need help.....husband with Diabetes

[minnieandmickeymouse]

We are still fairly new to all this diabetes stuff. Well, he was doing good with what he was eating for the first couple of months. Now for the past few months he is back to eating the way he was before, except for the diet coke with splenda
Since he came down with a mild case of poison oak, he has been complaining of severe thrist, and waking allot in the night to pee. Well I made him test himself, since he hasn't in months and the test read HI, so he tested again and again thinking it was wrong, and each time it read HI. Over the last 2 days it hasn't been lower then 450.


For those who live with diabetes, what on earth do you eat and drink? It is sooooo hard to find foods he likes, or is willing to live on. He complained that when he was eating better he was just getting the shakes all the time, and was hungry too much at work. He has a very phyical job. He is in no way over weight, and has plenty of musles. The doctor, nor I understand WHy he has developed this now.

Anyway any help would be great. Esp. food suguestions. We are a family of 6, we have 4 kids, and only so much money to spend on food!

 

[Fan2CSkr]

complaining of severe thrist, and waking allot in the night to pee.

This is a warning that his diabetes is out of control.
Have a good read here. http://www.diabetes.org/nutrition-and-recipes/nutrition/overview.jsp

Once you learn what is OK and what is not its really very easy. I suggest you both read it will help him. Recently went through this with my MIL and things are great and under control now but it did take effort.

The main goal is to eat well balanced frequent meals and make sure you test often.

I also ordered a magazine diabetes subscription and thats helped us and keeps us informed. http://www.diabetes.org/diabetes-forecast.jsp

 

[zulaya]

It's different for every diabetic. My DH is Type I and has been for nearly 25 years.

I am guessing your husband is Type II? If you haven't taken any classes at your local clinic or hospital ~ do it. My dad is Type II and he and my mom went together. They usually have an endocrinologist and a nutritionist there to help with food because that's usually what newlly diagnosed diabetics have trouble with.

It really is different for each person. Most likely he needs to manage his carb intake because carbs breakdown into sugars and that affects his blood glucose readings.

Take some time and help him get those sugar readings under control. Prolonged periods over high blood sugars can lead to all kinds of nasty side effects on a person's body. Check WebMD for some more info on that.

Good luck.

 

[Swimnoid]

If he did fine for 2 months he can do it again. HE MUST! Being a Type II myself I know how he feels. You think "Ah, this stuff cant hurt me, I feel great!" Then wham. Did he meet with a diabetes educator or nutritionist? Usually insurance will pay for a brush up. IF he was shaky on his old diet his nutritionis can work with him to figure out something better. He needs to get his Dr monitoring him better until he is under control again. He really can eat anything just not a lot of certain things and keep track.

Good Luck!

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I agree with the above posters, he really needs to work with a nutritionist and diabetic educational team. His sugar is WAY too high!! (Is he on any medication to lower it?) He should be testing his blood sugar throughout the day to learn how it runs and adjust his eating accordingly. I second the small, frequent meals, and limited carbohydrate intake. He needs to learn how to read food labels and the difference between simple/refined and complex carbs. It isn't easy, but really important to maintaining his overall health and vision, circulation, ability to heal, etc.

I will search for an article I recently printed for a family member, it seemed to help him. ETA: couldn't find that article but here's a website which provides good information. http://www.diabetes.com/diabetes_and_diet.html

 

[lsyorke]

The poison ivy probably isn't helping. Inflammatory and infections can elevate blood sugars regardless of what the intake of food is.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

A hemoglobin A1C test can determine whether this elevated blood sugar is something new or if it's been high over the past few months. That would be important to know.

 

[pearlieq]

There was a great thread on this topic today--check the first 2-3 pages of the CB. I can't remember the exact wording of the title, but the title had the DH's blood sugar count in it. You can't miss it.

I find my DH's blood sugar tends to creep up when he's sick. That may be why it's spiking lately.

As for what we eat, there's been some trial and error. Here are some basic ideas, but feel free to PM me for more ideas.

Breakfast: Eggs, fruit, & light toast. PB&J made with no sugar jam on whole wheat bread. Quaker Weight Control oatmeal & light yogurt. Reduced fat cheese, whole grain crackers (Triscuits, Ry Krisp, etc), and fruit.

Lunch: Sandwiches on whole grain bread. Roll-ups on low carb tortillas. Chili. Dinner leftovers. 2 or 3 small slices of thin crust pizza & a salad. Big entree salad with grilled chicken or lean beef and reduced fat dressing.

Dinner: Whole wheat spaghetti w/meat sauce. Grilled chicken, a small oven roasted potato & veggies. Low fat turkey sausage w/beans & brown rice. Lean beef or turkey hamburgers on whole wheat buns. Chicken fajitas on low carb tortillas. Turkey tacos or burritos.

