Some thoughts would be appreciated...

Some thoughts would be appreciated... (Full Version)

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areuhim -> Some thoughts would be appreciated... (6/2/2013 9:55:35 AM)
Hello all! My step father has been having trouble with his blood sugar levels going high and while the doctor has not diagnosed him as diabetic as of yet, she most likely will. The doctor has not put him on any medications and wants to have him try to lower his sugar levels by diet and exercise. In the mean time, we are doing everything we can to help level him out. We have found that sodas of any sort are a huge trigger and so they have been eliminated. We are also following the Mayo Clinic cook book and making sure that he gets the proper amount of vegetables, protein, etc. The, problem is... he is a picky eater and even though he tastes everything, a lots of it goes uneaten. I understand that he is a grown man and that he needs to "man up" and do this for his health, but does anyone have any healthy recipes that a former meat and potatoes man would not turn his nose up at? The plus side of this is, the rest of our family is losing weight and getting healthier! Now we need to work on my dad... Thank you in advance for any ideas you may have.

LafayetteLady -> RE: Some thoughts would be appreciated... (6/2/2013 10:40:51 AM)
It would be helpful if I knew what his levels were coming up as. Then he should change doctors, in my opinion. It's all fine and dandy to try to control something with diet and exercise, but depending what his A1C is and his blood sugar levels (does he test at home?), waiting to see if it can be lowered by diet and exercise is dangerous. Work on the diet and exercise WHILE taking the meds and back off on the meds as diet and exercise improve things. There are lots of web sites with diabetic recipes. Start here: Free Diabetic Recipes Gives you a starting point to look at various recipes to find some that are appealing. Atkins is good for getting it under control, and South Beach is good for maintenance.

tazzygirl -> RE: Some thoughts would be appreciated... (6/2/2013 10:49:54 AM)
May sound crazy, but cauliflower makes a great substitute for potatoes http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/george-stella/mock-garlic-mashed-potatoes-recipe/index.html You can also try here.... http://www.menshealth.com/nutrition/12-tasty-substitutions-when-cutting-carbs

areuhim -> RE: Some thoughts would be appreciated... (6/2/2013 10:59:42 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: LafayetteLady It would be helpful if I knew what his levels were coming up as. Then he should change doctors, in my opinion. It's all fine and dandy to try to control something with diet and exercise, but depending what his A1C is and his blood sugar levels (does he test at home?), waiting to see if it can be lowered by diet and exercise is dangerous. Work on the diet and exercise WHILE taking the meds and back off on the meds as diet and exercise improve things. There are lots of web sites with diabetic recipes. Start here: Free Diabetic Recipes Gives you a starting point to look at various recipes to find some that are appealing. Atkins is good for getting it under control, and South Beach is good for maintenance. Yes, he does test at home. His numbers go anywhere from 130's to 297 in the morning before eating. I don't think the doctor has tested the A1C. I will check with my mom to see for sure. Thank you for stating what I have been thinking. I feel like he should get another opinion too, but I am not a medical professional. I want to be helpful, not an alarmist, but when push comes to shove he is my dad and his health is the most important thing. Thank you for the link. I am heading there now.

areuhim -> RE: Some thoughts would be appreciated... (6/2/2013 11:01:57 AM)
Thank you so much tazzygirl, also, for these links. I am grateful for both of your responses. I recall having cauliflower with potatoes once and it was very tasty. I have saved those links for my reference.

deliriuminabox -> RE: Some thoughts would be appreciated... (6/2/2013 11:12:57 AM)
I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in December. My blood sugar was running around 350-400 and my A1c was 11.6 ... They wanted to put me on insulin but I asked for a little time to turn it around with diet and exercise so they put me on Metformin, Januvia and Glipi-Zide. I bought a book called "Death to Diabetes" written by DeWayne McCullen. I bought a few other books as well but I really found that one the most helpful in terms of advice I could use. I also started the Atkin's diet. Its not good for everyone and its not something I plan to do long term but it helped me lower my blood sugar almost immediately and there are a lot of basic recipes where you can serve meat and then some sort of simple potato substitute like cauliflower. I also use this lady's website for ideas when I can't think of what to cook. http://www.genaw.com/lowcarb/ I went in for my second A1c in March and I was down to 5.6 and my doctor is gradually taking me off of meds now. I also started walking. At first I could only do 20 minutes or so at a time but now I'm up to 5 miles a day. I'm also gradually switching from the Atkin's diet to a less rigid low carb plan and my sugar is fairly stable at this point. I usually struggle now with it going too low rather than too high but my dr says that'll ease up as I go off the meds. ETA I was first alerted to my high blood sugar in October, btw. I'd had two miscarriages and when they were testing everything else they told me my sugar was "kinda high" (355) and I should "start eating steak, salads and cheese and take a fiber supplement" ... No joke. That was the advice my first doctor gave me. So I tried that, thinking it was no big deal. Thanksgiving dinner I ate turkey, mashed potatoes, green beans and a slice of pumpkin pie ... My blood sugar spiked so high I passed out for two days. I finally woke up long enough to ask a friend to take me to the ER. My sugar was 455 after NOT eating for two days. They gave me an IV because I was dehydrated and two doses of insulin and told me I NEEDED to get on treatment for diabetes. December 5 is when I saw my current doctor for the first time. Not all doctors are as informed as they really should be. High blood sugar is nothing to mess with. Not to be an alarmist, but getting a second opinion will only help at this point. Good luck!

