Side effects.

[Lyntaz]

Hi,

This might be a bit of a read but hoping for help/clarification or advice.

For the past 14yrs I’ve been a cleaner for an elderly couple, that progressed into being more a daughter. The husband (now 86) was diagnosed as diabetes type 2 about 5years ago. In that 5 years he was also diagnosed with sleep apnea, was issued with a resi med machine to wear during the night. His wife numerous health issues, blind, severe rheumatoid arthritis, spinal problems etc, then diagnosed with Parkinson’s, and to top it all along came the dementia. For 4 years he did everything for his wife, never left her side apart from a week in hospital due to exhaustion. Sadly she passed away 10months ago.
Since then I’ve been concerned about him. His daughters live to far to visit all the time so it’s down to me.
He’s slurring his words, very exaggerated arm movements like he’s drunk (stroke has been ruled out) very doddery when walking, very tired, always cold and now he’s seeing people who aren’t there.
We’ve been doctors a few times but it’s the same old blood tests etc, nothing ever happens.I think it’s diet related. He eats biscuits constantly, full fat everything, white bread, skipping meals! I’ve tried making small changes with him but he doesn’t listen or refuses to.
I was wondering if his diabetes could be causing all this. He does take Alogliptin.

I’m just at a loss and possibly clutching at straws.

Many thanks

 

[rebrascora]

Hi and welcome.

Sorry to hear of the circumstances you find yourself in and that your elderly friend is struggling. That sounds very much like his BG levels could be dangerously high. It is also possible that he has a urinary infection which can also cause confusion and disorientation as high BG levels often lead to UTIs. I would have assumed that if he has had blood tests they would have checked his BG levels as well as checked a urine sample for infection. Those would be very routine things to look for in someone with diabetes, showing those symptoms. His diet is certainly likely to be making things considerably worse, but then in his situation, I might hit the biscuits too and probably drink as well if I was in his shoes, so can really sympathize.

Does he have a home blood glucose testing kit and can you encourage him to test his blood whilst you are there? Maybe cajole him into it by saying you would like to test your own because you have overindulged at Xmas or something. If he doesn't have a testing kit then can you contact his family and suggest it might be worth investing in. The basic ones cost about £15 for the meter kit but it is the ongoing cost of consumables, mostly test strips which incurs the continuing financial outlay. For this reason we recommend the Gluco Navii or the Spirit Healthcare Tee2 as they are good reliable basic machines but have some of the cheapest test strips on the market at approx £8 for a pot of 50 strips. The test kit just comes with 10 test strips, so additional pots of strips are needed for regular testing and a routine of testing will hopefully help to steer him away from the biscuits and towards safer choices, if he can see what they are doing to his blood glucose levels. It really does sound like he might be close to Diabetic Ketoacidosis from the symptoms you mention, which as a Type 2 diabetic, he shouldn't be at risk of unless his pancreas is running dry of insulin.

Really hope you can make a breakthrough with his medical professionals because I do feel he is at significant risk. If you can get a finger prick reading, let us know what it is but if he is upper 20s mmols/l or above then he should be getting urgent medical care and be dialing 111 for advice.

Good luck and let us know how you get on. Sending (((HUGS)))

 

[Leadinglights]

Unless you are his official carer it seems you are expected to take on more responsibility for his care than is reasonable. Is his family aware of his deteriorating health as they are perhaps in a better position to take up your concerns with his doctor.
Perhaps not having some of the things he is eating and perhaps shouldn't in the house or making some subtle substitutions which would be better for him.
I can see you are in a difficult position.

 

[Lyntaz]

Unless you are his official carer it seems you are expected to take on more responsibility for his care than is reasonable. Is his family aware of his deteriorating health as they are perhaps in a better position to take up your concerns with his doctor.
Perhaps not having some of the things he is eating and perhaps shouldn't in the house or making some subtle substitutions which would be better for him.
I can see you are in a difficult position.

I know what you are saying. I’m authorised to speak to doctors/specialists/banks etc on his behalf. I have a close relationship with 1 of his daughters, the only 1 who bothers with him. She has been doctors with him too. She stays over for 2 nights every other week so she sees it too.
We are just trying to find out more info than we’ve been given. Trouble is if we remove his biscuits, he’ll just get in car and go himself. We’ve tried the diabetic ones and he says they are horrible! Just so frustrating.

