Hello. I’m trying to help my mum who has been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, an underactive thyroid, extremely high blood, and is underweight, and is suddenly faced with lots of pills. Advice would be appreciated on how she can safely change her diet without losing any more weight, and without making her life miserable! Thanks.
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Helping mum newly diagnosed
- Thread starter Essexlady
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Inka
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- Type 1
Welcome @Essexlady 🙂 Sorry to hear about your mum’s health issues. With regard to the diabetes, do you know what her HbA1C result was? That’s the diagnostic test and it will give a number like 52, 65, 80, 114, etc if someone has diabetes? Knowing that number will show her starting point.
Also, do you know what medication - if any - she’s been given for her diabetes?
I’d start with looking at an average day’s food for your mum, and seeing where you and she can make simple changes. She’ll need to reduce any sugary stuff, but she’ll also need to be aware of carbs, as even savoury carbs like pasta and potato put blood sugar up. She should be able to add some calories by increasing healthy fats such as avocado, oily fish and nuts.
You say she’s underweight - has she lost weight recently or is this a longterm thing? I ask because very high sugars can cause weight loss. If something else is causing her low weight, then I’d be checking that any change of diet worked for that too.
Also, do you know what medication - if any - she’s been given for her diabetes?
I’d start with looking at an average day’s food for your mum, and seeing where you and she can make simple changes. She’ll need to reduce any sugary stuff, but she’ll also need to be aware of carbs, as even savoury carbs like pasta and potato put blood sugar up. She should be able to add some calories by increasing healthy fats such as avocado, oily fish and nuts.
You say she’s underweight - has she lost weight recently or is this a longterm thing? I ask because very high sugars can cause weight loss. If something else is causing her low weight, then I’d be checking that any change of diet worked for that too.
Thank you very much. Yes, she’s just started glucophage tablets- early days, so they may need to increase the strength. I am hoping some sensible changes in diet may help complement this. I’ll need to ask about the number- I think she did say but there were a lot of numbers to take in! The weight loss has been rapid over the past few months and other causes have been ruled out - very helpful to know that it could be the high sugars actually causing weight loss (a few months ago she increased pasta and cereal intake because of the weight loss- sounds like it made things worse- this is beginning to make some sense). I was concerned as so much information out there is about changing diet with an aim to lose weight! Thanks so much for your reply and the advice.
The underactive thyroid is something she had when I was a child 30 years ago- it has been rumbling for ages, was borderline then, but recently got much worse and she has -bless her- been in denial. So this is a breakthrough listening to the doctor and now being willing to accept help.
Inka
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- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
Rapid weight loss can be a symptom of Type 1 diabetes so it’s worth keeping that in mind if the tablets don’t help her. Type 1, contrary to popular belief, can occur at any age and most adults are just assumed to be Type 2, a few wrongly do. I’m not saying your mum has Type 1, just that you should be aware of that in case any issues arise that would merit further investigation.
I strongly recommend she buys her own blood glucose meter (if her GP won’t prescribe one). That way she’ll be able to test her blood sugar at home and see if it’s in range, and how the foods she’s eating are affecting it.
Yes, it’s incredibly frustrating that all the healthy diet information assumes everyone needs to put on weight. They should cover all angles. Your mum can still eat a moderate amount of carbs, and increase the non-carb part of her meals rather than the carbs, adding some fat as I mentioned. Things like plain full fat Greek yoghurt are a good way to add calories without adding too many carbs.
Thank you. This is all very helpful indeed.
Can I ask another question? Mum suffered a sudden fall in October, where her leg gave way for no apparent reason (she didn’t trip)- which led to a slipped disc and has taken months to recover. Is it possible the sudden fall was related to the underlying diabetes, or coincidence?
Can I ask another question? Mum suffered a sudden fall in October, where her leg gave way for no apparent reason (she didn’t trip)- which led to a slipped disc and has taken months to recover. Is it possible the sudden fall was related to the underlying diabetes, or coincidence?
Inka
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- Type 1
I couldn’t say @Essexlady I would guess it was a coincidence but it’s not impossible it was somehow related eg she could have been dehydrated or weak.
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Sorry to hear about your Mum’s diagnosis @Essexlady
Must be a worrying time for you both
The sudden weight loss does sound concerning, as it can be a result of the body being unable to process food (specifically carbohydrates) for energy, and resorting to burning first fat stores, and later even muscles.
That isn’t meant to sound alarming, but is just a nudge not to ignore the weight loss if the tablets don’t seem to be offering much improvement. T1 is rare enough that many GPs only see a handful of cases, and some may still associate it with a diagnosis that happens in childhood - whereas 50% of diagnoses happen in adults.
In the mean time, slightly moderating your Mum’s carbohydrate intake, as it sounds like you are already doing, could help manage her blood glucose levels for the time being.
Must be a worrying time for you both
The sudden weight loss does sound concerning, as it can be a result of the body being unable to process food (specifically carbohydrates) for energy, and resorting to burning first fat stores, and later even muscles.
That isn’t meant to sound alarming, but is just a nudge not to ignore the weight loss if the tablets don’t seem to be offering much improvement. T1 is rare enough that many GPs only see a handful of cases, and some may still associate it with a diagnosis that happens in childhood - whereas 50% of diagnoses happen in adults.
In the mean time, slightly moderating your Mum’s carbohydrate intake, as it sounds like you are already doing, could help manage her blood glucose levels for the time being.
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