AthenaSurrenders -> RE: Some thoughts would be appreciated... (6/2/2013 11:14:02 AM)
My husband is type 1 diabetic and an incredibly picky eater. 'Meat and potato' is him exactly. He's a nightmare. I try to increase the serving sizes of the veg he will eat (green beans and carrots pretty much) and reduce the carbohydrate portion a little. I also up the protein and make sure to include a little fat to slow down the absorption of the carbs he does have. I have had some success with swede or turnip. When cooked it's similar in texture and colour to potato and doesn't have a strong flavour - I might make a stew and replace half the potato with turnip. I sometimes attempt to sneak in other veggies and find it's more palatable to him if I keep the chunks small and mix them into a sauce flavour that he likes - ragu, chilli, cheese sauce etc. In a pinch I also blend vegetables into a sauce. I make a vegetable sauce with spinach, mushroom, carrot, squash, onion, leek and whatever else I have in the fridge. I cook them in a little stock and then blend it up with tomato passata and herbs and use this as a base for pasta sauce, stews etc. It's smooth and mostly tastes of tomato (a little chorizo or similar in the sauce also hides the taste of his least fave veg) but it does add a lot of bulk to a dish which means I can reduce his portion of pasta or rice. I do my best to make small changes to the meals that he already likes. Research different varieties of noodles, breads, wraps, even potatoes, some will have less carbs/lower GI than others. Use spring roll wrappers or filo pastry as a substitute for wraps (bulked out with extra everything else). As we speak I'm making flatbread out of gram flour (chickpea flour) which is lower carb and higher protein than wheat flour - I'll let you know how it turns out. Earlier this week we tried mung bean noodles as a change from regular egg noodles but it didn't make as big a difference as we hoped. I'm sure this goes without saying, but it'll help a lot if he makes a diary of his sugar levels after eating. He may find that he can still eat a lot of his old favourites if he balances out his meals with protein and veg and times his exercise well.

areuhim -> RE: Some thoughts would be appreciated... (6/2/2013 11:29:55 AM)
Delirium and Athena, Thank you both as well for more very good advice and information. This has been a difficult change for him and the family, but we are determined to keep the stubborn man healthy!

katts3 -> RE: Some thoughts would be appreciated... (6/2/2013 12:39:58 PM)
Hello,I am a long time diabetic.undignosed for many years..When I had an industrial accident and lost an eye and many weeks in the hospital my sugar problem did it come to light..I had all the clascial sys Now by eating 4 small meals a day my sugar is under contro;.1 hour on the treadmill every other day keeps my weight down..I now 195 lbs down from 235...A lot of this comes from a month in the hospital and 4 major reconstrive surgury on my hand..So watch for the classic systoms..Waking a night to pee 3 or 4 night,a craving for sweets,your weight up or down, a few people thatI know had a major weight loss.My ex Diane was one of those people that lost 20 lbs or so..Sugar the deadly killer so beware of the systoms..Bounty

