Dear friend diagnosed with Diabetes type 2
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dolliesdaughter wrote: »Did she ask for your help? Not trying to be rude, but I wouldn't want help from a person who hasn't never had to managed Type 2 Diabetes. Just being honest.
Not rude at all. I understand. But yes she knows I am researching for her, she doesn't know nothing about it and is bad with computers so she asked me to research whatever I could for her about it.
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jendiaz9732 wrote: »She needs to see a dietician! She will be given a whole bunch of information about carbs...how many of them to each at each menu...what kinds of foods to eat. Lean proteins are very inportant to a diabetic as it kinda acts as a stabilizer with sugars. A lot of diabetics will binge on the sweets and eat a ton of protein to counteract it. This is not wise...the negative effects of high blood sugar is pretty devastating not to mention weight gain. I hope she has a good diabetic team that will help her. (Is she from Canada where she has plenty of access to health care such as diabetic nurse, dietician, pharmacist ect?) I'm not sure what the states or other parts are like as far as offering diabetic services so I can't really say what would be offered.
We're from TX. But thank you I will look into diabetic support teams with her.
I work at a hospital in west Texas and there are absolutely diabetes education and groups In the U.S. and a lot of it is free etc. just look around. I think our hospital may even sponsor a cooking class or something. It may be fun to take a diabetic cooking class together or something or get a cookbook and try out a recipe a week or something.0 -
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jendiaz9732 wrote: »She needs to see a dietician! She will be given a whole bunch of information about carbs...how many of them to each at each menu...what kinds of foods to eat. Lean proteins are very inportant to a diabetic as it kinda acts as a stabilizer with sugars. A lot of diabetics will binge on the sweets and eat a ton of protein to counteract it. This is not wise...the negative effects of high blood sugar is pretty devastating not to mention weight gain. I hope she has a good diabetic team that will help her. (Is she from Canada where she has plenty of access to health care such as diabetic nurse, dietician, pharmacist ect?) I'm not sure what the states or other parts are like as far as offering diabetic services so I can't really say what would be offered.
We're from TX. But thank you I will look into diabetic support teams with her.
I work at a hospital in west Texas and there are absolutely diabetes education and groups In the U.S. and a lot of it is free etc. just look around. I think our hospital may even sponsor a cooking class or something. It may be fun to take a diabetic cooking class together or something or get a cookbook and try out a recipe a week or something.
Cool thanks so much! You're awesome! I'm going to look into that right now
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jendiaz9732 wrote: »jendiaz9732 wrote: »She needs to see a dietician! She will be given a whole bunch of information about carbs...how many of them to each at each menu...what kinds of foods to eat. Lean proteins are very inportant to a diabetic as it kinda acts as a stabilizer with sugars. A lot of diabetics will binge on the sweets and eat a ton of protein to counteract it. This is not wise...the negative effects of high blood sugar is pretty devastating not to mention weight gain. I hope she has a good diabetic team that will help her. (Is she from Canada where she has plenty of access to health care such as diabetic nurse, dietician, pharmacist ect?) I'm not sure what the states or other parts are like as far as offering diabetic services so I can't really say what would be offered.
We're from TX. But thank you I will look into diabetic support teams with her.
I work at a hospital in west Texas and there are absolutely diabetes education and groups In the U.S. and a lot of it is free etc. just look around. I think our hospital may even sponsor a cooking class or something. It may be fun to take a diabetic cooking class together or something or get a cookbook and try out a recipe a week or something.
Cool thanks so much! You're awesome! I'm going to look into that right now
I'm reallllly passionate about diabetes management because in the area I work in I see so much of the end stage effects of poorly managed diabetes. It does not have to be that way and your friend is lucky to have support!
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Different doctors treat it differently. There are so many different treatments and it varies by endo and patient.
All you can do is encourage her to follow her doctor's advice. But know this: many people don't. Either they think they don't really have it because they feel good or they think the doctors don't know what they're talking about or they plan to work on it - just not right now (which turns into never) or they simply don't care.
They lie their heads off and say they're doing it, but they don't. That's why the test result she got is so nice to have. You can't trick your way out of an A1c like you can a regular finger prick.
It's great that you want to support your friend, but she may not want to do what's best for her. She may not even agree that it IS best for her.
I hope it all works out. I hope she works on it and gets her stuff together and lives a healthy life. People do that, too!!
