Diabetes Problem, please help...

[patnjess]

Hi I'm the mom of a child with type 1, which is a lot worse then 2, which your mother has.
The meds that were prescribed seem to be correct, insulin is only needed when it gets to a certain point, when the pancreas gets bad enough.
Diet and exercise and Tons of water really help. I know that when my daughters gets real bad just having her do a half hour of exercise and drinking water will drop it up to 150 points.




Blood sugar testing is important. 4 times a day. Before every meal, and before bed. VERY IMPORTANT! Especially if she gets into insulin as it can drop your blood sugar and actually cause coma or death.

Here is a link to a very good site for glycemic index, if its high on the list she should stay away from it http://www.carbs-information.com/glycemic-index-food-chart.htm


The testing can get quite expensive a box cost (50 strips) cost us over $50. And the insulin my daughter is on is very very expensive (insurance won't cover it)




She should also have a yearly A1c level checked, which will let the Dr know exactly how her sugars have been, and go from there.

Here they don't do too much on diabetes education for type 2, my daughter was put in the hospital when we found out, but she was very ill with it with well over 600 blood sugar. They did the education in the hospital.

Hope that helped!

 

[saddina]

The meter (device) uses test strips (one-time disposable) to test a sample of blood daily to monitor the sugar levels in the blood. Since you need to keep buying strips, the meter is given free, because each brand's strips fits that one brand's meter. (like how printers are sold cheap, but ink is expensive).

 

[patnjess]

oh and not to scare you, but this is a very serious disease. Let her know that if she doesn't control her diet and exercise it can get worse.
and with diabetes your chances of heart attack and stroke are big. Not only that it will lead to blindness if not controled. Oh and tell her to take very good care of her feet. Little sores with diabetics can't be felt, due to poor circulation, and can become dangerous, necrotic ulcers.

 

[Imp]

Quote:
honestly, in my country, nothing's free , so I think I'll need to buy that glucose meter. I still don't understand what's the need of test strips? maybe you can explain to me how to use it?

They give away their meters, so you will buy their test strips.That's how they make money.
The meters run on a battery, and it measures a small electrical current in a drop of blood. The test strips are the way you collect the blood drop. You use a lancet(needle) to poke a tiny hole usually in your finger, then you insert the test strip into the meter. Then you hold the test strip up to the drop of blood and it goes into the test strip. In about 15 seconds the meter will tell you what glucose level is at that moment. That is the basic idea. Each meter can be slightly different. This weekend if you want and I have more time I'll take a series of pictures of me using my meter. Before you buy a meter make sure that you will be able to get the batteries and test strips.

Do you have information of registered dietitian in Indonesia? I think dietitian work is to suggest and arrange food for diabetes sufferer, is that true?

Dietitians work with all kinds of diseases, Yes diabetes is one. I would imagine that dietitians there would work with hospitals. They do work to suggest healthy ways of eating for diabetics. But do not worry the information is pretty easy to learn.

what's the connection between blood pressure and cholesterol level with diabetes?

It is very common the diabetics also have high blood pressure and high cholesterol levels. It is called Metabolic Syndrome. Also as another poster said the danger from diabetes is from the damage that the sugar in the blood does to the organs. Primarily the eyes, heart and kidneys.

thank you in advance.

 

[Imp]

That's good advice from patnjess and everyone else.

patnjess,
Sorry your daughter is type 1, that's rough.

Imp



Mulia,

There is a little disagreement in how different people use diet and exercise to treat diabetes, but it is similar. So you and your mother and her doctor will need to decide what works best for her.

 

[MaggieRae]

My mother got Type II diabetes when I was young and most of my family has it as well. It can be managed through diet and exercise. She needs a meter to check her blood sugar, because spikes and drops can be very dangerous. I can post some information below that I found when I researched it a couple of years ago.

