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Concerned other half of diabetes sufferer
- Thread starter Tinker
- Start date
- Status
Hi, like everyone during lockdown my husbands diet went of course, consequently his latest blood tests have come back sky high.
I'm not sure about all the jargon but his good cholesterol was very low & bad was very high.
His kidney function was high too.
He's been suffer g with pain under his foot & the pain travels up his leg.
I'm just wondering could this be connected to nerve damage due to poor diet & if so, will getting back on track with his diet help relieve the pain.
Thank you for responding.
Sorry should have said he's on 500mg modified release Metformin
Have done, unfortunately our Dr doesn't seem to be interested.
I mentioned it to his nurse who seems to think it might be tissue loss but didn't elaborate more.
It was her who advised me to join this site.
Thank you for your response though.
Sparky Sue
New Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Carer/Partner
Hi Tinker,
Hi husband has type 2 and his bloods have gone up to 74, his cholesterol ratio is 5.7 (not good apparently) and urine sample abnormal so rather worried. One of the questions he was asked this morning during his annual review was did he have pain in his legs. So it must have some significance. We have asked to see a specialist and will find out this afternoon what the Dr says. Could that be a way forward for you.
Hi husband has type 2 and his bloods have gone up to 74, his cholesterol ratio is 5.7 (not good apparently) and urine sample abnormal so rather worried. One of the questions he was asked this morning during his annual review was did he have pain in his legs. So it must have some significance. We have asked to see a specialist and will find out this afternoon what the Dr says. Could that be a way forward for you.
rebrascora
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Improving his diet can certainly help to control his Blood Glucose levels and that can sometimes improve these situations if it is diabetic neuropathy. Regular exercise like a daily walk can also help I believe although it may not be comfortable to do so.... maybe a bit of a case of no pain, no gain. Perhaps you could both benefit from a daily walk together if you are able.
As regards diet, it is all types of carbohydrates which push our BG levels up so cutting back on the obvious sweet, sugary stuff is the first step but also reducing portion sizes of starchy carbs like bread, pasta, rice, potatoes and breakfast cereals will all help. Do also be conscious of portion control when it comes to fruit as it is also a high carb food group. Some fruits like berries are not too bad and pack a lot of flavour and bite so a small portion goes a long way, but beware of exotic fruits like bananas, pineapple and mango etc and fruits which are moreish like grapes where you end up eating far more than you probably should. Grapes are little sugar bombs! Fruit juice and dried fruit is also packed with sugar so don't switch to those thinking it is a good healthy choice instead of added sugar in/on breakfast cereal/desserts/drinks etc.
Many of us find that cauliflower is a great veg for providing low carb bulk on our plates instead of potatoes. Cauliflower cheese is a favourite but made with cream cheese and grated cheese rather than a cheese sauce. Cauli can also be mashed with a dollop of cream cheese and perhaps a spoon of mustard if you like it, to replace mash (or half and half with potatoes to reduce the carb content of your mash) or grated and used to replace rice or couscous in menus.
Meat, fish, eggs, mushrooms and leafy green veg are all good. I love steak and salad with a good dollop of cheese coleslaw and if you are keen to experiment, celeriac or swede chips are much lower carb than potato chips.... beware of parsnips as an alternative or sweet potato as they are both high carb like ordinary potatoes.
Hope that gives you some idea of how to start tackling his problems.
Do check your partner's feet daily for any signs of damage or infection (or encourage him to do so if he is able.... sometimes easier for a second pair of eyes if you are no longer as flexible as you used to be) because impaired sensation can lead to injuries going undetected until infection sets in. Keeping feet clean and moisturised is important too for us diabetics. If the pain becomes hard to live with there are specific pain killers for neuropathy I believe (Gabapentin I believe is one... hopefully someone will correct me if I am wrong) so do go back to the GP and ask for more help.... sometimes you have to badger them and make sure they realise how the pain is impacting your life/sleep etc.... But hopefully with an improved diet and some exercise the pain will alleviate a bit or ideally go away, but that isn't always possible and pain management is an important aspect to discuss with your GP if necessary.
Good luck.
PS. Many people find that investing in a Blood Glucose meter is a wise investment and using a testing regime of before and 2 hours after a meal along with a food diary gives you a real insight into which foods your body cannot tolerate and which you can get away with and in what portion size. Many members of the forum, find this an invaluable tool in tailoring their diet to their individual body's responses to foods and their own tastes. A basic BG meter is relatively inexpensive tp buy @ approx £15 but the cost of test strips soon adds up, so we recommend 2 here on the forum which are relaiable and have some of the cheapest test strips @ £8 for a pot of 50. These are the SD Gluco Navii or the Spirit Healthcare Tee2. Both are available to buy online and there will be a box to tick to say you are diabetic which means VAT is deducted. If you need further advice on testing, please ask.