LafayetteLady -> RE: Some thoughts would be appreciated... (6/2/2013 5:56:21 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: areuhim quote: ORIGINAL: LafayetteLady It would be helpful if I knew what his levels were coming up as. Then he should change doctors, in my opinion. It's all fine and dandy to try to control something with diet and exercise, but depending what his A1C is and his blood sugar levels (does he test at home?), waiting to see if it can be lowered by diet and exercise is dangerous. Work on the diet and exercise WHILE taking the meds and back off on the meds as diet and exercise improve things. There are lots of web sites with diabetic recipes. Start here: Free Diabetic Recipes Gives you a starting point to look at various recipes to find some that are appealing. Atkins is good for getting it under control, and South Beach is good for maintenance. Yes, he does test at home. His numbers go anywhere from 130's to 297 in the morning before eating. I don't think the doctor has tested the A1C. I will check with my mom to see for sure. Thank you for stating what I have been thinking. I feel like he should get another opinion too, but I am not a medical professional. I want to be helpful, not an alarmist, but when push comes to shove he is my dad and his health is the most important thing. Thank you for the link. I am heading there now. Ok, those fasting numbers ARE without question the numbers of a diabetic. Change doctors immediately. Make sure he hasn't had an A1C, or gets one ASAP. How did it come about that he checks his blood sugar? Have you given your opinion to your dad? Remember, thinking he should get a second opinion has nothing to do with being a medical professional and everything to do with being an informed patient, or in your case, relative. It's always wise to make sure the recommended "treatment" is what another doctor agrees with. By keeping yourself informed about treatments, diets, the roll of blood sugar and food, you are making yourself able to work WITH your doctor to find the best treatment. Low carb can be a bit more labor intensive because the substitutes often need to be "treated" differently to be comparable to the original. But it is worth it. I was diagnosed type 2 in 2009. The first doctor offhandedly told me that I had diabetes and to go on a diet. That's it. Nothing about what the numbers were, what they meant, how to change them, etc. Next visit I got her to write the script for me to go to my local Regional Diabetes Center for some classes. I learned a bit there. Then the next visit, I went to a different doctor in the group for something else. I asked him about the diagnosis and suddenly, there was a doctor/patient relationship started. He ALWAYS went over all of my blood work. He usually started with telling me the blood work showed I didn't have some type of cancer (liver?). But then we would go over my cholesterol, in depth and talk about what I needed to do. Same with my thyroid levels, vitamin D and A1C. When he prescribed Lisopril (a blood pressure med) even though I didn't have high blood pressure he explained it was to protect my kidneys. In other words, he never made me feel like I was on an assembly line and my time would soon be up. Mashed cauliflower is a great substitute for potatoes. I'm a diehard potato eater and I have had these and they are great. You are so right to try to make the changes appetizing. If he hates what he has to eat, then the struggle will be more difficult. Your father is very lucky to have a daughter like you, smartly looking out for him.

areuhim -> RE: Some thoughts would be appreciated... (6/3/2013 5:39:04 PM)
Thank you LafayetteLady. I had a feeling these numbers were not good. The doctor had him start checking his sugar levels due to the tingling and pain in his feet, increased urination and sugar cravings. It just seems like she isn't doing anything with the results of the home testing because the numbers are so erratic. There has been no A1C test as of yet and my mom say that all the lab blood tests have come back okay according to the doctor. I have convinced them to get a second opinion and they are making him an appointment. This has been a learning experience for sure, but we will get through it. And as a bonus, I am picking up some new heart healthy recipes as well[:)] I am glad that your new doctor has taken the time to work with you and walk you through everything. It is truly frustrating to have a professional who is supposed to help you be vague and seem almost disinterested, especially when it comes to your health.

DesFIP -> RE: Some thoughts would be appreciated... (6/5/2013 9:00:11 AM)
Sweet potatoes instead of white. Whole wheat bread instead of white. Brown rice instead of white. Whole wheat pasta instead of white. Fiber bonds to the sugar and slows it's absorption into the body, releasing it over time instead of a massive dump which leads you to wanting more for a pick up an hour later. Four or five smaller meals a day. Breakfast at 7, then half a sandwich at 10 instead of a donut. Eat the other half with some soup or cheese and an apple at 1. Handful of nuts and some raw vegetables at 4. And so on. If there's soup first, he won't be so hungry and won't overeat. I make soup out of any leftover meats and veggies and starch in the fridge mixed with broth. It takes the edge off. Bake foods instead of frying. Add a salad. No soda, very little fruit juice. More water as many times we interpret thirst as hunger. The Man's gone from 280 fasting to 120, A1C from 8.8 to 6.2, lost 30 pounds, on Metformin. Did your mother go with him to the doctor or is he the one who is insisting on trying diet and exercise first? If she didn't go with him, tell her to go next time.

