Need A Crash Course In Type Ii Diabetes

[cruelshoes]

My Dad has had diabetes for years and has refused to manage it. He is about to undergo his second foot surgery caused by complications from diabetes. He had one toe removed in October. This time, he will be getting the 4 remaining toes and a large portion of the foot removed.

I cannot stand around and watch my father die. I need to take a crash course in Type II diabetes and figure out what I can do to help. Can anyone recommend any good books or websites? The Internet is full of information, but I really need to learn a lot and quickly.

I think my Dad is really scared this time, and maybe I can do something to help him get better. Thanks for any help.

[2kids4me]

Unless you plan to be with him 24/7...you cant control what he eats or how he manages his medical condition. Depression is very common with diabetes, esp when blood sugars are out of control. It's a state of constant fatigue, and middle of the night bathroom visits that leave one more tired and depressed.

Talk to his doctor if you can or write a letter. Ask about mental health support for him / ask about depression.

When you see him, encourage exercise in whatever way he can with his current foot issues. If he isnt supposed to be walking on it - bring light arm weights and do upper body conditioning. Bring healthy food choices that are low carb.

If he cant walk - use a wheelchair and get him outside, sunshine and fresh air.

Even so - if he is depressed or is unwilling to change his lifestyle despite losing part of his foot...then he has to live with the consequences. Unfortunately so too will the loved ones in his family. Tell him how you feel and how scared you are of losing him too soon.

The one thing that CAN be helped is the depression - even something like St John's wort - BUT please check with a pharmacist before giving any supplements to make sure it won't interact with any diabetes meds or other meds. B vitamin complexes and believe it or not - pumpkin can help blood sugars. I dont mean pumpkin pie...but pure pumpkin can be added to a meal as a sidedish and various recipes can be found.

Hope he does okay and hugs to you. This is a hard disease to live with ...both my son and I are Type 1.

[cruelshoes]

Unless you plan to be with him 24/7...you cant control what he eats or how he manages his medical condition. Depression is very common with diabetes, esp when blood sugars are out of control. It's a state of constant fatigue, and middle of the night bathroom visits that leave one more tired and depressed.

Thanks for the response. You are right, I can't monitor him all the time. But it is so discouraging to see him not feeling well, and not being able to have the life he wants to have. He is not a very adventurous eater and doesn't like to try new things and hates vegetables. It is pretty hard to manage diabetes like that. At least he is checking his blood sugar now - I was over there this weekend and looked at his blood sugar log, and sometimes it is up over 300! I think it's supposed to be less than 140 or something. I will speak to my Mom about the depression angle. There is probably a lot of work that can be done in that area too. Feeling sick all the time is depressing.

I am trying to get him to go in and see a dietician and told him I want to go with him. I am also looking around for cooking classes or a support group or something to get involved with. There really needs to be an Alanon -type program for people with diabetic family members. I hate seeing him so sick.

I have reserved "Diabetes for Dummies" from the library and all the other current titles. I am hoping by getting more informed myself I can help steer him and my mom toward information that might help. I really think he has celiac as well, but he won't even talk about that.

[2kids4me]

it isnt only the fact of being "sick" that leads to depression. I will try and find the links that discuss the fact the diabetics lack enough brain chemicals . The diabetes (and all it entails) depletes seratonin as well as nor-epinephrine - both crucial brain chemicals.

I was on seratonin reuptake inhibitors but it wasnt enough....tried some others before I found Moclobemide kept me off the "cliff edge of depression". It is an MAOI - Monoamine oxidase inhibitor. There are various types of this class of anti depressents - it is one of the more mild formulations - doesnt have an impact on high blood pressure as much as some other meds in the same class of drugs.

What kinds of food does he like - maybe I can help with some ideas [?]

Sandy

[elye]

Hi, Colleen!

I'm very sorry to hear about your dad. I have been type one almost my whole life, and it ain't easy. You are a wonderful daughter to be as involved as you are, and for that he's a lucky man!

I have had tight control of my blood sugars for many years, and my strategy is straightforward: very little or no grain material, foods that have a low glycemic index (you can google this--it's an essential categorizing of foods for diabetics, and it's a good place to start your learning curve), and exercise, exercise, exercise. Now, this many be too challenging for your dad, but it's all relative: for someone who barely moves around during the day, just moving around the house a little can have huge effects. Stress causes blood sugars to spike, and if he's depressed, this can certainly count as stress...you can see how a viscious circle can perpetuate. Dealng with the depression, if there is any, can be a good first step.

Chromium picolinate and cinnamon have proven to help keep blood sugars down. Again, you can google this, but they are other easy things to introduce.

Diabetes for Dummies is, I'm sure, a good idea for crash-coursing.

You've got a lot on your plate now, Colleen...I admire you for your devotion to your dad, and I hope you can help each other through this. You're in my thoughts!

[BRUMI1968]

I don't know too much about it, but recently did some research for a friend. One thing that is a good idea for replacing sweets, is sweet potatoes. They actually have some acivity that helps balance insulin. Another good thing to eat is cinnamon.

