Diabetes concern?
in Health
My Grandmother has diabetes. She checks her bloodsugar every day but refuses to stick to any form of diet. She uses splended but has people bring her icecream and other junk. Her bloodsugar levels are around 170 in the afternoon. I would like to know.....if her levels are acceptible should I be so concerned about what she is eating. She thinks that because her levels arent high it doesnt matter how she eats.
Update:She is not on any meds she has type 2
Comments
Is grandma old. If she is she probably could care less about managing her diet and figures she has to die of something. Its difficult to treat an old dog new tricks but not impossible. Actually 170 is not all that bad if she is eating ice cream and junk food. I would probably just watch her carefully for high blood sugar she will develop excessive thirst and start urinating a log and maybe get a confused. and if it happens call the doctor. After enough runs to the hospital, grandma may or may not give it up and start treating herself for her diabetes.
I am not trying to be cold and insensitive to your issue, I am a nurse and its very hard to convince an older person to take care of their diabetes. Sometimes they need to find out what can happen if they continue to refuse treatment.
1
170 is actually pretty good. It would be better if it was around 120 or so, but 170 is okay. It's not always sugar that raises blood sugar levels--eating almost any form of carbohydrates will do so, also--and so will anything else. Your grandmother should have her blood sugar tested more than onece a day, and at different times of the day, to see when she has the most trouble.
It always matters what a diabetic eats! That's the most important thing to monitor. It's hard to stick to a balanced diet all the time, and occasionally, anyone will stray from it, but it makes a huge difference in how long and how well you live if you do.
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There are a lot of people out there who don't bother with diet. They check their blood sugar and take medication depending of the levels they get. It works. It's not the healthiest way to do it. I prefer diet and exercise, and I take R-Lipoic acid which I buy in a health food store.
Eating like that also adds fat and I don't know her cholesterol levels. And she can gain weight, which makes it harder. And the more she relies on medication the more she risks side effects, depending on what med. she takes.
Overall, not the best. But I doubt you can change her mind about it. 170 isn't too bad in the middle of the day. It should be back below 120 before she eats again. I think the best you can do is be an example for her and encourage proper eating habits. But ultimately it's here decision and you may only upset her by nagging. She may very well feel she has no other enjoyment in life and that it's not doing too much harm as long as she takes her medication right.
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Her levels seem very high.
She needs to know that you are concerned about this; uncontrolled glucose in her system can create all kinds of problems, particularly when compounded with factors arising from obesity.
She really needs to work with a dietician and be on some kind of oral medications to help her control the sugar levels. She is taking a lot of unnecessary risks by not watching her diet and failing to keep the blood sugar in check.
I would be too concerned about it. I'm not sure, but I'm willing to guess that your grandma has had diabetes for years. She knows how to handle it, and although 120 is normal, 170 is good for a diabetic. Both my grandparents have diabetes. The best thing to do is to educate yourself, and know what signs to look for and what steps to take if her blood sugar gets way to high...or even to low.
You are absolutely right to be concerned about your grandmother.
Diabetes is the 3rd leading cause of death in the US. It is a horrible disease that can lead to blindness, limb amputation,nerve damage,Kidney failure, and heart disease.
At 170, your Grandmother's blood sugar is high and is at risk for all the aforementioned ailments.
Your Grandmother needs to get proper education about diabetes, and should be avoiding sugar and carbohydrates in her diet.
blood sugars should be:
fasting --- <130
90 - 120 mins after meal --- <150
bedtime --- 110 - 150
never > 200
- what people that don't care about her health are brinigng her ice cream (I assume regular IC) and other junk? these are certainly not in her best interest healthwise!
- what is her most recent A1c? ideally should be < 7.0% or near. even an ideal A1c might not be controlled if BGs are alwasy extrememly high or low or the patient is anemic (causes falsely low A1cs)
- portion sizes are important anytime but especially if eating a "non-approved" food like IC or junk.
- even grandmothers who are diabetics are human! allow her to be less than perfect like the rest of us. but, also help to motivate her to take care of herself. YOU can provide rewards to her that are not forbidden foods. low carb treats might satisfy her cravings.