Snacks: Low fat mircowave popcorn. Nuts. Sugar-free pudding. Fruit. Veggies w/reduced fat ranch dressing. Reduced fat cheese. No sugar added light ice cream (Edy's makes some pretty darn good flavors. Serve on a cone to keep portions down.)

Basically, the "rules" are that every meal includes some kind of protein, and every meal includes a fruit and/or vegetable. We use whole grain starches whenever possible (whole grain bread/buns, low carb tortillas, whole wheat spaghetti, etc.). And we have treats where/when we can.

You're a good wife for being concerned for him. Only he can choose to change his eating habits, but there are things you can do to make it easier for him. Best of luck!

 

[golfgal]

I agree that you need to work with a nutritionist to get his diet organized. He will probably have to eat more then the regular person if he has a physical job. Your insurance will cover the nutritionist since he is diabetic. The other way to look at this is he gets his diabetes under control or he dies. It is plain as that. This isn't something to mess around with.

We have several diabetics in the family. Most of them do a good job controlling their diabetes and weight but those that don't have all kinds of problems.

 

[Janet Hill]

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/03...=pd_bbs_2/104-6322602-2412753?ie=UTF8&s=books

Try this book. It's written by Richard Bernstein, a doctor and a diabetic. He only sees diabetic patients. My husband swears by him. My husband is also very active and could just not get enough to eat without being constantly hungry while following that traditional ADA diet. He also is not overweight. It's hard to have willpower when you're hungry. Now he follows a low carb regiman and his diabetes is under control and he's not hungry.

I also know what you mean about the food budget. Healthy eating for a diabetic is not exactly cheap. Many times his dinner and the kids dinner are different.

Different foods affect people differently, but just beware (IMO) of the whole wheat craze with bread and pasta. Take a look at the carb content of these - not significantly different than regular. There are however, low carb alternatives - such as Dreamfields pasta.

Also, when I see him starting to eat something unhealthy I ask him if it's worth dialysis.

 

[minnieandmickeymouse]

Thanks for all the info and advice. He has never been to see a nutristionist. It was only about 7 or 8 months ago when he was told it was pre-diabetes. His sugar levels were never this high, even when he ate normal. I was wondering if the poison oak he has is making his sugar higher. But weather or not it is, we do need to get back on track with daily testing and watching what he eats. It's hard. I am not good at cooking and nither is he. I think our whole family could use a food makeover!

 

[kejoda]

Is your dh on medication? If he isn't it may be time to start. And have you called your Doc? That is a must with blood sugar readings that high.

 

[Laura]

Thanks for all the info and advice. He has never been to see a nutristionist. It was only about 7 or 8 months ago when he was told it was pre-diabetes. His sugar levels were never this high, even when he ate normal. I was wondering if the poison oak he has is making his sugar higher. But weather or not it is, we do need to get back on track with daily testing and watching what he eats. It's hard. I am not good at cooking and nither is he. I think our whole family could use a food makeover!

Definitely go to the doc and see a nutritionist. If you could all use a food makeover, that would be the best thing to do for everyone.

 

[puffkin]

My DH is a Type 1 diabetic (since age 6) so he has lived with it for 22 years. His sugars can get out of whack when he is sick, so that could be part of the reason.

What seems to work for him is to eat a balanced diet. We don't avoid carbs or sugar in our home. He just eats carefully and moderates his intake of certain foods. We have not found many sugar free products to be very good or particulary usefull so we just buy regular stuff now. The exception is Diet Soda and other sugar free drinks. Those we buy in abundance. For example if he wants ice cream he eats ice cream....but only if his sugar is running good. If he is running high, he will eat something low in sugar. He eats sensibly and rarely has any problems.

 

[toocooltobeMom]

My mother has had Type II for over 2 decades. We lost her the beginning of this year (not for her diabetes, it's something else ) My mother was the perfect patient to any doctors she had. She followed a low-fat, low-carb and no-sugar diet for years. She would test her blood sugar often (3-4 times a day) Your DH needs to consult a nutritionist regarding his diet. Having an abnormally high episode of blood sugar is not good. Have you consider having him "GLUCERNA" ? This protein shake might cure his hunger without over-eating other bad "carb-loaded" food.
GOOD LUCK AND BE WELL!!

 

[toocooltobeMom]

double entries. sorry.

 

[minnieandmickeymouse]

Is your dh on medication?

No he isn't. He was only told he had pre-diabetes. His sugar was never this high. Doctor thinks he should be able to control this with diet only. And he hasn't been back to the doctor to do another one of those blood tests that test what your sugar has been over 3 month time. He really should. I will speak with him about it when he gets home from work.