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Totally confused

Helping_hand_

Well-Known Member
Messages
47
hi everyone,

I posted in another thread that I am helping my Dad treat his diabetes as he has just had vascular surgery.
I don't really understand the whole blood sugar thing and what it should be at different times of the day.
All the nurse in the hospital told me was if it gets above 20 phone his GP!

Before he went into hospital it was 26 after food.
In hospital it averaged about 19.
This morning it was 14.6 fasting
Lunchtime yesterday 13.9

Obviously I know I have to get it down, and what he eats can effect it. Does drinking water and moderate exercise help?
 
Yes to water and moderate exercise but the best thing to lower blood sugar quickly is avoiding eating carbohydrates.

https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb

is a great intro to low carb eating.

Have a read around there and come back with any questions.

Your dad's blood sugars are still too high once he cuts out carbs they should come down quite fast.
 
Thanks Bulkbiker,

Just read the info on carbs, I'm freaked out. I thought I had a healthy diet, I need to cut the carbs too
He is feeling sorry for himself and kinda given up. Does stress effect blood sugar?
 
Yes it can.. stress often increases BS levels.
For your dad try and stress the good things he'll be eating rather than what he can't have.
Eggs and bacon for breakfast for example rather than sugary cardboard cereals.
It's a different mindset but once adopted it becomes quite easy and real food is great!
 
Helping_hand_ said:
Thanks Bulkbiker,

Just read the info on carbs, I'm freaked out. I thought I had a healthy diet, I need to cut the carbs too
He is feeling sorry for himself and kinda given up. Does stress effect blood sugar?
Click to expand...
Yes, stress can raise blood sugar levels. Have a look around the forum and see what others are eating. If you can tweak his favourite meals to be lower carb, he will be less likely to feel deprived.
 
Yes, stress does affect blood sugar, but its impact is less if you can control carb intake.

Changing my diet has had a great positive effect on my blood sugar, but after years of low calorie diets and eating what I thought were healthy foods, but where I never lost weight, meant I had to work on getting my head around some new ideas, like having full milk, cream, cheese, bacon. Amazingly, changing to low carb and reasonable levels of good fats, not all out high fat, has meant I'm now losing weight, even while taking Gliclazide, and my BS has come down. Also, I don't particularly miss potatoes or rice. I do miss bread and pasta a bit, but I'm coping.
 
Yes cutting out or reducing the starchy carbs like bread potatoes rice and pasta is a good idea but be careful if you increases his fat intake that it will suit him. If he has other medical conditions it may be as well to speak to his doctor about it. People here who do the low carb high fat diet do it because they feel it helps them more with their blood levels than the recommended NHS diet advice for people with diabetes so it is a matter of personal choice
 

the best is to get the numbers down under 7 mmol in between meal and not eat high spiking foods... nuts are really good, and cheese and meat and avocado...
 
Helping_hand_ said:
Thanks Bulkbiker,

Just read the info on carbs, I'm freaked out. I thought I had a healthy diet, I need to cut the carbs too
He is feeling sorry for himself and kinda given up. Does stress effect blood sugar?
Click to expand...

yes stress affects blood glucose but food the most.. eggs and bacon are also fine foods
 
Thanks everyone for all the information.
I am hoping to see an improvement tomorrow.
My latest drama is the hospital gave me the wrong tester strips for the monitor. It's a One Touch Select Plus, my chemist doesn't stock them so they are ordering them. Meanwhile he gave me a cheap tester kit, are tester strips on prescription or do you buy them?
 
I don't get testing equipment or supplies on the NHS, and most type 2s not taking insulin or some glucose lowering drugs will be in the same situation.
You might be able to swing it due to your father's situation, the operations and high levels though.
Low carb foods can bring down blood glucose readings quite quickly - it is a shame that your father has had to go through so much before getting some help with his diet.
Don't be concerned about fats - they are an essential part of our diet, not something that is going to kill you off.
 
Thanks Resurgam,
I think I am just feeling overwhelmed with everything.
But I have a better idea what I am doing now, he has lost so much weight a bit of fat won't do him any harm.
They tested him every 4 hours in hospital but I am only doing twice a day as he gets stressed about it.
 
Hi. Yes, do reduce the carbs and increase fats and proteins. As your father has lost weight there is always the possibility he may be late onset T1 and burning body fat? If so the blood sugar may not come down and insulin will be needed. Do keep an eye on his blood sugar.
 

Thanks Daibell, I didn't know T2 can turn into T1. The doctors in the hospital didn't mention this, is there a test ?
 
It could have always been type one, although sometimes type twos need to go on to use insulin, but the reasons are different.
Once insulin is required then the body can no longer utilise food properly.
Fats are essential for good health - much of the 'eat low fat' advice is proving to be misguided, and diabetics are rather stuck for what to eat if they try to eat both low carb and low fat - plus the low carb is less effective when fats are low, as protein is broken down and it becomes glucose.
 
Dad's blood sugar was 14.6 first thing this morning and 19.4 about 3 hours after dinner.
I know this is very high, he has only been out of hospital 5 days. Should I be concerned ?
 
Helping_hand_ said:
Dad's blood sugar was 14.6 first thing this morning and 19.4 about 3 hours after dinner.
I know this is very high, he has only been out of hospital 5 days. Should I be concerned ?
Click to expand...

That's certainly a higher than ideal number for sure, but there's obviously a lot going on in your Dad's life.

I read on another of your threads, I think, that he was taking Metformin before being in hospital. Is he still taking that or has be been givens something else to add to it, or instead of it?

What sorts of things does your Dad eat in a typical day? Most T2s find their diet to be the cornerstone of their control of their condition.
 
He was taking Metformin before surgery, he is still taking it but they have also given him
Linagliptin 5mg in the morning.
Before surgery his diet was terrible, he lived on bread, biscuits and drank sugary drinks. He thought if he took the tablets he could eat what he liked. He went into hospital with a blood sugar level of 26, they injected him with insulin to get it down fast before surgery.
 
The hospital didn't get him a diet plan, just said nothing sweet and no fruit.

Since he has been home I have started him on a low carb diet, maybe it will just take time.
 
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