces your life span by 10 years!"
She now thinks shes on borrowed time at age 70!!!!
Any help and ressurance will be gratefully recieved
Much love Sheree x
 
Hi Shezie

Welcome to the forum - I am a relative newbie too but have found this forum so helpful and there is loads of information here that will help you and your Mum understand more about this condition.

Ask any questions you like - even if you think they are silly - there is always someone who can help.

Rita
 
Hi shezie
It's true that uncontrolled diabetes reduces your lifespan. the keyword is
uncontrolled.
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It takes a bit of effort to control diabetes properly and it all depends on your Mum.
The tablet she's been prescribed is probably Metformin. Be warned it can upset the digestive system, but is otherwise safe and most people adjust to it.
there are 2 ways to control diabetes, 1 is not to eat the foods that cause high blood sugar, the other is keep increasing the medicine.
Your Mum's doctor has probably told her that testing her own blood isn't necessary ad that a test every 6 months is sufficient.
If she wants to do this, then a blood glucose meter is worth having. You can usually get afree one from the manufacturers. It's the test strips that cost. Look up the manyfactureres on the WWW and ring round a couple.
Your Mum wll have a lot to learn and at a difficult time too, so she'll probably need to take things slowly. Keep coming back to us with specific questions. browse round the site and we'll help all we can.
Hana
 
Shezie said:
Hi all
My mum has recently been diagnosed with diabetes type 2.She is taking 1 tablet a day (cant remember name-begins with m)
I have soo many questions to ask re: diet-lifestyle etc.
I recently lost my dad to cancer,so we both still very raw.
Yesterday mum was listening to radio 4(i think),they were talkin about diabetes type 2,the bit mum picked up on was "it reduces your life span by 10 years!"
She now thinks shes on borrowed time at age 70!!!!
Any help and ressurance will be gratefully recieved
Much love Sheree x
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Hi Shezie.
Welcome to the forum. Ask any questions you wish. We will try to give you answers. As Hana states, the tablet is probably Metformin, the first line of defence after diet only.

The Diabetics who need to worry are the ones with uncontrolled Diabetes and complications caused by the lack of control. Read the success stories on here of older Diabetics who have added years to their lives by heeding the advice given on this forum. So I shouldn't worry too much if you/mother are prepared to change a few things.

Condolences on your sad loss.

Ken.
 
Hello Shezie, welcome to the forum

I am very,very sorry to hear of your bereavement, please pass on my condolences to your Mum as well.

I wonder if your Mum has been prediabetic and the shock of the bereavement brought on full diabetes, this is what happened to me too. Anyway, she has the diagnosis now, can you tell us a bit more about this, eg what are her readings like, what has she been advised to eat/what does she eat, is she on medication?

I get very, very annoyed about all these doom and goom merchants that predict an early death, etc, its is not true, I mean none of us know how long we will live,whether we are diabetic or not.
The important thing is that your Mum is keeping her blood glucose well controlled, at non-diabetic level, then she can hopefully avoid developing complications and begin to feel better again.

I suggest that you get hold of 2 books initially, one is the Collins Gem Carb Counter and the other one is Dr Charles Clark, The Diabetes Revolution, this book is easy to read and will give her great insight into the condition and give instructions on how to achieve good control. Most diabetcs will find that they do need to reduce their consumption of starchy, carbohydrate foods, eg bread, pasta, rice, potatoes, and other foods, but you find out which foods affect your blood glucose by doing testing before food and then 2 hours later, and keep a food diary, you will soon learn which foods to reduce or avoid altogether. Has your doctor given you a tester and prescription for testing strips? If not then you can buy a tester from chemists for around £10-15, she doesnt need a complicated model, a very basic one will do, and ask your doctor to prescribe strips, if they refuse to do this then point out firmly that your Mum is trying to find out how the food affects her blood glucose and the only way she can learn about this is by testing, just be insistent about it.

Of course it is also important to deal with emotional issues, as upset and stress also raise blood glucose, I hope you and your Mum can talk about your issues, Cruise Bereavement are a good organisation to help you out, even if you and Mum can talk to each other, it may still be worth to contact them http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&cr ... ision&cd=2

I wont babble on too much here because there is just so much information around and you will just get confused and dont know what do do, have a good read around this forum and ask lots of questions if things need further clarification, everyone in here will do their best to try and help you out and find a solution to your problems, and dont listen to those that tell you that diabetes is the end of the world, it isnt!