I can totally see that. She started working out with me, but she was still eating bad, (Popeyes, sweets, super carb heavy food) and instead of losing she gained 2lbs, and I told her it's because she wasn't eating right. Anyway, she is very upset and I hope this wakes her up. She is a beautiful person and I just don't want her to fall into a depression. I have already signed her up for a program through the ADA website and shes grateful that I am researching for her. Thank you!0 -
For the record I wish I had a friend like you! It's quite refreshing for someone to actually want to help someone with this disease! I was diagnosed at 35 and I had never felt so alone and scared. So when someone like you sticks their hand out to help trust me it is needed! If she is still struggling with the depression part of being diagnosed it wouldn't help to get her to talk to a councillor. Keep doing what your doing...one of the first things they ask is about support. So it's nice that you are there for support.0
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I had an elevated A1C in March. My Doctor said that if I could lose 20% of my body weight I would not have to take medication. At my July appointment I had lost almost 40 pounds, my A1C was down to six, in normal range. When I lose the full 20% recommended, about 5 pounds away, I plan to continue to eat at a deficit, but not as aggressively as in the beginning. Losing weight if she is overweight or obese will help. My sister in-law, takes Metformin to help control her blood sugar and it helped her to lose weight. Limiting carbs to 45-65 grams per meal or snack and eating enough protein and fiber can assist in keeping blood sugars within healthy ranges. Exercise is helpful in controlling blood sugar and depression. The best thing a friend might be able to do is offer to be a walking or exercise partner.0
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This is coming from another diabetic (type 1).
Do- Be there for your friend. Acknowledge that there is minimal s/he could have done to prevent the disease (both main types of diabetes have a huge genetic component).
- Keep a source of fast-acting carbohydrates with you (such as a small travel container of glucose tablets or a fun-sized packet of skittles). Though hypoglycemia is rarer in type 2 diabetics who are not on a sulfonylurea or insulin, it could still happen. For me, they tend to occur at the worst possible times, like when I'm out of the house and just used the last of the hypo treatment in my purse, and I would be forever grateful if someone had hypo treatment that I could have used.
- Understand what diabetes is and isn't. We didn't get it from eating too much sugar. If your friend hasn't consulted with a diabetes educator and a registered dietician, then suggest that they do. Having those first few hours of education from my CDE was game-changing for my diabetes control.
- Provide carb counts for something you make (if your friend requests for the carb counts). Everything is always better when I know exactly how many carbs are in a dish, and I can more accurately adjust my insulin dosage for it
Don't- Micromanage your friend's condition. Most of us HATE it if someone asks if we can have what we're currently eating (like a cupcake), and many of us also hate it if we get lectured about our diabetes control when our blood sugars are out-of-target.
- Make everything about his/her diabetes. If your friend doesn't want to talk about his/her diabetes, then don't talk about it. We're people first and diabetics second. Many of us want to be treated as normal people.
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You sound like a wonderful friend. Everyone should have a friend like you.jendiaz9732 wrote: »Different doctors treat it differently. There are so many different treatments and it varies by endo and patient.
All you can do is encourage her to follow her doctor's advice. But know this: many people don't. Either they think they don't really have it because they feel good or they think the doctors don't know what they're talking about or they plan to work on it - just not right now (which turns into never) or they simply don't care.
They lie their heads off and say they're doing it, but they don't. That's why the test result she got is so nice to have. You can't trick your way out of an A1c like you can a regular finger prick.
It's great that you want to support your friend, but she may not want to do what's best for her. She may not even agree that it IS best for her.
I hope it all works out. I hope she works on it and gets her stuff together and lives a healthy life. People do that, too!!
I can totally see that. She started working out with me, but she was still eating bad, (Popeyes, sweets, super carb heavy food) and instead of losing she gained 2lbs, and I told her it's because she wasn't eating right. Anyway, she is very upset and I hope this wakes her up. She is a beautiful person and I just don't want her to fall into a depression. I have already signed her up for a program through the ADA website and shes grateful that I am researching for her. Thank you!
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For the record I wish I had a friend like you! It's quite refreshing for someone to actually want to help someone with this disease! I was diagnosed at 35 and I had never felt so alone and scared. So when someone like you sticks their hand out to help trust me it is needed! If she is still struggling with the depression part of being diagnosed it wouldn't help to get her to talk to a councillor. Keep doing what your doing...one of the first things they ask is about support. So it's nice that you are there for support.
