Diabetes

[Voulez-vous]

Hi,

My 81 yr old father is type one diabetic.
He injects 4 times daily.......3 for what he eats, as and when, and the 4th is a lesser dose for the night.

Thing is, he is SO stringent on keeping his levels low.

This is causing us all kinds of problems. He will not let his levels rise and we have hypo's all the time.

I try to talk to him, but he insists on "4" being normal.......for me that's just a step away from hypo.

He went to my sister's house this weekend, and thankfully she now sees the problem. How can I convince him to keep his levels just a little bit higher?

I don't want him to be overly high sugar....but a little bit higher as a norm couldn't hurt. We are all on edge, all the time here.....watching for the next hypo.

What is a normal level............and what is a normal level for an 81yr old?

[puternut]

Mrs Nut was in hospital recently - I do realise she is type 2 diabetic so maybe a little less controllable than insulin dependant.

Whilst in there anything in the 4-5 range was considered low and she had to eat something.

High is 8 or more.

[woofgang]

can i suggest that you suggest to him that he talks to his GP or diabetic nurse?

[Sqad]

LOL...aged 81....you are not going to change his ideas now.

He clearly recognises when he is hypo and takes the appropriate steps.

Normal is between 4- 8 so he is waking on ". Eggshells"

Good luck

[Voulez-vous]

Yes, puternut, I think type 1 and 2 are a little different, but the numbers for blood sugar levels must be the same?

This is why I'm thinking my Dad must be trying to aim for a "4" which is the lowest number when you are still thinking straight?

Is 4 the magic number? I don't think so..........it's far to close to hypo as far as I'm concerned!

[Voulez-vous]

Oh dear! Sqad! And LOL. NO he doesn't take "appropriate steps" That's why I'm asking!

It's a very difficult situation.

[Voulez-vous]

Hi Woofgang!
We have all talked to his GP and nurse............he still keeps his levels at a dangerous 4!

[Sqad]

Well, you can lead a horse to water...........make sur that he has a Mars Bar in his pocket and when he gets his hypo symptoms, then he eats it.

[Voulez-vous]

Indeed Sqad. I do already.

[Voulez-vous]

And I would like to add............he won't eat the Mars bar without shouting the odds. He will get SO low sugar that I can't deal with it. We have to call an ambulance sometimes...........once when he was trying to hit me for trying to give him sugar. Can't count the times that he was so far gone that he only made animal sounds. Your answer was flippant Sqad.

[Voulez-vous]

I'd like to bring this up again!
If only to point out how hard living with diabetes is.
The fact that my father is 81 is somewhat irrelevant here I think. His actions are causing my family much distress............Here we have a normal man.....very young for his years who will NOT listen and keep his levels higher.
This constantly results in me having to bail him out, whist he is abusive (due to hypo). And as I have pointed out before, if I don't catch it in time we need an ambulance and he is close to coma....

[maclarencat]

I dont think Squad was being flippant. He gives very good advice on here in the medical section but if your father wont comply there is nothing you can do. Tell him unless he starts to listen to the doctor and nurses you will not be there to bail him out maybe that will frighten him into complying. You could also try telling him that by doing what he is every time you have to ring an ambulance he may be putting someone elses life in danger who cannot help being ill. I feel very sorry for him but some people just dont want be helped and enjoy the drama.

[Buenchico]

The last time I had my blood sugar level checked it was 2.1 but I was still definitely conscious!

[Voulez-vous]

buenchico are you diabetic? 2.1 is very very low! If you are not diabetic then you must have been spouting drunken like tripe that low!

[Buenchico]

My blood sugar levels go all over the place, V-v. I gave up expecting anyone to work out why years ago!

However the thought of eating anything before around mid-afternoon usually makes me feel ill (even if I've been up since 4am and physically active), plus I'll sometimes skip food altogether for a day or two, so that might have something to do with it ;-)

Anyway, if I started 'spouting drunken tripe' nobody would be able to tell the difference from my usual self anyway!

[Voulez-vous]

maclarencat
Thanks for your input. I wish I could stop my dad keeping his levels so low.
I think this problem will continue to drain the Ambulance service. I wish it was not so.

[Voulez-vous]

And this for Sqad!

My whole point was that HE does NOT recognise a hypo. WE recognise it. And deal with it.

[starone]

My husband was insulin dependent. The diabetic nurse said his blood sugar should be higher when he went to bed so that he could get through the night without having a hypo. Hypos are very debillitating and I would have thought your dad would have been anxious not to have one. Hypos during the night are particularly bad in case no-one notices as he is sleeping and he slips into a coma. There is nothing you can do about it though, if your father is so stubborn. Diabetics will fight not to eat sugar as they think this is not allowed. May I ask, who told him when to use the insulin?

[ummmm]

Sqad has a point though. Trying to get people to change, at that age is very difficult. My grandad is the opposite....he wants his two cakes a day and couldn't two hoots about his sugar levels.

What's he like with drinks? Can you slip him a sugary drink?

[Alliegid]

Speaking as a type 1, if you father is still fairly healthy, he isn't doing bad. I too keep my levels low - HBA1 5.2 ish, but manage it without serious hypo (I test a lot!)
Mars bars aren't ideal - too fatty to be absorbed quickly I find - Lucozade much better. If I need hypo help, someone trying to force me to eat ANYTHING won't work (I dread to think what the neighbours think we are up to , when they hear hubby bellowing "get it in your mouth!!) The kids do a "I'm having a drink - will you have one with me approach, which works much better"
How often does he see a DSN? Maybe aiming for 5mmol/l might be acceptable? and would mean fewer hypos.
Good luck to him, and the family