The body’s cells(specifically fat, muscle, and liver) can’t absorb glucose, so it builds up in the blood stream. This is where most of the symptoms come from. Insulin allows glucose to be absorbed and utilized, but sometimes, this hormone isn't produced in the correct amounts.
Symptoms:
Excessive thirst and appetite
Increased urination (sometimes as often as every hour)
Unusual weight loss or gain
Fatigue
Nausea, perhaps vomiting
Blurred vision
Dry mouth
Slow-healing sores or cuts
Itching skin
(Watch that blurred vision, it's an increase of pressure in the eyes)

1/3 the people who have diabetes, don’t know they have it.
To test for diabetes, a doctor will order a fasting plasma glucose test or a casual plasma glucose.
The immediate goal of treatment is to lower blood glucose levels. The long term goal is to prevent diabetes-related complications. Treatment consists of two major factors: Exercise and diet. Right after diagnosis, or if you’re a more ‘progressed’ case of diabetes, you may be on medication.
Most people have to do something called self testing. This is how they manage their blood sugar. They will test at different times of the day to find out if their blood sugar spiked too much, or not enough.
People at a higher risk: People who are overweight are more likely to have insulin resistance, because fat interferes with the body's ability to use insulin.
Type 2 diabetes usually occurs gradually.
Most people with the disease are overweight at the time of diagnosis. However, type 2 diabetes can also develop in those who are thin, especially the elderly.
Family history and genetics play a large role in type 2 diabetes. Low activity level, poor diet, and excess body weight (especially around the waist) significantly increase your risk for type 2 diabetes.
Other risk factors include:
Age greater than 45 years ,HDL cholesterol of less than 35 mg/dL or triglyceride level of greater than 250 mg/dL ,High blood pressure,Previously identified impaired glucose tolerance by your doctor ,Race/ethnicity (African Americans, Hispanic Americans, and Native Americans all have high rates of diabetes)


My family never had a high sugar diet. Lots of chicken, lemon, not so much pasta(high in carbs. My mother could only have 15 carb snacks, her meals were higher, around 40? But I'll have to check that.) I know this because there's a large chance I'll come down with Type II when I'm in my 40's. Another thing to remember, many people suffer from this disease, and no one is alone in this. If you need any diabetic friendly recipes, I have many diabetic cook books, and wouldn't mind posting them.

 

[mulia24]

Quote:
thank you for sharing experience dealing with diabetes that your daughter suffered. I'm really sorry about your daughter

I really don't understand, high level of blood sugar dangerous, high level of blood sugar happen when we eat food especially that have high glycemic index. but low level blood sugar also dangerous, it happen when we exercise. so, how to achieve balance?

and I'm surely need to buy that blood sugar meter although it seem to be expensive.

and one again, how is limit of good level blood sugar? I mean, what number in blood meter we supposed to get?

 

[mulia24]

Quote:
really clear explanation, thank you. remembering me to my printer, quite cheap, $30 and I've been using it for 3 years but the ink was really really expensive, glad I can use refill ink, cheap but bad in quality.

 

[mulia24]

Quote:
don't worry, you're not scaring me since I've scared enough when I read it 3 months ago. I'll keep pressing her to take on diet and exercise. thank you for sharing your knowledge.

 

[mulia24]

Quote:
honestly, in my country, nothing's free , so I think I'll need to buy that glucose meter. I still don't understand what's the need of test strips? maybe you can explain to me how to use it?

They give away their meters, so you will buy their test strips.That's how they make money.
The meters run on a battery, and it measures a small electrical current in a drop of blood. The test strips are the way you collect the blood drop. You use a lancet(needle) to poke a tiny hole usually in your finger, then you insert the test strip into the meter. Then you hold the test strip up to the drop of blood and it goes into the test strip. In about 15 seconds the meter will tell you what glucose level is at that moment. That is the basic idea. Each meter can be slightly different. This weekend if you want and I have more time I'll take a series of pictures of me using my meter. Before you buy a meter make sure that you will be able to get the batteries and test strips.

Do you have information of registered dietitian in Indonesia? I think dietitian work is to suggest and arrange food for diabetes sufferer, is that true?

Dietitians work with all kinds of diseases, Yes diabetes is one. I would imagine that dietitians there would work with hospitals. They do work to suggest healthy ways of eating for diabetics. But do not worry the information is pretty easy to learn.

what's the connection between blood pressure and cholesterol level with diabetes?

It is very common the diabetics also have high blood pressure and high cholesterol levels. It is called Metabolic Syndrome. Also as another poster said the danger from diabetes is from the damage that the sugar in the blood does to the organs. Primarily the eyes, heart and kidneys.

thank you in advance.

thank you so much for that valuable information, I think there are 3 major things to ask to my mom:

1. Healthy low carbohydrate diet
2. Exercise
3. Checking blood sugar level regularly.

but, when will blood sugar level considered as safe? and when will it be considered as danger?

thank you.