Granny & Despair

[Dizzydi]

My very naughty Granny admitted to me yesterday that 3 or 4 times last week she got 'Hi' readings on her testing monitor.

Now I know this is dangerous - and tried to explain to her she needs to speak to her GP.

& then to my utter amazement she said to me 'oh love I'm reat parched' and then picked up a carton of orange juice and sat there drinking it.

To which I hit the roof and told her she should not be drinking it and then, low and behold she admitted to drinking one once a day and having a cornet!!

& then she said she should have been to the hospital in Feb and couldn't be bothered with going.

I've told my cousin under no circumstances is he to buy her any more orange juice and have given her some of my gloucouse tablets if she happens to have a hypo which I can't see her having with the levels at the mo.

The home help are not trained and trying to get her proper help is not working and they are feeding her rubbish fruit and cream everyday, orange juice and Ice cream to name a few. I feel guilty about living quite a distance away and not being able to get to her more than once a month.

I told my mother who is also diabetic that maybe it is time for a home - I know no one likes to put family in them but what else can you do.

Is granny running the risk of her dying with these figures or is she just going to sustain more damage to her nerves and eyes etc?

'Help' 😱

 

[sasha1]

Hi Dizzydi ...

I'm sending you a big ((((HUG)))) ... 🙂

Is your gran type 1 ? .... Has she been testing her bg everyday or just occasionally .... I only ask because if Nathan was really thirsty drinking a carton of orange juice ... I would concerned he had ketones .. possibly missing or having not enough insulin and developing DKA .

Sorry to ask ?

Heidi
xx🙂

 

[runner]

Hi dizzy, don't feel guilty. The important thing is that your Gran can make informed choices, both about her condition, and where she lives. If she is aware of the impact of her diet on her health, she may be choosing to enjoy life a little in the full knowledge that it may make her diabetes less manageable - perhaps wieghing up the pros and cons?

 

[margie]

Hi Dizzy - sorry that your Granny is causing you so much worry.

Does she know she shouldn't be drinking the oj - is it possible she has forgotten.
Is it possible to have a word with whoever does the shopping and make sure that she does not buy so much oj or cornets ?

You can only do so much and encourage her. Has she seen a GP recently as from what you say she seems to have given up on her medical needs, non attendance at hospital etc, maybe the GP could assess her.

Hope you find a way forward.

 

[RachelT]

I sympathise, my grandparents are also diabetics behaving badly

My grandparents (two out of three) are the worst behaved diabetics!
Granddad Jim Torode
"Ice cream doesn't put my blood sugar up"
He's still munching on grapes, crunchie bars, and jam donuts! last review his HbA1c was in the low eights, we think that the donuts and ice rings and my grandma's cooking, might have something to do with it.,,,
Grandma Renie Pittem
"I only have crisps on Fridays..." "But it's Tuesday!"
My mum is in dispare about her mum, she's often berating her for not setting a good example for me.
I don't think that either of them test more than once a week at most, probably less (but then again, nor do i).
On the other hand they're both in their mid-eighties, and Jim in particular has been diabetic for as long as my mum can remember. They're both doing pretty well with it, really.
Granparents can be a worry, especially if you live far away and/or they opperate on a different sort of logic to the rest of us, like mine do. Getting good help can be hard, and it's probably focused on getting chores done rather than providing medical help. On the other hand, chosing a good care home can be equally difficult. There's no easy choices in these cases.

Rachel

 

[Caroline]

My mum used to nag at my nan about smoking. My nan always said she knew what smoking did to her, but it was something she enjoyed and was going to carry on anyway.

When we did odd jobs and shopping for the little old lady up the road, her son moaned that she had too many cream cakes. She always retorted well you eat rabit food then.

I know it is a worry when our elderly relatives appear not to be looking after themselves properly and the more we talk to them about it, the more they will act like rebelious teenagers.

Probably the best course of action is to let granny have some treats so she doesn't feel too deprived and a more sensible diet at other times.

 

[Dizzydi]

I think you are all right - the more I speak to her she just nods with glazed over eyes. She is type 2.

I can understand that she is sick and tired of the diabetes!! she also has really bad athritis bless her.

Last time she was being very naughty I called her gp and got them out to her and do an assessment - hence her being put under the hospital. & now her refusal to attend appointments is bad.

My cousin does her shopping and she tells him what she wants - again I have reiterated stop buying naughty stuff for her - or at least buy only enough for now and again.

 

[Tezzz]

I had to wean myself off orange juice after diagnosis. Now I have diet lemonade instead.

Perhaps you could suggest she tries diet lemonade? The Schweppes one is quite nice when cold from the fridge. Tesco has it on offer, 1.70 for 2 bottles at the moment.

 

[MargB]

Older people can be quite crafty. Even if you got your cousin to stop buying her the naughty foods she would probably ask someone else to get it for her!!!

I know that is what my mum used to do. After she died people would come up and share memories along the lines of "oh, I was only too happy to do some of your mum's shopping when she asked. She did like her Eccles Cakes didn't she?". I chose to laugh because in the end it wasn't the diabetes that caused her death.

Perhaps there is a point where they think "what the heck".