 

[Leadinglights]

I know what you are saying. I’m authorised to speak to doctors/specialists/banks etc on his behalf. I have a close relationship with 1 of his daughters, the only 1 who bothers with him. She has been doctors with him too. She stays over for 2 nights every other week so she sees it too.
We are just trying to find out more info than we’ve been given. Trouble is if we remove his biscuits, he’ll just get in car and go himself. We’ve tried the diabetic ones and he says they are horrible! Just so frustrating.

If nothing else I would worry about him driving if he is getting symptoms you describe. There are some recipes for keto biscuits or muffins so you could try making some which he might like.
Is he eating the biscuits because he is hungry or more habit. If hungry then adding more healthy fat to meals might help, or coffee with cream.

 

[grovesy]

I know what you are saying. I’m authorised to speak to doctors/specialists/banks etc on his behalf. I have a close relationship with 1 of his daughters, the only 1 who bothers with him. She has been doctors with him too. She stays over for 2 nights every other week so she sees it too.
We are just trying to find out more info than we’ve been given. Trouble is if we remove his biscuits, he’ll just get in car and go himself. We’ve tried the diabetic ones and he says they are horrible! Just so frustrating.

Companies are not supposed to be selling foods that are marketed for Diabetic, it has been illegal for a number of years. If you mean sugar free or lower sugar then some of the sweetners can have gastric effects if eaten in excess.

 

[trophywench]

Part of the prob of things tasting horrid is because manufacturers in their wisdom have accepted the PHE advice that we all need to lower the amount of fat we eat. If we never ate an excessive amount of it anyway, that's not necessarily true.

Poor bloke - have you ever said to the daughter 'Strikes me your dad might actually know what he's doing to himself, cos maybe he's had enough now and doesn't care if he hastens his demise?

 

[Lyntaz]

Companies are not supposed to be selling foods that are marketed for Diabetic, it has been illegal for a number of years. If you mean sugar free or lower sugar then some of the sweetners can have gastric effects if eaten in excess.

I did not know that, many thanks, most helpful

 

[Lyntaz]

Part of the prob of things tasting horrid is because manufacturers in their wisdom have accepted the PHE advice that we all need to lower the amount of fat we eat. If we never ate an excessive amount of it anyway, that's not necessarily true.

Poor bloke - have you ever said to the daughter 'Strikes me your dad might actually know what he's doing to himself, cos maybe he's had enough now and doesn't care if he hastens his demise?

Yes we have spoke about that. Even the doctors have asked him, he always says no. I asked him this morning and he said no way.
I just find it heartbreaking he’s going down hill.

 

[Lyntaz]

If nothing else I would worry about him driving if he is getting symptoms you describe. There are some recipes for keto biscuits or muffins so you could try making some which he might like.
Is he eating the biscuits because he is hungry or more habit. If hungry then adding more healthy fat to meals might help, or coffee with cream.

We do worry about him driving. We make sure he has everything he needs but we can’t be there 24/7. I did ask the doctors score Christmas to tell him not to drive but it fell on deaf ears,even tho she is also a personal friend of his for the past 30 years plus and k owns what he’s going through. Trouble is he’s a grown man and I can’t take his keys off him as much as I want to. Told his daughter she needs to convince him to sell his car.
He eats them coz it’s easy. Says he’s never hungry but can always manage a biscuit or 5!

 

[Lyntaz]

Hi and welcome.

Sorry to hear of the circumstances you find yourself in and that your elderly friend is struggling. That sounds very much like his BG levels could be dangerously high. It is also possible that he has a urinary infection which can also cause confusion and disorientation as high BG levels often lead to UTIs. I would have assumed that if he has had blood tests they would have checked his BG levels as well as checked a urine sample for infection. Those would be very routine things to look for in someone with diabetes, showing those symptoms. His diet is certainly likely to be making things considerably worse, but then in his situation, I might hit the biscuits too and probably drink as well if I was in his shoes, so can really sympathize.

