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Caring for my Dad

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Idalina

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Carer/Partner
Hello all,
I'm new to the forum and still have to catch up to reading the experiences and wealth of knowledge in this forum. However, I wonder if anyone can point me to post where I may get some ideas about the follwoing:
My Dad (83yo) has diabetes Type 2. The doctors say he shouldn't worry too much about it, just be careful about what he eats, because he is rarely below 120mg/dl or above 180mg/dl in the daily bloog sugar levels (he uses finger-prick testing). He takes only 5mg linagliptin at breakfast, because he's had some renal porblems before.
Now the tricky bit: he complains that he wakes up every day in the middle of the night feeling unwell, with a felling of 'pressure in his head' (that's how best he describes it) and that it will go away after he eats. He has taken a test at that time and it is usually around 140-160. When he goes to bed he is around 130. Has anyone heard of this experience before?
I thought he was worrying too much and that this would go away, but I'm now worrying that the doctors are getting at the root of his condition.
Thank you for your kind help.
 
Idalina said:
Hello all,
I'm new to the forum and still have to catch up to reading the experiences and wealth of knowledge in this forum. However, I wonder if anyone can point me to post where I may get some ideas about the follwoing:
My Dad (83yo) has diabetes Type 2. The doctors say he shouldn't worry too much about it, just be careful about what he eats, because he is rarely below 120mg/dl or above 180mg/dl in the daily bloog sugar levels (he uses finger-prick testing). He takes only 5mg linagliptin at breakfast, because he's had some renal porblems before.
Now the tricky bit: he complains that he wakes up every day in the middle of the night feeling unwell, with a felling of 'pressure in his head' (that's how best he describes it) and that it will go away after he eats. He has taken a test at that time and it is usually around 140-160. When he goes to bed he is around 130. Has anyone heard of this experience before?
I thought he was worrying too much and that this would go away, but I'm now worrying that the doctors are getting at the root of his condition.
Thank you for your kind help.
Click to expand...

Hi Idalina, you are obviously not from the U.K. because we don’t use those levels here and you may find people are confused trying to convert them. This conversion chart will help;

https://www.joslin.org/info/conversion_table_for_blood_glucose_monitoring.html
 
Thank you Amigo. That's very kind of you to show me the conversion table. Yes, I'm originally from Portugal, my Dad lives there, but I've been living in the UK for many years now. Which adds to the anxiety of not being there to care for him on an everyday basis
 
So, using the conversions, here's a recap:
My Dad's levels are usually between 6.7-10, about 7.2 before going to bed, and 7.8-8.9 when he wakes up in the middle of the night saying he doesn't feel quite right.
 
Idalina, do you know what changes your dad has made to his diet? His numbers are a little high but could be improved with a few changes in eating habits if he isn’t already doing that? Most people focus immediately on sugary foods, the obvious things to cut out like cakes, sweets etc, but it is also carbohydrates like rice, pasta, potatoes and bread that push our blood sugars up. Fruit is also something we need to be careful with, the guide is two small pieces a day, avoid bananas or tropical fruits like mango as they are very high in sugar.
 
Not a doctor, but I think those BG levels wouldn't be seen as very concerning in someone your Dad's age.

Could the "pressure in the head" be a side effect of the linagliptin? I see "headache" gets listed as known side-effect: https://www.drugs.com/sfx/linagliptin-side-effects.html
 
Thank you CathyB. He did make some changes in his diet: started eating fewer oranges, and melon, and having apples instead. The doctors have told him to eat less proteins (to improve kidney function), but I think he's not too disciplined on that front. He is a bit overweight as per doctors' assessment, but he started walking a couple of miles a day and that has helped a bit.

Also, thank you Eddy for the link to the side effects. I will talk to my Dad about it and maybe this is something we can tell the doctors. The doctors do say his levels are not too high, as you suggest, so that's why I've been puzzling about what these 'headaches' may be about. Will keep reading on.
 
Hi @Idalina, how are things with your Dad? Have you has the chance to talk to him yet?
 
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This thread is now closed. Please contact Anna DUK, Ieva DUK or everydayupsanddowns if you would like it re-opened.
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