This weeks issues

Julie,
Your right, 20 questions, or maybe 40, to get the answers on how they feel and whats going on with them. I have told Gene I don't have osmosis, if you are having pain in the stoma area, JUST SAY IT....good luck on the communication level, seems you have got a start on it..Ginger

Julie,
I just now read your post and am so sorry that this is happening.

Hang in there even though I know that sometimes we feel like we get one step forward and two steps back.

Please keep us posted on what is going on.

Love and prayers
Clara

Julie i've no doubt you're on top of things and i'm not educated enough in this area but aren't there monitoring devices that would be helpful? Or does that only work during the day? Its to bad your internist can't be of some help...a gerintologist? I know there aren't many of them out there. I read something about this bar...i don't know if its legit or not?? Be nice if it actually works...
www.extendbar.com/diabetes/benefits.asp
I'm sure you've read the mayo page
www.mayoclinic.com/health/type-1-diabetes/DS00329/DSECTION=complications
I just remember how hard it was for my mom monitoring her mom..before the cancer she had everything well under control but with the weight loss and the radiation and chemo she would go into states of confusion and then was completely unable to think coherently and Grandpa was no help.
Pat

Ginger, We need accurate information from our loved ones as to how they are feeling otherwise we can't be as helpful as we would like to be. I told Dick earlier this week that I am not a mind reader. Early this year I had to tell Dick that I thought he was minimizing his pain levels. He did think about what i said and I think became more accurate about what his pain levels were. You know by watching Gene when things are not right. Sometimes it is like 20 questions around here to get at what is going on.

Pat, I have pretty much learned to read the signs of a blood sugar low. Dick used to be aware of the signs but doesn't perceive them any more. I understand that happens with people. The worst time for catching it is in the morning when he wakes up. I read the page and what it seems to say that the blood levels prior to the hyper low could predict that it might happen. They don't give sufficient information to make use of that idea. All we know is that what worked before is not working now. Some of this may be tied into weight loss as he has lost a little over 25 pounds in the past 6 weeks but he is still obese.

He doesn't have a diabetes nurse educator here in Tucson. He worked with one in Madison and saw her twice a year. They were really helpful in helping him learn how to calculate what he needed for insulin.
We talked tonight about what to do to make sure his levels were in the normal range tomorrow morning.
I have seen him with an extreme low and i don't want to have that happen again if we can prevent it.

Julie my grandmother was a diabetic most of her life and always overweight..in her later years she developed mastoid cancer and lost lots of weight..she often fluctuated in her levels and became hypoglycemic quite frequently...luckily my mother who was a nurse always caught onto this with her symptoms of lethargy. I'm not sure how you are monitoring him. Maybe you can glean some info or links from this page???
care.diabetesjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/30/6/1370
Pat

Julie,
I am sorry to hear of this latest crisis. I am sure it wears on you, one never knows what will happen day to day.
I do know this about the not saying if you don't feel well. Gene did this many times, I question him if he is walking to far, standing to much? His need to feel like the rest of us is greater sometimes, he doesn't want limits. So he pretends, I am on to him now, the after effect is a crisis of some kind, then we bear the brunt of that. I think he just wanted to be like everyone else that day, and it tried, but it didn't work out. I hope things get better for you both, sincerely,,,,Ginger