Does he have a home blood glucose testing kit and can you encourage him to test his blood whilst you are there? Maybe cajole him into it by saying you would like to test your own because you have overindulged at Xmas or something. If he doesn't have a testing kit then can you contact his family and suggest it might be worth investing in. The basic ones cost about £15 for the meter kit but it is the ongoing cost of consumables, mostly test strips which incurs the continuing financial outlay. For this reason we recommend the Gluco Navii or the Spirit Healthcare Tee2 as they are good reliable basic machines but have some of the cheapest test strips on the market at approx £8 for a pot of 50 strips. The test kit just comes with 10 test strips, so additional pots of strips are needed for regular testing and a routine of testing will hopefully help to steer him away from the biscuits and towards safer choices, if he can see what they are doing to his blood glucose levels. It really does sound like he might be close to Diabetic Ketoacidosis from the symptoms you mention, which as a Type 2 diabetic, he shouldn't be at risk of unless his pancreas is running dry of insulin.

Really hope you can make a breakthrough with his medical professionals because I do feel he is at significant risk. If you can get a finger prick reading, let us know what it is but if he is upper 20s mmols/l or above then he should be getting urgent medical care and be dialing 111 for advice.

Good luck and let us know how you get on. Sending (((HUGS)))

Thanks for your info.
I have ordered the Gluco navii today, will do it tomorrow when I’m there.
He’s also booked in for numerous blood tests but not till end of month. Eye test and scan at opticians next week under doctors orders.
I’ve done his meals today and labelled them with how to cook them. He says he just doesn’t understand how the cooker works even tho it’s been there 10year or more. Same with tv, heating thermostat etc.
Fingers crossed.

 

[Leadinglights]

We do worry about him driving. We make sure he has everything he needs but we can’t be there 24/7. I did ask the doctors score Christmas to tell him not to drive but it fell on deaf ears,even tho she is also a personal friend of his for the past 30 years plus and k owns what he’s going through. Trouble is he’s a grown man and I can’t take his keys off him as much as I want to. Told his daughter she needs to convince him to sell his car.
He eats them coz it’s easy. Says he’s never hungry but can always manage a biscuit or 5!

I assume he has to renew his driving licence every 3 years being over 70 and there are quite a few medical questions which he may have to say NO to now so that may the the opportunity for a review of his ability to drive.
A friend was diagnosed with dementia and he had his licence revoked.

 

[Lyntaz]

I assume he has to renew his driving licence every 3 years being over 70 and there are quite a few medical questions which he may have to say NO to now so that may the the opportunity for a review of his ability to drive.
A friend was diagnosed with dementia and he had his licence revoked.

Excellent idea, I’ll look and see when it’s due. Many thanks.

 

[Lyntaz]

So I tested him today, came back as 11.7mmol. I’ve no ideas if this is high or not.
He is trying with his diet. I think he realises he can’t carry on like he is.

 

[rebrascora]

The ideal range would be 4-7 before food and no higher than 8.5 2 hours after food. When did you test him?

11.7 is higher than you would like but not desperately bad. If he has been doing better with his diet in the last couple of days then that may be helping, as lowering carb intake can bring things down pretty effectively although it takes several weeks of sensible diet to impact a morning fasting reading to any great extent because those are usually the last to come down.
Has his behaviour/demeanour improved since he started making more effort to reduce the biscuits?

Is he the sort of man who would be interested in engaging in some experiments? Testing just before a meal and then 2 hours afterwards and keeping a record of what you ate and those readings can be a really useful way of seeing which foods cause the most BG upheaval and either restricting portion size of those foods or avoiding them. Being able to "see" the effect your food has on your BG levels really helps you to engage with your diabetes rather than it being some sort of invisible complaint which doesn't really seem to do you much damage until, if you are unfortunate, you wake up one morning blind or you develop an ulcer on your foot/leg that won't heal or you have a heart attack or stroke. It is so easy to just bury your head in the sand and assume that if you are OK today, you will be OK tomorrow, but once the damage to blood vessels and nerves is done by long term high BG levels, it is often too late. It can be really difficult to motivate people when they don't really see or feel obvious symptoms, so to me being able to see what happens when you eat those high carb foods like biscuits can be really helpful in discouraging you from eating them. You do however need to take some time to find alternative lower carb foods that you do enjoy.... for me this is cheese and olives and the odd packet or pork scratchings and a boiled egg with a spoonful of mayonnaise, or a salami stick or some pickles, or a slice of ham with coleslaw on it rolled up into a tube and eaten with or without cheese.... cheese is my new chocolate . These things may not appeal to your "surrogate/adoptive dad" but finding other low carb treats that he does like which are quick and easy is really helpful.