Aw gosh thanks. I feel for her, I've had friends who've needed amputations done, it can so scary being alone. And then she just told me her doctor did not refer her to a dietician/nutritionist, so I'm trying to see if I can find one that won't charge or does not charge too much.0 -
daniwilford wrote: »I had an elevated A1C in March. My Doctor said that if I could lose 20% of my body weight I would not have to take medication. At my July appointment I had lost almost 40 pounds, my A1C was down to six, in normal range. When I lose the full 20% recommended, about 5 pounds away, I plan to continue to eat at a deficit, but not as aggressively as in the beginning. Losing weight if she is overweight or obese will help. My sister in-law, takes Metformin to help control her blood sugar and it helped her to lose weight. Limiting carbs to 45-65 grams per meal or snack and eating enough protein and fiber can assist in keeping blood sugars within healthy ranges. Exercise is helpful in controlling blood sugar and depression. The best thing a friend might be able to do is offer to be a walking or exercise partner.
Wow that's amazing that you were able to lose what was recommended plus more!! Congratulations I commend you on your dedication to your health. I'm know your family must be super proud of you! And yes she is obese
So we have been going on walks 0 -
This is coming from another diabetic (type 1).
Do- Be there for your friend. Acknowledge that there is minimal s/he could have done to prevent the disease (both main types of diabetes have a huge genetic component).
- Keep a source of fast-acting carbohydrates with you (such as a small travel container of glucose tablets or a fun-sized packet of skittles). Though hypoglycemia is rarer in type 2 diabetics who are not on a sulfonylurea or insulin, it could still happen. For me, they tend to occur at the worst possible times, like when I'm out of the house and just used the last of the hypo treatment in my purse, and I would be forever grateful if someone had hypo treatment that I could have used.
- Understand what diabetes is and isn't. We didn't get it from eating too much sugar. If your friend hasn't consulted with a diabetes educator and a registered dietician, then suggest that they do. Having those first few hours of education from my CDE was game-changing for my diabetes control.
- Provide carb counts for something you make (if your friend requests for the carb counts). Everything is always better when I know exactly how many carbs are in a dish, and I can more accurately adjust my insulin dosage for it
Don't- Micromanage your friend's condition. Most of us HATE it if someone asks if we can have what we're currently eating (like a cupcake), and many of us also hate it if we get lectured about our diabetes control when our blood sugars are out-of-target.
- Make everything about his/her diabetes. If your friend doesn't want to talk about his/her diabetes, then don't talk about it. We're people first and diabetics second. Many of us want to be treated as normal people.
So much information! Thank you so much! I like how there's plenty more "to do's" than "don't's" I will take everything in consideration! I'm going over a lot of the stuff you guys suggested. And no worries I don't bring it up unless she wants to talk about it. She's feeling very good today, started off eating a peach 0 -
You sound like a wonderful friend. Everyone should have a friend like you.jendiaz9732 wrote: »Different doctors treat it differently. There are so many different treatments and it varies by endo and patient.
All you can do is encourage her to follow her doctor's advice. But know this: many people don't. Either they think they don't really have it because they feel good or they think the doctors don't know what they're talking about or they plan to work on it - just not right now (which turns into never) or they simply don't care.
They lie their heads off and say they're doing it, but they don't. That's why the test result she got is so nice to have. You can't trick your way out of an A1c like you can a regular finger prick.
It's great that you want to support your friend, but she may not want to do what's best for her. She may not even agree that it IS best for her.
I hope it all works out. I hope she works on it and gets her stuff together and lives a healthy life. People do that, too!!
I can totally see that. She started working out with me, but she was still eating bad, (Popeyes, sweets, super carb heavy food) and instead of losing she gained 2lbs, and I told her it's because she wasn't eating right. Anyway, she is very upset and I hope this wakes her up. She is a beautiful person and I just don't want her to fall into a depression. I have already signed her up for a program through the ADA website and shes grateful that I am researching for her. Thank you!
Thank you
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Do you mean a1c? It means her average blood glucose is normally very high and that she needs she needs to check and manage her blood glucose better. Be it with insulin or oral medications. There is a lot of long term damage from having elevated blood glucose for a prolonged time such as a blindness, kidney problems, need for amputations, etc. I see diabetics who don't give two craps about their blood glucose levels with horrible ulcers and amputations and coming back for more amputations because they just won't manage their blood glucose. So definitely encourage your friend to be responsible and listen to her endocrinologist.
I'm sure you want to be helpful here, but please think about your audience when you speak. As a type 1 diabetic diagnosed at age 8, I did not enjoy reading your comment. It implies that you associate diabetes with laziness and apathy. That couldn't be further from my reality. I invest hours of energy each week (not to mention thousands of dollars a year) to live as healthily as I can. Please think before you say things like this in the future.
