Brother newly-diagnosed - Rach09

[Rach09]

Hii all
my name is rachael and my brother has just be diagnosed with diabetes type 1 just last week and was hours away from going into a coma . im worried and dont know what i can do to help him, i might be his little sister but he means the world to me and i want to do everything and anything that i can do to help him. My mum got diagnosed earlier this year with type 2 but she is worried to and starting to think that she caused it by his diet. Also i tend to cook for my Family and i don't know what i can cook with my Mum and Brother having two different diabetes.. what can i do to help them ?!

 

[Steff]

hi rach first welcome to the forum.I personally am type 2 and i was in a whirlwind when i was first diagnosed i didnt wanna handle it but i found that joining here helped me massivley and good family support, does your brother have a care team yet? i guess with your mum being type 2 it is quite abit diff to her son but at least the 2 of them can understand in some way the down days, do you have a library near you those places are great for finding out how to help family members, theres also some books in the book recommendation forum on here that help people out, maybe have a look around there.

on the cooking side of things have a look on the recipe section also theres some really diabetic friendly recipes that are not to difficult ,and im sure some will have a few recipies up there sleeves x anyways now your on here hopefully we can help you out if and when things get abit tough you can at least use some of the knowledge and know how you get from all of us

steff xx

 

[Northerner]

Hii all
my name is rachael and my brother has just be diagnosed with diabetes type 1 just last week and was hours away from going into a coma . im worried and dont know what i can do to help him, i might be his little sister but he means the world to me and i want to do everything and anything that i can do to help him. My mum got diagnosed earlier this year with type 2 but she is worried to and starting to think that she caused it by his diet. Also i tend to cook for my Family and i don't know what i can cook with my Mum and Brother having two different diabetes.. what can i do to help them ?!

Hi Rachael, welcome to the forum🙂 I'm sorry to hear about your brother's diagnosis, it's great that you want to do all you can to help both him and your mum. You can reassure your Mum that his diabetes wasn't caused by his diet. The cause of Type 1 diabetes is much different to Type 2, although they do have similar consequences for blood sugar control.

The good news is that whatever meals are good for your Mum's diabetes will also be good for your brother's, so no worries about having to prepare different meals! Basically, the food should be the good, healthy diet all people should be following - plenty of vegetables, low-fat, low sugar and low salt. Home-cooked food is always better than prepared supermarket food, and it is better to eat granary or seeded bread than white. These are just basic tips.

In addition to food, you can also help by being understanding as your brother learns to deal with his diabetes. You don't say how old you are or he is, but there are plenty of people of all ages here that will help in any way they can, so if you have any questions please ask away on the general message board.

You've already helped your Mum and your brother by coming here to learn more - and of course, they are very welcome to join us too!🙂

 

[Patricia]

Oh my goodness Rachael, your family coming to all this sounds so tough... I'm so sorry.

You are obviously a great 'little' sister! I know my own daughter, who is only nine but still a little sister to her brother, was completely knocked flat by his diagnosis last year. The urge to help is a big one, and he will appreciate it al the way... Good for you.

Please do visit all around this forum and make yourself at home. T1 and T2 are not that different to cook for, in practice, except that eventually your brother will be able to handle more treats and sweets and things (should he get good control and want to, that is), than your mother is likely to (unless she's on insulin too?) -- because your brother will be getting to grips with 'covering' his food intake with insulin via injections...

But this is all a way down the pike. Read up on as much as you can before you are cooking for both of them...And as Northerner says, being knowledgeable and understanding for him is half the battle. It's a big adjustment for him.

Keep in touch, and all best,

Patricia

 

[rossi_mac]

Hi there Rachel, glad you've joined our merry gang.

Good on you for thinking about what you can do, but to be honest that really depends on how your bro (& mum)deals with it some of us are open and accept help (mostly!) others lock down and shut out, at least if you dig around like you are you will have the information to help him if and when you can. Come on here as much as you want to ask any Q's we're always happy to help. Oh and by the way tell mum it's not her fault! Both my mum and wife thought those things about diet initially! I hope you and your family get some stability soon.

Rossi🙂

 

[Copepod]

Hi Rachel, welcome. I know it's rude to ask your age, but can you tell us how old are your brother and mother, as advice might be a bit different. Eg is your brother of driving age?