 

[Lyntaz]

The ideal range would be 4-7 before food and no higher than 8.5 2 hours after food. When did you test him?

11.7 is higher than you would like but not desperately bad. If he has been doing better with his diet in the last couple of days then that may be helping, as lowering carb intake can bring things down pretty effectively although it takes several weeks of sensible diet to impact a morning fasting reading to any great extent because those are usually the last to come down.
Has his behaviour/demeanour improved since he started making more effort to reduce the biscuits?

Is he the sort of man who would be interested in engaging in some experiments? Testing just before a meal and then 2 hours afterwards and keeping a record of what you ate and those readings can be a really useful way of seeing which foods cause the most BG upheaval and either restricting portion size of those foods or avoiding them. Being able to "see" the effect your food has on your BG levels really helps you to engage with your diabetes rather than it being some sort of invisible complaint which doesn't really seem to do you much damage until, if you are unfortunate, you wake up one morning blind or you develop an ulcer on your foot/leg that won't heal or you have a heart attack or stroke. It is so easy to just bury your head in the sand and assume that if you are OK today, you will be OK tomorrow, but once the damage to blood vessels and nerves is done by long term high BG levels, it is often too late. It can be really difficult to motivate people when they don't really see or feel obvious symptoms, so to me being able to see what happens when you eat those high carb foods like biscuits can be really helpful in discouraging you from eating them. You do however need to take some time to find alternative lower carb foods that you do enjoy.... for me this is cheese and olives and the odd packet or pork scratchings and a boiled egg with a spoonful of mayonnaise, or a salami stick or some pickles, or a slice of ham with coleslaw on it rolled up into a tube and eaten with or without cheese.... cheese is my new chocolate . These things may not appeal to your "surrogate/adoptive dad" but finding other low carb treats that he does like which are quick and easy is really helpful.

Thanks for that. I tested him mid morning, he’d eaten his breakfast at 8. Told him we will do another Monday when I’m there again.
He told me he’s started having breakfast earlier instead of 830-9ish sometimes 10ish even tho he is up at 630.
Today he seems so much better than say Monday.
His daughter knows how bad he’s been and she is totally on board with helping to try and change his diet.
He loves a certain brand of yoghurt and every other is rubbish and nothing to them in his book. Hopefully I’ve now found ones he likes. Annoying thing is he never used to eat them till his wife started eating them in her final months. Food was a major struggle for her
Can I ask is it a case of low carb, low fat, sugar free or low sugar that we need to be aiming for. His health centre have been next to useless in helping him with his diabetes.

Many thanks for all your advice. It’s nice hearing from people who’ve experienced it.

 

[rebrascora]

It very much depends upon your approach. There are two main ways of tackling Type 2 as regards diet and both are pretty equally successful.... Very low calorie short term diet of 800 calories a day to lose weight rapidly and try to put diabetes into remission
or...

reducing the amount of carbohydrates you eat. Carbs are both sugars and starchy foods. The body breaks them both down into glucose pretty quickly and that glucose gets absorbed into the blood stream and people with diabetes have difficulty transferring that glucose into the cells where it is either used for energy or stored as fat, so it gets stuck in the blood stream causing us problems. Eating less carbs (sugars and starches) means that less glucose goes into the blood stream and enables the body to get on top of it's "backlog". In other words, it takes the strain out of the system and allows it to manage better. You can think of it as a factory where there aren't enough packers and the product coming off the production line is backing up and causing chaos. Slowing down the production process will enable the packers to keep on top of their work load and clear the perhaps clear the backlog.