As regards diet, it is all types of carbohydrates which push our BG levels up so cutting back on the obvious sweet, sugary stuff is the first step but also reducing portion sizes of starchy carbs like bread, pasta, rice, potatoes and breakfast cereals will all help. Do also be conscious of portion control when it comes to fruit as it is also a high carb food group. Some fruits like berries are not too bad and pack a lot of flavour and bite so a small portion goes a long way, but beware of exotic fruits like bananas, pineapple and mango etc and fruits which are moreish like grapes where you end up eating far more than you probably should. Grapes are little sugar bombs! Fruit juice and dried fruit is also packed with sugar so don't switch to those thinking it is a good healthy choice instead of added sugar in/on breakfast cereal/desserts/drinks etc.
Many of us find that cauliflower is a great veg for providing low carb bulk on our plates instead of potatoes. Cauliflower cheese is a favourite but made with cream cheese and grated cheese rather than a cheese sauce. Cauli can also be mashed with a dollop of cream cheese and perhaps a spoon of mustard if you like it, to replace mash (or half and half with potatoes to reduce the carb content of your mash) or grated and used to replace rice or couscous in menus.
Meat, fish, eggs, mushrooms and leafy green veg are all good. I love steak and salad with a good dollop of cheese coleslaw and if you are keen to experiment, celeriac or swede chips are much lower carb than potato chips.... beware of parsnips as an alternative or sweet potato as they are both high carb like ordinary potatoes.
Hope that gives you some idea of how to start tackling his problems.
Do check your partner's feet daily for any signs of damage or infection (or encourage him to do so if he is able.... sometimes easier for a second pair of eyes if you are no longer as flexible as you used to be) because impaired sensation can lead to injuries going undetected until infection sets in. Keeping feet clean and moisturised is important too for us diabetics. If the pain becomes hard to live with there are specific pain killers for neuropathy I believe (Gabapentin I believe is one... hopefully someone will correct me if I am wrong) so do go back to the GP and ask for more help.... sometimes you have to badger them and make sure they realise how the pain is impacting your life/sleep etc.... But hopefully with an improved diet and some exercise the pain will alleviate a bit or ideally go away, but that isn't always possible and pain management is an important aspect to discuss with your GP if necessary.
Good luck.
PS. Many people find that investing in a Blood Glucose meter is a wise investment and using a testing regime of before and 2 hours after a meal along with a food diary gives you a real insight into which foods your body cannot tolerate and which you can get away with and in what portion size. Many members of the forum, find this an invaluable tool in tailoring their diet to their individual body's responses to foods and their own tastes. A basic BG meter is relatively inexpensive tp buy @ approx £15 but the cost of test strips soon adds up, so we recommend 2 here on the forum which are relaiable and have some of the cheapest test strips @ £8 for a pot of 50. These are the SD Gluco Navii or the Spirit Healthcare Tee2. Both are available to buy online and there will be a box to tick to say you are diabetic which means VAT is deducted. If you need further advice on testing, please ask.
Hi, it's like banging your head against a brick wall trying to even get a phone apt with our Dr at the moment Sue.
His Dr did phone him with his blood results but that was about it, no advice or guidance at all.
To be honest, his diet completely went to pot over Xmas so we're hoping getting back on track helps.
His nurse has redone the blood tests & we are waiting on results so we will go from there.
He has also suffered strokes & 2 heart attacks so diagnosing him can be complicated.
Thank you for your reply, I hope your husband gets answers from the specialist.
Good results hopefully.
Wow, thank you so much, such a lot of helpful information there.
We do normally walk regularly each day & try to get our 10,000 steps in.
Walking is not the problem., it's when he stops, the pain under his foot & up his leg is really quite bad when he sits after walking & tries to move again.
I will look into getting a BG monitor, I'm sure it would help keep his diet on track.
Thanks again you have been very helpful.
Inka
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
Pain under the foot the foot sounds slightly unusual. I thought you were going to mention tingling/burning toes and feet. High blood sugar can affect the feet and, of course, many other parts of the body, so he should definitely look at lowering that, but don’t assume the foot issue is necessarily connected.
I think the best place is to write a food diary - see where he’s starting from and see what improvements he can make. Getting a blood glucose meter is also an excellent idea. There are a number of different diets that could help. Choosing one your husband will stick to is important as is choosing one that not only helps his blood sugar but his general health.
Leadinglights
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
- Pronouns
- She/Her
My other half was suffering from pains in his feet/heels and started to use orthotic insoles in his shoes after an assessment at the scholl shop. He has never looked back.
grovesy
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
If he has had heart attacks and strokes, then his leg issues really need to be taking more seriously as it could be down to Diabetes or Circulation problems.
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Welcome to the forum @Tinker
Sorry to hear the Dr didn’t seem too interested in his leg and foot pain - if it continues it would be worth mentioning again I think. Does he check his feet regularly (visually as well as by sensation). Changes to nerves can mean that injury can be felt less or missed entirely, so a regular visual check is worth doing.
Do keep us updated with your husband’s progress 🙂
Sorry to hear the Dr didn’t seem too interested in his leg and foot pain - if it continues it would be worth mentioning again I think. Does he check his feet regularly (visually as well as by sensation). Changes to nerves can mean that injury can be felt less or missed entirely, so a regular visual check is worth doing.
Do keep us updated with your husband’s progress 🙂
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