Mums diabetes

[Inka]

If you can keep an eye on her carbs, that will help too. That is, if she always has a sandwich for lunch and a piece of fruit, then stick to that to provide the regularity that fixed doses of mixed insulin needs. If she were to just have a cheese omelette for lunch one day, say, with no carbs, she could have a hypo. The key to mixed insulin is routine and regularity.

 

[mumsdaughter]

Here’s a graph @mumsdaughter. The sharp peaks show the fast insulin, which should match the times of breakfast and evening meal:

View attachment 32805

So breakfast at 9 snack 1030, lunch 12 snack at 1400, insulin at 4 with snack/2nd lunch, dinner at 6 with meds snack before bed.

 

[mumsdaughter]

If she were to just have a cheese omelette for lunch one day, say, with no carbs, she could have a hypo.

Yeah I done that to her when she left hospital the first time. Never knew about the dietary changes insulin requires and made her a lovely omelette and witnessed my first hypo ‍♀️

 

[mashedupmatt]

It's so difficult to start with (Cheese Omelette has zero carbs so no insulin requirement) - thankfully @Inka has experience of this type of insulin (I don't!) and can provide great advice

 

[mumsdaughter]

Glad i found the site, mum has no idea what she's to eat except the jelly babies for hypos they kept giving her medical info etc and well shes 90% deaf and the hospital, doctors and nurses would talk at her and she would nod and smile. Then she would text me (at work) asking what they'd said ‍♀️.

 

[Inka]

So breakfast at 9 snack 1030, lunch 12 snack at 1400, insulin at 4 with snack/2nd lunch, dinner at 6 with meds snack before bed.

Is that what she’s having at the moment? Her morning snack is quite soon after breakfast. Is she going low then?

 

[Leadinglights]

Glad i found the site, mum has no idea what she's to eat except the jelly babies for hypos they kept giving her medical info etc and well shes 90% deaf and the hospital, doctors and nurses would talk at her and she would nod and smile. Then she would text me (at work) asking what they'd said ‍♀️.

I can see it is a challenging situation you are in but at her age it is probably better that she has slightly higher blood glucose than her being at risk of being too low and risking hypos. The NICE guidelines are that for more mature people that higher levels are acceptable so it really depends on how high she was when they started the insulin. Did they do an HbA1C test to determine that and were you told what it was.

Does she wear hearing aids are is her hearing loss such that they do not help. You imply that she is not doing her own injections but is she testing her blood glucose with a finger prick or are you or the nurse doing that as well.
Could you ask for them to write things down for her and provide a care plan.
Does she make her own meals as having some ready meals that can be microwaved might be helpful until things settle down. Companies like Wiltshire Foods do meals which are carb counted or supermarket ones with the carbs listed.

 

[mumsdaughter]

@Inka
I had been doing lunch at 1130 but she started going into a hypo by then and dosent want to eat so has to take glucose etc so I tried a cpl of days doing 11 but then she dosent want to eat at 12 and then goes into a hypo by 1 ‍♀️

 

[Leadinglights]

I wonder if because she has been given a helping hand with injected insulin her pancreas is now producing more insulin causing the hypos, if that is the case then a gradual reduction in the dose would help, but it really is something you need to be forceful about when discussing her care with the GP or nurses who hopefully will have some specialist knowledge.

 

[mumsdaughter]

Hi @Leadinglights
She's got 2 hearing aids and they really do nothing for her. No such thing as a private conversation with her
She is desperate to get independence again so has been doing the bloods and insulin herself under supervision as she still gets mixed up ( honestly that's what has me scared) she has tried a cpl of times to inject insulin as she's been in a hypo thinking she needs the insulin. I've no idea what tests etc were done as I was at work when she was found unconscious and it took me a day to get to her (I travel for work) so all that sort of stuff had been done when i got ti the hospital.she had been type 2 for about 20yrs just on metformin. I'm making all her meals etc for her just now but I've been looking into those delivery services because if she not 100% I don't think she'd manage to make decent food.

