I didn't realize it's so hard to cook for a new diabetic. Husband just
found out he has it after a stay in the ER with something else.
Truthfully I'm going bonkers trying to find the right food. with
visiting nurses, friends ? family telling us to do different things. His
blood sugar going up and down, Is it my fault for not fixing the right
food? The only conversation we have is about food. and end up arguing
about it. I feel like telling him to eat what ever he wants and leave me
alone. I guess things will get better with time, but its a toss up as to
live thru it. I have cancer and now this happening. I just don't know
how how cope.
Thanks for letting me ramble on. just needed to talk. Lyda

In article >,
(Lyda B.) wrote:

> I didn't realize it's so hard to cook for a new diabetic. Husband just
> found out he has it after a stay in the ER with something else.
> Truthfully I'm going bonkers trying to find the right food. with
> visiting nurses, friends ? family telling us to do different things. His
> blood sugar going up and down, Is it my fault for not fixing the right
> food? The only conversation we have is about food. and end up arguing
> about it. I feel like telling him to eat what ever he wants and leave me
> alone. I guess things will get better with time, but its a toss up as to
> live thru it. I have cancer and now this happening. I just don't know
> how how cope.
> Thanks for letting me ramble on. just needed to talk. Lyda

No...it's absolutely not your fault. You're getting conflicting advice.
And you have a huge amount to learn. The main thing for your husband is
that NONE OF THE DIETARY ADVICE HE'S GETTING MATTERS if it conflicts
with what his meter tells him. It's his blood sugar, not his nurse's,
not his family's, not yours! So, if people tell him he can have oatmeal
for breakfast, but his numbers afterwards are too high, that's an
indication that oatmeal for breakfast is a bad idea. And, while high
numbers in the long run are bad for him, in the short term the way to
look at them is as a learning experience. So, a high number after a bowl
of oatmeal is a lesson.

Psychologically, one way to get through this stage is to try to think
about things he can eat unlimited quantities of, especially if they're
treat foods. For me, the food that got me through was avocado. For your
husband, it might be good cheese to nibble on, a handful of nuts, a
lobster dinner (well, unlimited lobster might break your food budget!).

--
"[xxx] has very definite opinions, and does not suffer fools lightly.
This, apparently, upsets the fools."
---BB cuts to the pith of a flame-fest

Lyda B. wrote:
> I didn't realize it's so hard to cook for a new diabetic. Husband just
> found out he has it after a stay in the ER with something else.
> Truthfully I'm going bonkers trying to find the right food. with
> visiting nurses, friends ? family telling us to do different things. His
> blood sugar going up and down, Is it my fault for not fixing the right
> food? The only conversation we have is about food. and end up arguing
> about it. I feel like telling him to eat what ever he wants and leave me
> alone. I guess things will get better with time, but its a toss up as to
> live thru it. I have cancer and now this happening. I just don't know
> how how cope.
> Thanks for letting me ramble on. just needed to talk. Lyda
>

Lydia,

The dieticians are no help at all. I am the care giver for a diabetic.
Here is the key to keeping his blood sugar under control.

CUT WAY, WAY DOWN ON CARBOHYDRATES!!!!

Yes, I was shouting.

Try to keep each meal under 30 grams. Feed him lots of salad. Feed him
lots of non-starchy vegitables.

Keep his carbohydrate servings small. Carbohydrates are rice, anything
made with flour (and whole wheat is not any better) like pasta, bread,
waffles, cereals, milk and dairy products but not so much hard cheeses,
and fruits.

Learn to read labels. Go to a book store or even the paperback section
of a discount store or supermatket and pick up a carb counter. It's a
paperback book with the listing for carbohydrates in just about
everything including fast food.

If his blood glucose numbers are too low (under 80 mg dl) then increase
the carbs by 15g.

Make sure he has some kind of snack with no more but not much less than
15g of carbs before bed.

This is a starting point. Check his blood glucose readings in the
morning, before each meal and one hour, two hours and three hours after
a meal. These checks will help you both to learn how the carbs in his
diet are effecting him. He might be better able to handle some foods
than others.

See if you can get him into a diabetes management course. Learn carb
counting. For a lot of people, especially men, learning what a 15 gram
serving is really helps them manage better than the exchange diet which
many feel is daunting and complicated.

Feel free to email me at and I'll try to help you
as best as I can. I have cancer, too. I have no evidence of disease but
that the powers that be won't tell me I don't have cancer for another 2
years.



--
Janet Wilder
Way-the-heck-south Texas
Spelling doesn't count. Cooking does.

"Lyda B." > wrote in message
...
>I didn't realize it's so hard to cook for a new diabetic. Husband just
> found out he has it after a stay in the ER with something else.
> Truthfully I'm going bonkers trying to find the right food. with
> visiting nurses, friends ? family telling us to do different things. His
> blood sugar going up and down, Is it my fault for not fixing the right
> food? The only conversation we have is about food. and end up arguing
> about it. I feel like telling him to eat what ever he wants and leave me
> alone. I guess things will get better with time, but its a toss up as to
> live thru it. I have cancer and now this happening. I just don't know
> how how cope.
> Thanks for letting me ramble on. just needed to talk. Lyda
>

Want to use any spare computing power of your computer to help
cancer research?

http://www.worldcommunitygrid.org/

Click on each of the pictures under the main picture to see
one of the research programs your computer can help with;
two of them are currently related to cancer. Write down
the ones you want to help, so that you can choose them
after you register.

I'm currently letting my three computers help this site
and a few others that take more preparation, even while
I type this.

I'm looking for a similar site where you can help diabetes
research the same way, but the closest I've found hasn't
had much of any work ready to do for several months.

By the way, what type of diabetic is he (type 1, type 2,
or one of the less common types), or has his doctor
said yet? Dietary advice can vary for the different types,
but restricting carbohydrates is good advice at first for
all of them.

Some advice gathered by another newsgroup:

http://alt-support-diabetes.org/new.php

Robert Miles