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She needs a big scare to get her on the right road. Someone posted about the diabetes classes. My insurance paid for mine and I spent 2 four hour days in class. Talk about eye-opening.
I guess I have been lucky because my blood sugar level is good and my A1C dances around 6.3.
I have never been scared to eat, even in the beginning. I was diagnosed last June. I'm careful what I eat. If I "misbehave" it shows up on the meter.
When I was diagnosed I recalled the stories my father told me about his grandmother. She had to have a leg amputated due to diabetes. Long time ago. It's serious stuff and not something to ignore. Blurry vision and leg problems are HUGE red flags.
I'm worried about your friend, too, because any type of diabetes is a threat to not only lifestyle but to life. Not eating is just as bad as eating the wrong stuff or too much of it.
Get her a copy of Mary Tyler Moore's book. Actually, she has two and they are autobiographical. Hopefully they will scare your friend into taking care of business.
My best friend has been recently diagnosed after several months of being sick. She is taking a oral medication, but her blood sugar is staying really high. She has been very good about her diet, but has lost about 40lbs in the last 3 months because she has no appetite and is afraid to eat. Her blood sugar goes from 26 to 513 in a day and is really scared.
I am hoping to hear from diabetics with some suggestions for her. She has had problems with blurry vision, and pain in her calves. We have been researching information for her on the ADA website but if we cannot get her to eat regularly I am afraid she is not going to make it.
I thought a low of 26 would be fatal, are you sure it went that low? She needs to be on insulin right away to get her stable.If she doesnt do as the doctor says she WILL die ....I have type 11 also and her numbers are off the charts and very dangerious.
Get her, if you can, to concentrate on eating as many vegetables as she can. Also fruits, although there is some concern about the sugar in the fruit. I took a supplement for that. The body has amazing capabilities if given the proper fuel. My experience with Diabetes went from critical surgery to remove Gangrene that nearly killed me, to insulin, then to oral meds, and for the last 2 plus years, avoiding the most common problem foods. I still eat a lot of veggies and now fruit along with fruit and veggie supplement. I will always do that. I may have been one of the lucky who was able to control it thru diet alone. She may be able to do it as well, as I said, the body is an amazing instrument. There is a very large study now going on at Yale Univ. trying to evaluate concentrations of this type of diet on possibly reversing Type 2 Diabetes. It will be very interesting to see the results when they are thru. My a1c readings have been 5.6 to 5.9 for the last year and a half. My doctor is now saying I may no longer be Diabetic, as the foods I do eat, along with the heavy veggie and fruit, are nowhere near a strict Diabetic diet. So tell her, as least in some cases, can be handled. But she will need the personal comitment to do it.
After more than ten years with diabetes 2 I finally went to a class given to the local social services. It was a 4 session class, two in nutrition and eating right and the other two about what diabetes is and how it works. I'm sure must local health or social services organization will have something like this available.
I learned more in those eight hours than in the past 10 years of doctors and medicine changes. The most important thing i learned is that "it's not your fault"
Lots of good advice has been passed. But I feel a lot of it was for naught.
First. She's got to eat! Something. And she has to eat regular. Then, and then only, can a person try to regulate what they are doing.
A meal here, a bite there, nothing today, juice tomorrow is not going to cut it. She has to get on some sort of schedule with something to eat. Can't be hap-hazzard. Even if it's only a little bit. Maybe crackers and fruit. Or half a peanut butter sand. But something has to go into the system before any numbers can be discussed.
If she's taking insulin/pills now and she sometimes eats, sometimes don't. How do you know how much insulin or pill to take? That aloan can kill you. You can do as much damage with insulin as you can without insulin.
Like I said she has trouble eating anything. On this particular day I was with her and she had celery, a glass of milk and a couple of glasses of water. I know how dangerous it is, but how do you help someone eat when they don't want anything? That is what I am hoping to find out. She exercises regularly (lap swimming) and will have some bread and PB before she goes. But even though you would think this would make her want to eat she says the thought of eating makes her feel sick. She forces herself to eat something like raw vegetables and sometimes even meat, but says she always feels sick afterwords.
I do know that several years ago she was diagnosed with Hep c. Her doctor told her that lack of appetite is very common in recently diagnosed diabetics. Her liver function tests are within normal limits.
What I am asking is what if anything you may suggest about increasing her appetite. How can she stick to her diet when eating makes her feel sick? I understand where she is coming from and am trying to help. I have no intention of forcing anything.
If her Hep C has never been treated she is in a whole different category then most. Good advise has been given here....she really needs to get into a diabetic clinic for evaluation and education. Hep C most likely will need to be treated to control her BS levels. She has a good friend in you and I hope she listens to you.
my best friend has been recently diagnosed after several months of being sick. She is taking a oral medication, but her blood sugar is staying really high. She has been very good about her diet, but has lost about 40lbs in the last 3 months because she has no appetite and is afraid to eat. Her blood sugar goes from 26 to 513 in a day and is really scared.
I am hoping to hear from diabetics with some suggestions for her. She has had problems with blurry vision, and pain in her calves. We have been researching information for her on the ada website but if we cannot get her to eat regularly i am afraid she is not going to make it.
she needs to make an appt. With her doctor again, and a dietion...i hope i spelled that right? They will ajust her diet, and meds. Ladybee
If she's really "afraid" to eat - that can quickly go to bulimia or anorexia. It will be very difficult to get her blood sugar under control until she eats regularly - and if she refuses to eat then that suggests psychological counseling may be in order.
Guess I'm lucky - both my parents were diagnosed with late onset type II diabetes. 'Bout the only thing that changed was mom stopped making cookies/cakes - for them. She still made them (occasionallY) for her children (all grown up by this time).
Its a very manageable condition with diet, exercise and medicine. But if she's too terrified to deal with it - she can really end up hurting herself.
Good luck to her - and you - you're a good friend for trying to help.
Thank you everyone! We went to a diabetes class together and I think it helped. I do think that in order to treat her diabetes she is going to have to treat her liver, but those treatments ARE DEADLY. She must get stable first and I think we are on that road.
She is still loosing weight but has started eating regularly, not much but regular. She has an appointment with primary care internal medicine doctor in a couple of weeks and has been keeping a journal. She takes in an average of 900 calories a day, which is not bad. She eats lots of vegies and will drink some fruit juice. Green tea does not upset her stomach. She still swims a mile a day (believe it not) so this woman is a fighter for sure!
The food issue I think will always be there, I fixed her chicken and veggie soup and she ate lots of it. Any processed meat or cheese makes her feel sick and I think that is because of her liver, not her diabetes. She has no desire to eat junk or sugar, but her favorite foods like salmon or chinese food she has no desire for either and says the smell makes her feel nauseous. She does eat a banana almost everyday.
Thank you for your input it has been helpful. I think the road to recovery is going to be very slow. Her BS has not crashed like that or peaked like that since then, which is a good sign, it has stayed below 200.
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