I realize these pieces of advice seem really small. I'm sure other folks with more experience have some bigger ideas. My friend did get off his medication more quickly than the doctors thought he would...so that was good.

Take care.

[cruelshoes]

it isnt only the fact of being "sick" that leads to depression. I will try and find the links that discuss the fact the diabetics lack enough brain chemicals . The diabetes (and all it entails) depletes seratonin as well as nor-epinephrine - both crucial brain chemicals.

What kinds of food does he like - maybe I can help with some ideas [?]

Thank you for that clarification about depression and diabetes. I was not aware of that. Looks like we realy need to work on that. If he felt less depressed, he might be more willing to work on changing his diet.

He really wants to eat the classic american diet - bread, meat, velveeta cheese, etc. When I was growing up, his favorite food was peanut butter and mayonnaise sandwiches on gooshy white bread. My mom is so frustrated with him not wanting to try new things that she refuses to cook for him. I need to find sneaky ways t get veggies in him. Maybe I need that new cookbooks for kids about that subject.

Any recipe ideas or websites you can give will be appreciated.

I have had tight control of my blood sugars for many years, and my strategy is straightforward: very little or no grain material, foods that have a low glycemic index (you can google this--it's an essential categorizing of foods for diabetics, and it's a good place to start your learning curve), and exercise, exercise, exercise.

Good info on the glycemic index. I will do more research in this area. Food used to be so easy! Celiac for me and diabetes for him make it so much more complicated. You have my utmost respect for taking charge of your health like you have, Emily. Exercise is really important too.

One thing that is a good idea for replacing sweets, is sweet potatoes. They actually have some acivity that helps balance insulin. Another good thing to eat is cinnamon.

Sweet potatoes and cinnamon. More to add to the memory banks. Thanks for the tips.

Thanks to everybody for the ideas and support. I talked to my Dad last night (the surgery is today) and he really sounded like he is ready to feel better. I am hoping against hope that this has scared him enough to want to change.

[elye]

Let us know how his surgery went, Colleen!

[2kids4me]

These are a couple of sites that may have useful info for you and your dad...

Open Original Shared Link

Open Original Shared Link

Hope it helps, let us know how surgery went

Sandy

[AliB]

I am fifty and have had T2 Diabetes for 10 years.

I have just discovered that I may be Celiac and am certainly Gluten-intolerant. I think you will find that virtually all diabetics have some degree of Gluten intolerance.

I was very poorly with my stomach and ended up in hospital with nothing found to be causing the problem. not even gallstones! I did research and came across the Celiac link and it all made sense. I have been off Gluten since last monday. Within 5 hours the pain in my stomach was gone, and the diarrhea. Now after a week I am getting my appetitie back and the bloating and discomfort is really decreasing. I am getting my energy back. Today, for the first time in a long time, after returning from a walk, I RAN up the stairs! I feel so wired! It's fantastic.

Interestingly I have though, developed some numbness in my hands and tingling in my feet which I thought might be due to low B12 but I will get that checked tomorrow. My body though is undergoing some major changes and strange things are bound to be happening. Perhaps, now my body is starting to function properly it is demanding more nutrition. It could even be a 'withdrawal symptom'.

Although your Dad has greater diabetes-related problems than me, I am just trying to demonstrate the benefit of dropping gluten. Your Dad, like many diabetics undoubtedly has a problem with carbs and sugars, both in craving them and in processing them. It will take a lot of willpower on his part to change to a Gluten-free diet, but I am sure he would see such great benefit from doing it. The important thing is NOT to replace the Gluten Carb food with Gluten-free carb food! If the addiction is very strong it may be better to drop the offending foods gradually and may help with Withdrawal.

I have cut both gluten and dairy (I am fed up with the coughing and catarrgh!) from my diet and am seriously restricting Sugar and Carbs (Candida is a huge problem for Diabetics because of their inability to process carbs properly). As long as we get enough Protein, fat, water and some veg (the Nomads and Eskimos exist quite healthily on these food groups), our bodies will cope quite adequately. Taking a good multi-vitamin supplement would be good too if he doesn't do so already, at least until the gut is healed and is absorbing nutrients from food more effectively.

My Mum was Type 1 with undiagnosed Celiac until it was too late and her body had shut down. Although she was eating, I have realised, due to analysing the symptoms she was getting at the time in the light of what I now know, that she was actually starving to death because her body could not absorb the nutrients. That is what Gluten does. It damages the gut so that it cannot absorb and process nutrients properly. Cut it and the body will start to heal and absorb again. Simple as that. Neuropathy is due to malabsorption and lack of essential nutrients - not something that Doctors consider or even look for. I am convinced that the fact that I have not developed neuropathy after 10 years of poor control (got it under now finally after taking Vitabase, as the meds weren't doing it!) is because I have always taken Vitamin and mineral supplements, so have managed to stave it off.

I so hope you can get your Dad to see sense and help himself before it is too late.

It is no good expecting the Medical Profession to come to the rescue. Their help is very limited - to sticking plaster level. The only ones who can help us is ourselves. The more we do to help ourselves, the better we will be.