All the best

Karen x
 
Wow-Thanx for your replies.
Yup Metformin-thats the name,if the diet is controlled,can you get off the tablets?
The radio thing mum was listening to was talking about a very new drug!
I,ll tell her that "uncontrolled" is the key word,mum is the biggest worrier,and obviously picked up the worst scenario!
I wondered why she hadnt been told to test her blood sugar regularly,i actually have a machine which i will give her.
I guess initially its trial n error,but took mum out for a meal the other night and not sure what she could have,she did have a desert and a glass of wine,but the other day we were on Yarmouth market and i wouldnt let her have a bag of chips-was i being cruel,lol,or are these things ok in moderation occasionally?
Also we went swimming today but notices advised not to go in steam room,sauna or spa with diabetes!?
Mum hasn,t got any usual symptoms, shes never thirsty,and doesnt drink enough!!,therefore rarely needs the loo,shes never cold but she does get dizzy and blurry vision,but this seems to come on with anxiety
Feel like i,m asking soo many questions
Thanx again for your help,i do feel reassured,hopefully it will help mum
xx
 
Hi Shezie.

Your mother was probably given the 'standard' advice about not needing to test etc. Frankly this is just rubbish. If you don't test you will never know if your Diabetes is controlled or not. You will also never know what certain foods do to your Bg readings. Knowing those figures is extremely important to any Diabetic.

You/Mom are going to have to work out what is a suitable diet for your Mom and make some changes to her lifestyle ?

As for chips, I can't tolerate them. My Bg soars, however a few once in while is a definite treat. :D
Most Diabetics are advised not to go in Sauna's etc because the heat dilates the blood vessels and can lower Bg levels significantly. It is usually aimed at T1's or T2's on Insulin or other Hypo inducing medication. Other Diabetic's shouldn't have too many problems ?

Have you any idea of your mothers Bg levels throughout the day ? High Bg levels can cause symptoms as described. If concerned see your GP.

Ken.
 
Hi Karen n Ken
Doc did say mums diabetes could have been brought on by shock of losing dad.
I have no idea what her BS levels are,but i will be getting her to check them from now on.
She is overweight,but has managed to lose a stone already,but sometimes she goes along time with out eating thro the day,(i,m sure thats not good!) she doesnt feel hungry,think these are due to grief.also adjusting to cooking for 1.
She is due to go to a "diabetic group" but this isnt till August,i will be going with her,but until then doesnt seem as if shes getting much advise,hence why i,m on here,
Its hard being a "parent" to your parent!
Sheree x
 
Hi Sheree.

Your GP is right. The shock, grief and stress could all have been a catalyst for the Diabetes.

What is needed now is to achieve that control I talked about. Not eating throughout the day is not a good idea. Three small meals a day for a Diabetic is far better, hunger doesn't come into it. It is fuel for the body.

Unfortunately the advice you will get here will probably contradict a lot of the advice on the course and from your GP. You/Mom then have a choice. Listen to well controlled Diabetic's or go with the standard NHS advice. I made mine - it wasn't the NHS.

Ken.
 
I am sorry for your loss, this is a difficult time for you and your mother.

I'm sure stress is a factor in many things, I'm sure it was in my diagnosis.

There is excellent advice here from many well controlled diabetics. I'm not following the standard NHS advice and I think I'm doing well.
 
Hello Shezie, sorry to hear your bereavement. I would emphasize "uncontrolled diabetes." Once a healthy lifestyle is adopted (not to be confused with the NHS/DUK diet) & good control achieved, you should find a general improvement in health. I still play tennis at club standard.

From another thread - my experience:
IanD said:
Welcome, though obviously we'd rather you didn't need to join our club. My experience is that a reduced carb diet improves every aspect of health. When I checked carb content of my diet, the recommended diabetes diet (NHS/DUK) amounted to 3-400 g carbs per day. My health improved when I reduced it to around 100g per day.

I was diagnosed 9 years ago, (at 61) in good general health, physically active, BMI 27, so only slightly overweight. Dr told me EVERYTHING that would go wrong, that it was a progressive disease, & helpfully calculated my probability of a heart attack as 25%. She advised a day training session at the local hospital. There I learned about the diet based on complex carbs.

I was shocked, & afraid not to follow the advice. Over a year ago, the complications started - slight retinopathy, & crippling muscle pain. (NOT due to statins.) The Dr was happy with my diabetes control. (HbA1c=6.7)

A reduced carb diet has restored my active life.

IanD said:
For nearly 8 years I followed the standard medical & Diabetes UK advice regarding diet - a diet based on complex carbohydrates. As predicted my diabetes progressed to the point where I was taking increased metformin & suffering complications. I joined the discussion forum http://www.diabetes.co.uk/diabetes-forum where I read of people's experience in improving control by reducing the amount of carbohydrate in the diet, to the extent of serious disagreement with standard medical advice.



In my experience, this diet change has resulted in a very rapid improvement in general health & reversal of diabetic complications that were ruining my life.