 

[mumsdaughter]

GP or nurses who hopefully will have some specialist knowledge.

Unfortunately were we are diabetes care seems to be really bad. I've requested repeatedly for her to see the diabetic nurse but they just make excuses about all DBN needs is to see their booklet with her numbers. But by the time they come at 4 she's recovered with gd numbers so the diabetic nurse seeing those numbers...well everything looks great. Her GP also refers us to the nurse for diabetes stuff.

 

[mashedupmatt]

That is very sad and unacceptable IMO @mumsdaughter - you BOTH need more help - your mum should not be always tryng to avoid hypos (sometimes incorrectly too, which is dangerous) and its obviously causing you a lot of stress too - maybe talk to the helpline if you get a chance on 0345 123 2399 who could hopefully give you some tips on how to speak to your mum's healthcare team to get things sorted

 

[Inka]

@Inka
I had been doing lunch at 1130 but she started going into a hypo by then and dosent want to eat so has to take glucose etc so I tried a cpl of days doing 11 but then she dosent want to eat at 12 and then goes into a hypo by 1 ‍♀️

What’s her blood sugar before breakfast? What does she eat for breakfast? And what does she have for her 10.30am snack @mumsdaughter ?

 

[mumsdaughter]

Thanks @mashedupmatt honestly I've been in tears many a time because I ask questions or try to get help/express vues and get really flippant dismissive replys that are zero help. I still can't sleep some nights after the ridicule from a nurse(I can hear her omg your an idiot giggle) when I wrongly assumed that as mum had been type 2 and was now taking insulin that meant she was type 1. In my limited knowledge I honestly thought all type 2 was tablet treated ‍♀️ I've learned more tonight than any medical professional has given me in 6 mth.

 

[mumsdaughter]

What’s her blood sugar before breakfast? What does she eat for breakfast? And what does she have for her 10.30am snack?

Breakfast is wheatabix or a roll/sandwich with sausage or bacon (I didn't realise I should be sticking to the same sort of breakfast) snack is usually toast with fruit (she loves apples and pears) or whatever she asks for... scone.. pancakes..(I may be spoiling her but she refused to eat for a cpl of months and I don't want that to happen again)

 

[mumsdaughter]

@Inka are usually low teens. 11...To 12..

 

[Inka]

@Inka are usually low teens. 11...To 12..

When? When she wakes up? And when she eats her 10.30am snack, what’s her blood sugar then?

 

[mashedupmatt]

Thanks @mashedupmatt honestly I've been in tears many a time because I ask questions or try to get help/express vues and get really flippant dismissive replys that are zero help. I still can't sleep some nights after the ridicule from a nurse(I can hear her omg your an idiot giggle) when I wrongly assumed that as mum had been type 2 and was now taking insulin that meant she was type 1. In my limited knowledge I honestly thought all type 2 was tablet treated ‍♀️ I've learned more tonight than any medical professional has given me in 6 mth.

Bless you - it must be awful - It brings a tear to my eye too - and makes me mad as well - I really wish I could give you more help (very frustrating!) but it is down to your mum's healthcare team to sort and if you can't get through to them it would do my head in!! So glad you have found this forum (and found it so useful) and please ask for help about anything to do with your mums condition (and YOU too as her carer) - we all genuinely care 100%

 

[mumsdaughter]

Yes @Inka that's before food and insulin. She dosent do bloods except before insulin twice a day. I have been asking for one -of those monitors but they keep saying it's up to the infamous diabetic nurse. I'm trying to get my head around what all the blood stuff entails before and after food etc honestly physics was less confusing..

 

[mumsdaughter]

we all genuinely care 100%

It shows. The info has been great.
@inkais being a wealth of knowledge. Even if at the moment it's highlighting I've been making a lot of unintentionable mistakes. Whoops. It will all be adjusted ASAP