Sugars and starches are in a large proportion of the foods we eat, many of them things which are considered really healthy like fruit and porridge and wholemeal bread and brown rice. The white versions are very marginally worse but to be honest the colour makes very little difference although the increased fibre is beneficial in other ways.

Fat is actually the food group which least affects BG levels and in some respects can have a positive impact.... BUT ..... IF you believe most of the advice we have been given over the last 50+ years, it causes Cardio Vascular disease and being diabetic with high BG levels already puts us at risk which is why we are drilled with the low fat advice as we are supposedly doubly at risk from fat. However, there is some considerable concern about the research which lead to that low fat dietary advice which was conducted about 70 years ago by a doctor with potentially compromised objectives. The thing is that we have been following low fat advice, drinking semi skimmed milk, eating lean meat, etc for most of our lives and yet the population is getting more obese and compulsively eating too much and suffering an epidemic of diabetes and yet cardio vascular disease has not decreased..... so we have actually become fatter and less healthy eating less fat.
There is a multibillion dollar low fat food industry which is making huge profits from selling us cheap low fat, high carb products that actually has us addicted to it and eating more food than we need to. Yoghurt is one of the prime examples so it is interesting that you mention it. They took the natural fat out of yoghurt but then had to add sugar and or sweeteners and starches to improve the taste and texture as well as flavours of course and often the fruit ones have extra sugar added to the fruit flavouring, so you get the sugars from the fruit and the extra sugar and the extra starch to thicken it. Many of us here on the forum by whole milk or creamy natural Greek yoghurt and add a few berries (which are the lowest carb fruits) and a few mixed seeds and/or chopped nuts and maybe a sprinkle of cinnamon as our breakfast. If you have developed a sweet tooth as many people have, then this may taste sour initially but once you stop all the foods with added sugar you start to appreciate the sour flavours and taste the sweetness and creaminess and enjoy the more natural flavours and textures. This takes time and a will to change though and I am not sure if your friend will have that motivation. I know my Dad would not have had.
Anyway, the thing with fat is that it takes longer to digest and also slows the digestion of any carbs you eat with it, so it helps to reduce the Blood Glucose (BG) spike you get from carbohydrates and it keeps you from feeling hungry so less likely to want to snack between meals. Ie hit the biscuits which is to some extent a response to your BG levels dropping after spiking high from the carbs in the previous meal. Glucose from carbs hits the blood stream anywhere from 15mins to an hour and a half after eating, peaks very rapidly and then drops. Fat takes hours and hours to digest and releases only a tiny amount of glucose. Protein is somewhere in between, so basing meals on protein and fat with a good portion of green veg and minimizing the starchy carbs like bread and potatoes and pasta and rice and breakfast cereals and cakes and biscuits of course will all be helpful.

Eggs are a great source of protein and fat and easy to cook and versatile so a great option for us diabetics however you like them. Oily fish is generally considered healthy across the board and quick and easy to cook or open a can of salmon. Nuts are protein and fat although peanuts and cashews have more carbs than brazils, walnuts and hazelnuts etc... Best to go for unsalted and remember that dried fruit is high in sugar so plain nuts rather than fruit and nuts is best. Mushrooms are great and easy to cook and whilst bacon probably isn't a good choice to have every morning, bacon and eggs and mushrooms and a sausage or black pudding is probably a better choice than a bowl of breakfast cereal or a couple of slices of toast as long as he doesn't have the toast or fried bread or hash browns or bakes beans with it. It is really about lowering his overall carb intake slowly and steadily (not drastically overnight as that in itself can cause problems) and finding alternative lower carb foods that he will enjoy instead.

Cheese features heavily on my menu and I like fatty meat like belly pork and lamb chops and rib-eye steak and my cabbage and leeks are always cooked with a knob of butter and spinach gets a dollop of cream cheese. Cauliflower is a wonder veg for us diabetics as it is so versatile. Love cauliflower cheese and it can be boiled and mashed with a dollop of cream cheese more easily than potatoes and no peeling and tastes just as good with sausages or gammon. It can also be grated or bought ready grated to use as rice or couscous and takes just a few minutes to cook.