For the original poster, most type 2 diabetics are diagnosed at middle age, so there's a good chance they'll be 90 and dying of something unrelated to diabetes before any negative side effect might catch up to them!! Of course there are major risks for those who consistently run high A1Cs. Don't tell your friend what to do tho; you can run her life for her. The most you can do is offer to be a walking buddy, offer to bring over low-car dinners, and don't put her into tempting situations (cupcakes!). Best of luck to both of you!!0 -
Perhaps you can find a class that the two of you can go to together.jendiaz9732 wrote: »I want to help her be healthy and maintain her sugar levels low. Currently her sugar is at 8.6 and needs to be at 6.5. I don't know too much about this diagnosis. Anyone have tips/ideas/suggestions? Anything helps! Thanks!
Here are some links. Keep looking and you will find more.
https://www.dshs.state.tx.us/diabetes/tdcdaecs.shtm
My mother in Texas recently took a diabetes cooking class through the Agriculture Dept of her county so that she can cook appropriate meals for my brother-in-law when he and my sis come over for dinner on Sundays.0 -
She needs an appointment with a nutritionist. They will teach her how to count carbs.0
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I'm 45 and In April I had blood work done and my AC1 was 9.6. I immediately did some research on the best foods to eat and the steps I needed to take to get it under control. First off I stopped drinking coke and having icecream every night as a treat. Then I started exercising. I do 30 min on the treadmill in the morning and 30 min at night before I go to bed. I took it very seriously and did a complete lifestyle change. I now eat the right foods and I stay active. I have lost 44 pounds since April. Just last week my AC1 was tested and it is now a 6.0. I did this without medication of any kind. I know that type 2 diabetes can be hereditary and even people who are not obese can get it. However I do believe that I brought this on myself. My weight had been creeping up over the years and I wasn't active at all. I drank sodas even though my AC1 was also creeping up with my weight. Not until it got bad did I finally wake up and make a lifestyle change.
Being overweight, eating junk and not leading an active life does eventually catch up to us. When we're young we can get away with a lot but as we get older it becomes more imperative that that we take care of our bodies and be mindful of proper nutrition and exercise. I was able to bring my AC1 back to the normal range within 4 months without medication and so can your friend. Take it seriously, eat right and get to work.0 -
I know there are already a ton of helpful comments here but my husband has diabetes and I'm the main cook for our house. We both work and are busy and found that our biggest challenge was what to make for supper. We would end up making something quick which is generally high carb (pizza, mac and cheese, etc) until we found this book called saving dinner the low carb way. It has a weekly grocery list complete with 6 recipes for the week. There are 6 weeks of recipes for each season and it has really changed our life. His A1C was 10 and at his last appointment was 7. I think it will keep coming down too! The recipes are really good and neither one of us really feel like we are on a diet because the food is so savory. It's also really quick to make and uses normal ingredients. Hope that helps!0
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swimmer88888 wrote: »Do you mean a1c? It means her average blood glucose is normally very high and that she needs she needs to check and manage her blood glucose better. Be it with insulin or oral medications. There is a lot of long term damage from having elevated blood glucose for a prolonged time such as a blindness, kidney problems, need for amputations, etc. I see diabetics who don't give two craps about their blood glucose levels with horrible ulcers and amputations and coming back for more amputations because they just won't manage their blood glucose. So definitely encourage your friend to be responsible and listen to her endocrinologist.
I'm sure you want to be helpful here, but please think about your audience when you speak. As a type 1 diabetic diagnosed at age 8, I did not enjoy reading your comment. It implies that you associate diabetes with laziness and apathy. That couldn't be further from my reality. I invest hours of energy each week (not to mention thousands of dollars a year) to live as healthily as I can. Please think before you say things like this in the future.
For the original poster, most type 2 diabetics are diagnosed at middle age, so there's a good chance they'll be 90 and dying of something unrelated to diabetes before any negative side effect might catch up to them!! Of course there are major risks for those who consistently run high A1Cs. Don't tell your friend what to do tho; you can run her life for her. The most you can do is offer to be a walking buddy, offer to bring over low-car dinners, and don't put her into tempting situations (cupcakes!). Best of luck to both of you!!
Thank you! I use to work with nutritionists, so I was actually able to write a meal plan for her. She is in her early 40's but very motivated and grateful that I am helping her. I researched each item of food before I handed it to her, and then also went on the ADA website, they have so much good stuff.
I'm sorry if the previous post offended you, I think you are wonderful and thank you for your advice.
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