vasya9 -> RE: Some thoughts would be appreciated... (6/8/2013 6:27:13 AM)
Currently, random glucose over 200 or fasting over 126 are generally considered diagnostic for diabetes. HbA1c is still a bit controvercial in the diagnostics. (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2797383/). You also mentioned that he had pain and tingling in his feet. That is frequently a sign that his diabetes is poorly controlled and he had it for a while. It also has probably begun to effect his nerves (and also quite likely his kidneys, eyes, and blood vessels). He needs to go to an endocrinologist ASAP. If he already has nerve injury, he will likely need to start some medications. Some doctors would even start insulin at this point to rapidly get it under control. Once his disease is under better control, he may come of the meds and control it with diet and exercise (cant make any good suggestions about what specifically to avoid or eat). Try to keep track of what he is eating the night before so you can see if its related to sugar spike in morning. Another common issue is not letting the alcohol dry completely before testing. It can lead to abnormal readings. But get him to an endocrinologist ASAP, especially if his current doctor is taking a wait-and-see approach. PS. send me a message if you want more specific info quote: ORIGINAL: areuhim Thank you LafayetteLady. I had a feeling these numbers were not good. The doctor had him start checking his sugar levels due to the tingling and pain in his feet, increased urination and sugar cravings. It just seems like she isn't doing anything with the results of the home testing because the numbers are so erratic. There has been no A1C test as of yet and my mom say that all the lab blood tests have come back okay according to the doctor. I have convinced them to get a second opinion and they are making him an appointment. This has been a learning experience for sure, but we will get through it. And as a bonus, I am picking up some new heart healthy recipes as well[:)] I am glad that your new doctor has taken the time to work with you and walk you through everything. It is truly frustrating to have a professional who is supposed to help you be vague and seem almost disinterested, especially when it comes to your health.

MissToYouRedux -> RE: Some thoughts would be appreciated... (6/8/2013 10:47:33 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: DesFIP Did your mother go with him to the doctor or is he the one who is insisting on trying diet and exercise first? If she didn't go with him, tell her to go next time. My sister learned this the hard way with her husband as well.

LafayetteLady -> RE: Some thoughts would be appreciated... (6/8/2013 12:36:54 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: areuhim Thank you LafayetteLady. I had a feeling these numbers were not good. The doctor had him start checking his sugar levels due to the tingling and pain in his feet, increased urination and sugar cravings. It just seems like she isn't doing anything with the results of the home testing because the numbers are so erratic. There has been no A1C test as of yet and my mom say that all the lab blood tests have come back okay according to the doctor. I have convinced them to get a second opinion and they are making him an appointment. This has been a learning experience for sure, but we will get through it. And as a bonus, I am picking up some new heart healthy recipes as well[:)] I am glad that your new doctor has taken the time to work with you and walk you through everything. It is truly frustrating to have a professional who is supposed to help you be vague and seem almost disinterested, especially when it comes to your health. I had a doctor who pulled the "everything is fine" with testing and didn't want to tell me numbers. Needless to say, we didn't get along well! Ask for the test results. Fasting blood sugar and A1C are clearly identifiable. While A1C may be controversial, if it is over 6, there isn't a question of diabetes. I agree with vasya9 about the "wait and see" bullshit. Get the sugar under control with insulin or at least trying meds and then try to taper off when the numbers are consistently good. The tingling is not a good sign either as vasya9 pointed out which makes me even more concerned about this doctor your father has been seeing. Before going for the second opinion, get a copy of his blood work from the current doctor. If you can, get copies for the last few tests so the doctor can compare. The numbers being erratic is all the more reason she should have referred him to a specialist. Quite frankly, I'm sitting here thinking to myself, what the fuck is wrong with this quack? If your father has a sweet tooth, there are loads of recipes you can find on the internet that are diabetic friendly desserts. Also, there are ways to modify his diet where he isn't going hungry and has plenty to eat. Please keep us updated. I know that for myself at least, I would like to know how things are going with him. ETA: While diabetes is a serious disease and does require life changes to be managed, it isn't a death sentence nor should a definitive diagnosis of diabetes be taken as though you were just told you are dying. There are far more insidious diseases out there that even with diet and medication seriously alter your ability to live life. I'm just saying this because I've seen a lot of people get seriously freaked out over their diagnosis like they were just told they had an inoperable brain tumor. Diabetes, for most people, is easily managed through diet and medication and allows them to live a full life without physical restrictions. Other than changing your eating of course.

areuhim -> RE: Some thoughts would be appreciated... (6/9/2013 3:14:20 PM)
Thank you so much! We have the results and have been referred to an endocrinologist. My mom and I took things out of his hands and made the appointment. I will absolutely keep you updated. Thank you all for the information and help! I really appreciate it.

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