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Need help for my husband

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Posted 12/29/2005 11:24 PM (GMT 0)
Hey, I am new here and am in need of help with my husband.  My husband is was diagnosed with Type 2 about 10 years ago. I think he is still in denial or something based on his eating and exercising habits.  His diet consists of beef, chicken, pork, eggs, bread, cheese, celery, iceberg lettuce, carrots, grape juice with splenda, diet coke with splenda, water. No pasta or rice, but will eat potatoes He does not like nor will he eat any other vegetables or fruits.  I have gotten him to take a multi-vitamin.  He was taking prandin and actos, but when we could not afford ins. anymore we get the prandin when we can afford it.  He has gained alot of weight in his belly and I would like to think that his diabetes could somehow be controlled by diet, but based on his lack of variety in the food dept. I don't know if that is possible.  He went to a dietician when he was first diagnosed and she told him that it would be ok to have things like peanut butter and cheese sandwiches and chips for breakfast or lunch.  I have not been able to get him to go to aother one since that.  His levels are very out of wack.  His sugars usually run 175 to 235 in the am and continue to up during the day.  The other day at 1:30 am it was 518 (the highest it has every been) and would drop to 345 in 30 minutes.  For the last 4 days, it has been bouncing up and down and we have no meds.  His sugar could be 245 first thing in the am and he could have bacon and eggs and 4 hours after he eats it would go up to 317.  I know he needs to go back to the Dr. and we are trying to come up with the money.  Can anyone give any help with diet until we do?

Thanks,

Lisa

Posted 12/29/2005 11:44 PM (GMT 0)
Boy, this is a difficult situation. You almost always have to have help from the person themselves. His bg numbers are so high that anything you can do will help - however, there is always a however. He is going to have to come to grips with the realities of what he eats. Not having money for the meds is a difficult one many of os face all the time. The bottom line here is medicines or not he has to get this diet in control. Even with the medicines and the diet out of control in will be a lot cause. The meds do not allow eating whatever you want.

The main things you can do is cut out the really bad things - potatoes and high card items like bread. When you cannot afford medicines diet takes on a much more important role just as exercise. It all goes back to what will he eat if he is so particular? I eat some things I absolutely hate... I know there are no other choices for me. Some people would not consider changing their diet. If he cannot get the point that the complications are going to be there if he does not change he is headed for a very sad awakening. This will be a first for me - go to the American Diabetes site. I disgree with them about almost everything, but - at the point were you are at them should have diet suggestions that would be a lot better than what he is now accepting. Certainly the perfect diet would only be a dream to him at this point - your best bet is to head in that direction as much as he will allow. Maybe he will come to grips with his situation.

Exercise will help he also. I mean serious exercise. It all comes down to what he wants out of life. If he has given up and does not care about his eye sight or, well, life then it is a very difficult sell. I know a type 2 that takes his meds and eats anything he wants. His only saving grace is that he is extremely active. That in itself will not save him, only slows the progress to where he thinks everything is going fine.
Posted 12/29/2005 11:55 PM (GMT 0)

Hi Lisa,

Tell your husband he's going to die in very short order from a heart attack or stroke IF he doesn't go blind first.  Those kinds of numbers will land him on a dialysis machine and do permanent liver damage not to mention the aterial damage in his legs and heart.

Its kinda like smoking.  You can tell a person til your blue in the face and until they decide for themselves to make a lifestyle change, you are beating a dead horse.  Truely, those numbers are a quick path to self destruction, and if he's not lucky, it will be slow and painful.

So whats the solution?  GO TO THE DOCTOR AND GET MEDS!!! THEN concentrate on a lifestyle change. We can give you all the advice but if he's not going to go to the doctor, its a total waste of time. As far as the meds go, I was in the same monetary situation and you can get the meds you need offshore (Mexico, Canada, etc.) for way cheap. Get the docs to give you a couple months worth of samples.  Lots of ways to get cheap meds if you start looking.  Please please please realize that he is way past the point of controlling this with diet.  Its just not gonna happen!!

Get him to a doctor

scool Warren
Posted 12/30/2005 12:24 AM (GMT 0)
Thank you both so much for replying,  I feel like I have been beating a dead horse with him for several years!  I did not tell all that has gone on with him because of the detail, but he also had adverse effects from aspartame (all he would drink was diet coke) but with lots of supplements

and becoming a real you know what, he gave it up and started drinking basically only water until they came out with splenda.  His mother, one of 2 other brothers, 1 of 2 sisters and his father who is deceased (not from diabetes) not to mention a grandmother and uncle who was on insulin also have diabetes.  All who have it and are alive are doing well but him.  They all eat vegetables and fruits.  He is my soul mate (another long story) and have to do something.  The Dr. I got him in with put him on the actos and prandin and then of course we could afford it.  His cholesteral and bp are good and so he thinks that he is ok, you know no stroke or heart attack symptoms in his mind.  His thinking is his liver is not doing what it needs to and his body is making to much insulin.  Instead of being active in those situations, he lays down and takes a nap because when he checks his sugar it goes down.  He used to be and avid basketball player once a week until his sugars got so out of wack and they started going low and people started not showing up.

I need to  find a way to get him back to the Dr., I know.

Posted 12/30/2005 5:47 AM (GMT 0)
Lisa,

Jeannie here. We have lost our insurance and I'm getting my meds from India, Canada and Mexico. One of my scripts was $288 here for 90 day supply. Overseas it was $89.00. The place I am using was suggested to me by Warren and has worked out well so far.

As far as his sugars go... he's killing himself. Plain and simple. My diabetes class instructor told us that any time our blood sugar was over 150 more than 2 hrs after a meal we were doing permanent damage to our eyes, kidneys and the blood vessels in our lower legs. You may have a difficult time convincing him because elevated blood sugars can cause fuzzy thinking and sleepiness.

I'd talk to the doc about some less expensive meds or possibly insulin. I'm on Lantus and get it thru Sams Club pharmacy. Walgreens sells it for $90 a vial and Sams has it for $60. I am going to start price shopping some more after the first of the year. The med prices are killing me, but not taking them will kill me sooner. I'll be praying for you.
Posted 12/30/2005 8:51 AM (GMT 0)
Dear Rubyred,
i absolutely sympathize with you and i can only imagine the pain you have gone through all these ten really long years!I TOTALLY AGREE WITH WARREN about THE COMPLICATIONS PART(SORRY FOR THE BOLD TYPE).The golden triangle of Diet control,Exercise and Treatment is like the Holy Grail!I feel the time for "diet alone"for your husband is long gone as the honeymoon is over.He needs to urgently see a doctor who can suggest the proper treatment plan and you can explain to him about the monetary problems and see whether he can help you out by way of free samples he receives.
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