Not sure how much of this will be helpful to you but just trying to give you a general idea of low carb eating. It can be hugely effective in lowering BG levels to the point that some people have come off insulin and other oral meds and just control their diabetes through diet, but it does take some thought and effort and that may be the difficulty with your friend so a mixture of lower carb and medication is likely going to be the best way and if you can encourage a little exercise like walking or gardening all the better.

 

[Lyntaz]

It very much depends upon your approach. There are two main ways of tackling Type 2 as regards diet and both are pretty equally successful.... Very low calorie short term diet of 800 calories a day to lose weight rapidly and try to put diabetes into remission
or...

reducing the amount of carbohydrates you eat. Carbs are both sugars and starchy foods. The body breaks them both down into glucose pretty quickly and that glucose gets absorbed into the blood stream and people with diabetes have difficulty transferring that glucose into the cells where it is either used for energy or stored as fat, so it gets stuck in the blood stream causing us problems. Eating less carbs (sugars and starches) means that less glucose goes into the blood stream and enables the body to get on top of it's "backlog". In other words, it takes the strain out of the system and allows it to manage better. You can think of it as a factory where there aren't enough packers and the product coming off the production line is backing up and causing chaos. Slowing down the production process will enable the packers to keep on top of their work load and clear the perhaps clear the backlog.

Sugars and starches are in a large proportion of the foods we eat, many of them things which are considered really healthy like fruit and porridge and wholemeal bread and brown rice. The white versions are very marginally worse but to be honest the colour makes very little difference although the increased fibre is beneficial in other ways.

Fat is actually the food group which least affects BG levels and in some respects can have a positive impact.... BUT ..... IF you believe most of the advice we have been given over the last 50+ years, it causes Cardio Vascular disease and being diabetic with high BG levels already puts us at risk which is why we are drilled with the low fat advice as we are supposedly doubly at risk from fat. However, there is some considerable concern about the research which lead to that low fat dietary advice which was conducted about 70 years ago by a doctor with potentially compromised objectives. The thing is that we have been following low fat advice, drinking semi skimmed milk, eating lean meat, etc for most of our lives and yet the population is getting more obese and compulsively eating too much and suffering an epidemic of diabetes and yet cardio vascular disease has not decreased..... so we have actually become fatter and less healthy eating less fat.
There is a multibillion dollar low fat food industry which is making huge profits from selling us cheap low fat, high carb products that actually has us addicted to it and eating more food than we need to. Yoghurt is one of the prime examples so it is interesting that you mention it. They took the natural fat out of yoghurt but then had to add sugar and or sweeteners and starches to improve the taste and texture as well as flavours of course and often the fruit ones have extra sugar added to the fruit flavouring, so you get the sugars from the fruit and the extra sugar and the extra starch to thicken it. Many of us here on the forum by whole milk or creamy natural Greek yoghurt and add a few berries (which are the lowest carb fruits) and a few mixed seeds and/or chopped nuts and maybe a sprinkle of cinnamon as our breakfast. If you have developed a sweet tooth as many people have, then this may taste sour initially but once you stop all the foods with added sugar you start to appreciate the sour flavours and taste the sweetness and creaminess and enjoy the more natural flavours and textures. This takes time and a will to change though and I am not sure if your friend will have that motivation. I know my Dad would not have had.
Anyway, the thing with fat is that it takes longer to digest and also slows the digestion of any carbs you eat with it, so it helps to reduce the Blood Glucose (BG) spike you get from carbohydrates and it keeps you from feeling hungry so less likely to want to snack between meals. Ie hit the biscuits which is to some extent a response to your BG levels dropping after spiking high from the carbs in the previous meal. Glucose from carbs hits the blood stream anywhere from 15mins to an hour and a half after eating, peaks very rapidly and then drops. Fat takes hours and hours to digest and releases only a tiny amount of glucose. Protein is somewhere in between, so basing meals on protein and fat with a good portion of green veg and minimizing the starchy carbs like bread and potatoes and pasta and rice and breakfast cereals and cakes and biscuits of course will all be helpful.

