Low blood sugar episodes with my diabetic fil.

[dsmith]

I don't really get involved much with fil's health issues aside from looking up medicines for him. For the last few months, he has had quite a few episodes of low blood sugar between lunch and dinner, closer to dinner time. I don't know much about diabetes, but I did go out and buy some of those candy discs for diabetics, to keep in his pocket in case he starts feeling woozy. We also got him one of those things to wear around his neck in case he falls or needs help. It is supposed to know if he passes out or becomes unresponsive and get medical help. We chose this feature because he passed out in the bathroom upstairs while we were home, and nobody heard him fall. I know he doesn't do any type of meal planning, or recording/tracking of what he is eating. I believe his insulin shots do not vary, and he also takes some kind of insulin at night aside from his mealtime shots. My concern is this: lately ds and I have been the only ones home with him during this time of day. My mil is often with her other grandchildren, and it seems she has even less knowledge of diabetes than I do. I don't think my fil has much knowledge of this disease he suffers from. I'm starting to feel afraid to leave him alone in the afternoon, and then resenting that I am the only one who has concerns about his health issues. I hate feeling like this! My mil is so involved with babysitting her other grandchildren that she barely even thinks about fil's health issues (or any other issues, really) until something happens. I think it is time to educate everyone in the house about diabetes, and figure out how to prevent these episodes if possible. Are there any good videos that explain Type 2 diabetes that we could watch together? Any good books that are easy to understand? I purchased a book for myself, and it is ok, but my inlaws wouldn't bother reading it. It needs to be concise, clear, very visual, and as short as possible. :001_smile: Otherwise it will not be read at all.

[Rockhopper]

I know a lot about type 1; every time I interact w/ a general ped I'm pretty well convinced I know more than they do.

 

But I don't know how much of that knowledge is useful/transferrable to type 2, except this:

 

If he's having lots of low bgs and he's on insulin, he's getting too much insulin. Either he needs to change his insulin dose, or he (or doc or whoever) is assuming he's going to eat more carbs than he does and so he needs to eat more to cover the insulin (or, again, reduce the insulin dose).

 

Hope you get better help/advice!

[Jean in Newcastle]

He needs to talk to his doctor. It sounds like he might need his insulin dosage changed. Most doctors will refer patients to a medical nutritionist, if asked. A medical nutritionist will talk to him and your MIL and will give suggestions on how to eat to manage his diabetes. If his insulin is at a correct dosage, he might need to make sure that he is eating enough protein to last until his next meal, or might need to plan a snack for when his sugar starts to dip.