Search
Search titles only
By:
Search titles only
By:
Home
Forums
New posts
Search forums
What's new
New posts
New profile posts
Latest activity
Members
Current visitors
New profile posts
Search profile posts
Log in
Register
Search
Search titles only
By:
Search titles only
By:
New posts
Search forums
Menu
Install the app
Install
Reply to Thread
Guest, we'd love to know what you think about the forum! Take the
Diabetes Forum Survey 2024 »
Home
Forums
Diabetes Management
Emotional and Mental Health
Very worried son
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Message
<blockquote data-quote="Adamgross80" data-source="post: 1660898" data-attributes="member: 462542"><p>The title is me. I am not a diabetic. My dad is. He has type 2 diabetes. He is 72 years old and lives on his own. He has a relatively inactive lifestyle and is very set in his ways. Over the last year, his diabetes management has become out of control. His HbA1C was 106 in October 2017. Over the year, perhaps because of his diabetes, we have seen a rapid decline of his well being. He struggles to walk (gait apraxia), suffers from memory loss, and is despondent and depressed. He has no motivation or interest, it seems, to improve. </p><p></p><p>Shortly after hearing about the 106 reading, we purchased Dexcom. Initially this helped, and after making a few changes we think he may be at optimal insulin dose for him which is:</p><p></p><p>HUMULIN M3</p><p></p><p>30 UNITS morning</p><p>20 UNITS evening.</p><p></p><p>About 3 weeks ago, the Dexcom gave an estimated HbA1C of around 76 which is a vast improvement. He is also on Trulicity and Metformin in addition to insulin.</p><p></p><p>However 1.5 weeks ago, Dexcom stopped working. My dad said last night that he has no intention of using it again. He is slowly slipping to his former self from October 2017; and I have no way of checking whether he is doing what he should be doing or at the right times. E.g. on a random visit to his flat we discovered he had enough insulin for the day but did not remember (or think to remember) to place a new order on his repeat prescription. We managed to get another pen at very short notice. Otherwise it would have meant 4 days without any insulin. </p><p></p><p>Moving forward, I know I need to get Dexcom back up and running, despite my dad's protest. Thereafter, I believe our options are as follows:</p><p></p><p>1. Obtain psychological support as his management has been a huge strain for me and other family members and he gets very despondent a lot of the time (with difficulty is getting him to engage). </p><p></p><p>2. His diet needs massively improving to reduce the glucose peaks on Humulin regime. He almost certainly doesn't have the intelligence/willpower/motivation to go onto a Lantus/3x daily Actrapid regime. And even with the various excellent diet plans available, what my dad should eat and what he does are 2 different things. The latter may be a struggle (which is where psychologist might come in handy?). </p><p></p><p>3. Finger prick testing - he still needs to do this twice daily (to calibrate Dexcom) but he is still having difficulty doing this meaning multiple attempts each time and disengagement as his fingers are so sore. </p><p></p><p>If anyone has any thoughts/recommendations on the above or even alternative suggestions, it would be enormously appreciated. Whilst I feel we have made a vast improvement, my dad seems very unwilling or unable to improve. It is a huge battle and I feel we are still too far away from sound diabetes control. If things do not improve quickly, I fear something critical will happen soon. </p><p></p><p>Many thanks for taking the time to read this and for any recommendations you might be able to make. </p><p></p><p>Adam</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Adamgross80, post: 1660898, member: 462542"] The title is me. I am not a diabetic. My dad is. He has type 2 diabetes. He is 72 years old and lives on his own. He has a relatively inactive lifestyle and is very set in his ways. Over the last year, his diabetes management has become out of control. His HbA1C was 106 in October 2017. Over the year, perhaps because of his diabetes, we have seen a rapid decline of his well being. He struggles to walk (gait apraxia), suffers from memory loss, and is despondent and depressed. He has no motivation or interest, it seems, to improve. Shortly after hearing about the 106 reading, we purchased Dexcom. Initially this helped, and after making a few changes we think he may be at optimal insulin dose for him which is: HUMULIN M3 30 UNITS morning 20 UNITS evening. About 3 weeks ago, the Dexcom gave an estimated HbA1C of around 76 which is a vast improvement. He is also on Trulicity and Metformin in addition to insulin. However 1.5 weeks ago, Dexcom stopped working. My dad said last night that he has no intention of using it again. He is slowly slipping to his former self from October 2017; and I have no way of checking whether he is doing what he should be doing or at the right times. E.g. on a random visit to his flat we discovered he had enough insulin for the day but did not remember (or think to remember) to place a new order on his repeat prescription. We managed to get another pen at very short notice. Otherwise it would have meant 4 days without any insulin. Moving forward, I know I need to get Dexcom back up and running, despite my dad's protest. Thereafter, I believe our options are as follows: 1. Obtain psychological support as his management has been a huge strain for me and other family members and he gets very despondent a lot of the time (with difficulty is getting him to engage). 2. His diet needs massively improving to reduce the glucose peaks on Humulin regime. He almost certainly doesn't have the intelligence/willpower/motivation to go onto a Lantus/3x daily Actrapid regime. And even with the various excellent diet plans available, what my dad should eat and what he does are 2 different things. The latter may be a struggle (which is where psychologist might come in handy?). 3. Finger prick testing - he still needs to do this twice daily (to calibrate Dexcom) but he is still having difficulty doing this meaning multiple attempts each time and disengagement as his fingers are so sore. If anyone has any thoughts/recommendations on the above or even alternative suggestions, it would be enormously appreciated. Whilst I feel we have made a vast improvement, my dad seems very unwilling or unable to improve. It is a huge battle and I feel we are still too far away from sound diabetes control. If things do not improve quickly, I fear something critical will happen soon. Many thanks for taking the time to read this and for any recommendations you might be able to make. Adam [/QUOTE]
Verification
Post Reply
Home
Forums
Diabetes Management
Emotional and Mental Health
Very worried son
Top
Bottom
Find support, ask questions and share your experiences. Ad free.
Join the community »
This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this site, you are agreeing to our use of cookies.
Accept
Learn More.…