Eggs are a great source of protein and fat and easy to cook and versatile so a great option for us diabetics however you like them. Oily fish is generally considered healthy across the board and quick and easy to cook or open a can of salmon. Nuts are protein and fat although peanuts and cashews have more carbs than brazils, walnuts and hazelnuts etc... Best to go for unsalted and remember that dried fruit is high in sugar so plain nuts rather than fruit and nuts is best. Mushrooms are great and easy to cook and whilst bacon probably isn't a good choice to have every morning, bacon and eggs and mushrooms and a sausage or black pudding is probably a better choice than a bowl of breakfast cereal or a couple of slices of toast as long as he doesn't have the toast or fried bread or hash browns or bakes beans with it. It is really about lowering his overall carb intake slowly and steadily (not drastically overnight as that in itself can cause problems) and finding alternative lower carb foods that he will enjoy instead.

Cheese features heavily on my menu and I like fatty meat like belly pork and lamb chops and rib-eye steak and my cabbage and leeks are always cooked with a knob of butter and spinach gets a dollop of cream cheese. Cauliflower is a wonder veg for us diabetics as it is so versatile. Love cauliflower cheese and it can be boiled and mashed with a dollop of cream cheese more easily than potatoes and no peeling and tastes just as good with sausages or gammon. It can also be grated or bought ready grated to use as rice or couscous and takes just a few minutes to cook.

Not sure how much of this will be helpful to you but just trying to give you a general idea of low carb eating. It can be hugely effective in lowering BG levels to the point that some people have come off insulin and other oral meds and just control their diabetes through diet, but it does take some thought and effort and that may be the difficulty with your friend so a mixture of lower carb and medication is likely going to be the best way and if you can encourage a little exercise like walking or gardening all the better.

You are truly a star Barbara. So much info there for his daughter and me to mull over and come up with a plan.
So full fat milk and butter for example is ok? I think I get the other stuff but will ask if I’m struggling.

 

[Leadinglights]

You are truly a star Barbara. So much info there for his daughter and me to mull over and come up with a plan.
So full fat milk and butter for example is ok? I think I get the other stuff but will ask if I’m struggling.

Absolutely fine as is full fat yoghurt.

 

[rebrascora]

Yes, full fat milk and butter are fine and I start every morning with real double cream in my coffee, but reducing the carbs is important alongside increasing the fat otherwise he will gain weight and possibly become more insulin resistant. As with everything, it is a bit of a balancing act and finding where the balance is for each individual is the trick to success, but just cutting back on the biscuits sounds like it has a positive impact if you are both noticing a difference in his demeanour.

High BG levels make you feel anxious and irritated and tired and difficulty focusing and basically a bit stroppy! Diabetes is a strange condition but finding balance is key and hopefully the BG meter used to test before and after the odd meal will help to show where the problems carbs are and that can be quite individual..... So for instance some of us can manage a couple of pieces of potato with a meal but bread sends our levels into orbit and others can manage a slice or two of bread but pasta is their nemesis. Some people can manage a bowl of porridge in the evening but at breakfast it sends their levels soaring. Or they can't manage porridge made with milk or water which you would expect to be healthier, but if they make it with cream they can get away with it because the cream slows down the digestion.
It seems really complicated but once you learn the basic principles and get into a routine of testing you start to see what works for you as an individual. Bananas and mangos and pineapples are high carb fruits and best avoided or just as a special treat, raspberries (my favourite) are one of the lowest carb followed by blackberries and strawberries. Pureed fruit and smoothies will hit the blood stream faster than the whole fruit so these so called healthy smoothies and bullet blenders are actually not doing people any favours. Even just the act of chewing is important in helping to feel sated but the larger particles from chewing mean that the food is a bit slower to release it's glucose.

Would your friend be able or interested to test himself? Sometimes it can be quite fascinating, particularly if you have a scientific mind and could be something positive to focus on. I appreciate that testing does take steady motor skills so this may not be possible if he is a bit wobbly or just doesn't have enough interest. I can't begin to imagine what it must be like to have lost his wife, especially after being her carer for a while. That will have left a massive hole in his life and his heart. Really hope you and his daughter can find a way to improve his situation and enable him to be healthier and find new enjoyment in life.