Hello,
My mum who tends to be secretive about her health, because she wants to protect us and doesn't want us her children to worry, said she got diagnosed with diabetes type 2.
What would you recommend I should read, so that I can support her and understand the condition? any links to books and articles appreciated
I appreciate your concerns about your mom's health.
1. Go to website diabetes.co.uk/type2-diabet... and read about type 2 diabetes.
2. Learn about various blood glucose levels.
3. Diet is the primary line of action in managing Diabetes. You will get lot of information about diets and physical activities on that website. Low carb diet is most effective in controlling blood sugar.
4. In my opinion, self-monitoring blood glucose is very useful at least in the beginning. One can discover which foods spike the blood sugar so that their intake can be reduced or eliminated.
Finally, if you have any question/concern you can always ask for help here.
as Praveen says - diet and exercise are probably the key with type 2 diabetes -
some people manage to reverse the condition purely through diet and exercise
If your mother is normally quite secretive but has mentioned it to you all it may indicate that she is feeling quite worried about it. If that is the case then the best thing you can do is probably sit with her and talk through what her concerns might be. Diabetes can be quite a scary diagnosis but it is manageable and managed well has very little impact on people's lives. Its easy to focus on the downsides - and it is a serious condition - rather than the positives and the possibility of being in control and controlling it well - and that is the key. Looking at her diet and trying to cut out refined sugars and processed foods, and eating smaller amounts more regularly are good areas to start with. You might also want to look at glycemic index and switch to foods that have low glycemic index (that's food that are slower in releasing their energy - vegetables can be quite good for this.
Surf healthunlocked.com and healthy eating forums.You will get everything you need to know. All the conventional websites might mislead you.
There is a lot you can do to help. Keep carbs down & food that spikes her Blood Sugar levels. Go for walks with her & don't sit still to long. Good luck & well done.
Hi I was diagnosed a few weeks ago, and choose to do diet control instead of drugs.
I joined the Diabetes.uk's lowcarbprogram that was developed for type 2. It was a huge change from what I'd been eating, and strange to stop thinking about calories and count carbs instead but it has really worked.
I bought a blood glucose meter, and within two weeks all my blood sugar readings were down into the normal range.
Most diabetic nurses are still recommending the previous advice about what to eat, ie still bread and potatoes, but this programme has helped thousands of people with type 2, and the signup fee can be covered by an NHS prescription.
Have a look?
[they recently launched a type1 programme]
New to type 2 Diabetes.
Type 2 Diabetes Risk Test
Recent diagnosis of type 2 diabetes
Type 2
Type 2