I joined the forum in April this year, when I began to experience intense muscle pain that threatened my mobility & even my driving. I felt that my active life was over, especially as I have been playing tennis at club standard. The pain was particularly intense when I was getting out of bed. My doctor prescribed quinine for cramp, but this had no effect. I think he hoped it wasn't diabetic neuropathy & would go away. I also had the beginning of retinopathy.


I needed to do something, or accept that the progressive nature of diabetes was taking its toll. The doctor considered that my diabetes was adequately controlled with HbA1c of 6.7. My diet was then the recommended low GI, complex carbohydrate diet as recommended by the NHS & Diabetes UK. My wife, as a heart patient, was recommended to follow the same diet.


In May I started a reduction in my carbohydrate consumption, simply reducing them to a small portion – about 1/3 of my previous amount, while increasing my vegetable consumption & to a lesser extent, protein. I ceased to have a supper cereal (Weetabix or Shredded Wheat.) I eat nuts & cheese as snacks.


Immediately my overnight fasting sugars dropped from around 6.7 to around 5.7, my muscle pain started to improve & my weight began to drop. In three months I was fully active again. The pain has gone & my tennis is up to the standard of much younger players. Driving now presents no problems.


Over those three months, my weight dropped from 182 to 168 pounds, my chronic tiredness greatly reduced. Blood tests in August showed a reduction in cholesterol from 5.4 in January to 4.3 & improvements in the lipids profile. My cholesterol at diagnosis was 7.6, so diet alone has reduced the total by 40%. Surprisingly the HBA stayed at 6.8, but that may be early days, with my body using the lost weight to replenish the blood cells. [3 months later HBA=6.4.] My blood pressure dropped from 135/75 to 125/75. I take no medication for cholesterol nor blood pressure. I have reduced the metformin from 3x500 to 2.


There is an internet forum where this is discussed & both scientific considerations & experience are reported. Health professionals make their contributions. There is wide agreement on the forum that the standard advice from Diabetes UK & the NHS is in fact wrong in recommending a diet based on complex carbohydrates.
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Sheree,

when I was first diagnosed, I got read the riot act by the GP and at first I was so panic stricken that I could not sleep at night as I was convinced that a stroke or heart attack was imminent.
The diabetic review process which is being adopted more and more, plus public awareness and support such as that provided by this forum is a recent phenomenum. The statistics for diabetic complications are based on aged data and some diabetes professionals believe that improvements in diabetic prospects based on anecdotal current trends show startling improvements. Diabetes UK have just issued a report however, stating that at this point in time 66% of the diabetic population still do not receive an annual diabetic review!!. So just imagine what huge improvements there will be when everyone is on board. The upshot is, that if YOU TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR OWN MANAGEMENT, (or your mum in this case), then the outlook is BRILLIANT!!!.....
......I was diagnosed in late April and I just can not wait to post my success story (3 month review in August)..as I believe (without giving too much away in advance!! :lol: ) that I have achieved tight control ALREADY.
It took metform medication, the wonderful education and support of the contributors on this forum, a right angled turn in my attitude to exercise and the massive reduction of the carbohydrates which caused my diabetes in the first place.

So chin up to you and your mum - get motivated and TAKE CONTROL!!.

Steve.
 
Thanx for your informative replies,guys.
Mums been given very little info re; management
Am def getting more insight on here!
She is due to see the diabetic nurse at her surgery on the 30th,will try n go with her
If i get her BS testing we can take the results
Any ideas of questions we should ask?
Mums ankles are quite swollen,i guess thats another symptom!?
but generally she feels ok,i guess thats why diagnosis came as a bit of a surprise!
I wish you all the best with your own ongoing good health
Sheree x
 
Hi again
Took mum to docs today as she was having stomach pains,turned out to be an urinary tract infection.
So ,of course,she had to do a sample,wen it was tested there was no evidance of sugar!
the doc asked mum who had diagnosed her with diabetes,it wa another doc,who had put in her notes that sugar traces were found in her urine n blood on a previous visit!
So mum has very "mild" diabetes!
Could this mean she doesnt have diabetes at all?
and is it likely to get worse?
Sheree xx
 
Shezie, sugar only shows in urine if your blood sugar levels are high,but you can still be diabetic with no sugar in the urine.the only sure way is for blood tests to be done .
 
Thanx for that Sue
Just me clutching at straws!
Mum has cut out sugarery things in her diet,but we trying to get our heads round the carbs thing!
Maybe her diet is ok n the meds keeping things under control at mo??!!
We tried BS testing today,but mums found it painful,n didnt put enough blood on strip,so wasnt very successful
This is all a bit of a minefield
xx
 
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