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Hopeless

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Chrissie Wa

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Relationship to Diabetes
Hi
I am the partner of a 61 yr old man recently diagnosed with diabetes, physical job/own business, he is totally knackered and I cannot get enough calories into him he is constantly losing weight, today he's been given a monitor and strips by the Dr. Lots of conflicting advice, he was told he could eat ice-cream, today they said not, he is not hungry for vegetables. In Drs his reading was 14, tonight before dinner it was 11. No carbs at dinner, we had trout and vegs.
Any advice from you learned people?
 
What has worked for me is severely reducing carbs so no rice, pasta or potatoes and only burgen low carb bread.
 
Welcome Chrissie....
Has he been tested for T1? weight loss is often a symptom.... Not wishing to worry you here. You could also get some Ketone test strips to check his ketone levels.
 
Hello and welcome to the forum. Trout and veg sounds excellent to me. I don't think anybody is ever hungry for vegetables, well I'm not. :D

I would say it's a big no no on the ice cream. I think it's one of the worst things you can eat. That bloke who started that firm, Ben? Jerry? he had a heart attack and was so upset to realise he'd probably made people ill all over the years eating his product and thinking he was making them happy. Shame. :(

It's a learning curve, just don't panic. Eat well, but low carb would be my advice. Keep hydrated. Read everything on here, they know a lot. 🙂
 
Hi Chrissie, Welcome. I was thinking the same as Martin. T2 is often diagnosed just by age and or weight , a few of us later turn out not to be T2.
It would be worth asking GP about this possibility.
 
Well, I went into the nurse with him for a bit but had an appointment of my own so couldn't stay
She said something about him being type 1 1/2?
He is on gliclazide now plus slow release metformin and a statin (I think that's right looking at all the packs in the bathroom)
He was given all the blood testing kit yesterday but found it difficult to do the firs tone, I think theyre quite fiddly for a man with biggish hands
I have just found some sugar free jelly in the cupboard so have made that up for him tonight
He tested before dinner I think it read 10, before bed 11 and when he got up 12
He had yoghurt with a pear for dessert
I'm finding it quite a minefield as the NHS advised him to eat carbs and do that balanced plate thing but looking around on sites it seems people have more success going low carb or even carb free {no more afternoon teas}!
Thanks for all your comments above too!
 
Martin Canty said:
Welcome Chrissie....
Has he been tested for T1? weight loss is often a symptom.... Not wishing to worry you here. You could also get some Ketone test strips to check his ketone levels.
Click to expand...
Martin, what do those numbers mean? They did a urine test in the surgery if that's what you mean using strips?
 
I sometimes test before and 2 hours after every meal plus waking and bedtime. He will soon get hang of testing. Watch some YouTube videos fir tips. Wash hands in warm water as warm hands bleed better and clean hands mean no sample contamination. The lancing device should be adjustable so depth of needle can be set at minimum you need to get sample. Prick side of fingers as less sensitive and use a different finger and site each time so your fingers don't get sore. I, like most people use same lancet for a week or so! I prick finger count to 3 and gently squeeze as this works for me in getting enough blood first time. I wasted so many strips in early days in not getting enough blood. It's early days yet for you both and stress doesn't help BG levels. You will soon start to get more confident in dealing with it.
 
Hi. @Chrissie Wa . It seems like the nurse is in the ball. T1.5 is like a slow onset T1 and quite rare. The nurse saying test 7 times a day may sound excessive , I'm thinking she is trying to get enough ammunition so she can get your husband properly tested for what type of d he has, of course I can't be sure of this. It would imo be a good idea to keep a food diary as well Including the amount of carbs eaten.
All this must be so daunting to you both.
 
Chrissie Wa said:
Hi
I am the partner of a 61 yr old man recently diagnosed with diabetes, physical job/own business, he is totally knackered and I cannot get enough calories into him he is constantly losing weight, today he's been given a monitor and strips by the Dr. Lots of conflicting advice, he was told he could eat ice-cream, today they said not, he is not hungry for vegetables. In Drs his reading was 14, tonight before dinner it was 11. No carbs at dinner, we had trout and vegs.
Any advice from you learned people?
Click to expand...
Hi Chrissie
Warm welcome to the forum.
 
Hi Chrissie, welcome to the forum. Testing 7 times a day does not seem at all excessive. The more information that you can gather over the next few days the better. I would also agree with the idea of a food diary to go with the tests, as the glucose level will change with the amount of carbohydrates eaten.
 
Chrissie Wa said:
Thank you all for your help and advice I'm sure I'll be on here a lot!
Click to expand...
That's ok Christie Wa, & you're welcome, we look forward to reading your posts & answering your questions however many you wish to ask, we are here to help each other, take care

DX Type2 April 2016
Metformin withdrawn
Diet and exercise only
 
Last edited:
Hi Chrissie, I know this is only a minor suggestion in the scheme of things but if he's clammering for ice cream, I have the little Weightwatcher tubs which are really nice and less than 14 carbs a tub. In fact that's less carb content than a pear! It's about finding lower carb alternatives and it takes a while. Don't overdo the fruit despite what the medics advise. Try to make the veg more interesting by frying in garlic and onions. Keep testing as suggested because it will give vital guidance to you about what he can eat without spiking high. Good luck. It's hard at first but you'll learn and it won't seem so daunting.

https://groceries.asda.com/product/...hers-4-toffee-ice-cream-minipots/910000328415
 
Amigo said:
Hi Chrissie, I know this is only a minor suggestion in the scheme of things but if he's clammering for ice cream, I have the little Weightwatcher tubs which are really nice and less than 14 carbs a tub. In fact that's less carb content than a pear! It's about finding lower carb alternatives and it takes a while. Don't overdo the fruit despite what the medics advise. Try to make the veg more interesting by frying in garlic and onions. Keep testing as suggested because it will give vital guidance to you about what he can eat without spiking high. Good luck. It's hard at first but you'll learn and it won't seem so daunting.

https://groceries.asda.com/product/...hers-4-toffee-ice-cream-minipots/910000328415
Click to expand...

Amigo, I might have to try these now :D On a similar subject, I have started to get the Weight Watchers yogurts (the dessert style ones) They are really yummy, perfect for a sweet treat but they don't affect my BG's very much at all 🙂
https://groceries.asda.com/product/...tchers-british-favourite-yogurts/910002522701
 
I've been asked to test only twice a day - fasting in the morning, before breakfast, and again before my evening meal. But I'm quite often doing extra tests to get a handle on what my body is reacting to, as I'm still trying to work out what I can and can't eat.

I'm Type 1, and had the classic severe weight loss all last year - over two years in fact, but esp last year, in spite of developing quite a sweet tooth over that period. I'd not really eaten sweet things since I was about 17! but had a sudden and constant craving for cake, biscuits, ginger beer, fruit juice etc. And I found I could eat anything I wanted, and still lose weight...
 
Thanks for the above advice, he has actually had a couple of low readings where he has felt 'funny' both times he had been doing extra activity eg mowing the lawn and walking, he's back to nurse on Friday, very tired too. Definitely not 'normal' but will suggest the WW ice-creamn altough of course he says he needs more calories to put the weight back on, not less!
 
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