Some members of my family are in need of prayers.
my Aunt Ellen: testing on breast lump tomorrow and complete hysterectomy on December 5
my Great Aunt Amy: struggles with depression and mild dementia
Elissa (Amy's daughter in law): recently had double mastectomy and doctors may have found more cancer
my dad: borderline diabetes and high blood pressure
Funky Dung
Comments 5
There is no such thing as "borderline diabetes." There is something called "Pre-diabetes," which is different.
The diagnostic criteria for diabetes itself are definitive.
If your father has "pre-diabetes," the current thinking is that he may not have reached a "point of no return." With extensive and stringent care, he might be able to avoid progressing to diabetes.
The alternative school of thought is that "pre-diabetes" is merely diabetes caught early enough that the damage can be mitigated to the point that the diabetes will not be noticable.
If he is a diabetic and the doctor is using the outmoded (and rejected by the AMA, ADA, CDA, and others) term "borderline diabetic," then he will not be taking his diabetes seriously enough and he will simply accelerate the damage.
I will pray for your father and that he will get aggressive and competent help.
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Posted 22 Nov 2005 at 3:12 pm ¶Define aggressive.
He's drastically changed his diet. He switched from 2% milk to skim. He's given up soda. He's drinking a lot more water. He significantly cut down on sweets. He hopes to buy a treadmill in the near future. I'm sure there are other changes as well.
Is that aggressive enough? You're strong concern has me concerned.
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Posted 22 Nov 2005 at 3:23 pm ¶1. Glucometer. By keeping track of his blood glucose, he can tell if what he's doing is effective.
2. An exercise program should be set up in consultation at least with his physician. I wouldn't wait for the treadmill. In fact, treadmills tend to not get used. TV by the treadmill will help, though.
3. I wish, on my Dx as a diabetic, I had been sent to a specialist. I was sent to a dietician, which was a big help. I learned a lot on my own.
4. Major cause of death for diabetics is not directly diabetes related. Heart is actually the big one, with stroke and other vascular problems close by.
5. Shoes are a BIG thing for diabetics. You know a good shoe store now. Synthetic socks that wick moisture away from the feet are important, too.
6. The changes accompanying diabetes Rx are great and hard to stick to. They really ought to have diabetes coaches out there.
7. Depression is a big risk. Your dad has just been told he has an illness that might well kill him. The changes necessitated by diabetes, esp. around Christmas, are depressing. Loss of sexual function is a big fear. Diabetes itself may either cause depression or be a symptom of depression.
8. The current research clearly indicates (I don't remember if this made it all the way to a standard of practice yet) that all diabetics should be on medication. There are good reasons to believe that pre-diabetics may benefit from a certain class of drugs as well.
9. West Penn has an excellent diabetes program associated with the Joslin Diabetes folks.
10. Subscription to the basic American Diabetes Association mag would be a good idea, too. Usually available in stores, but worth the membership.
11. If the doctor used the term "borderline diabetes"….
Look, I'm in no position to criticize a physician I have never met and don't really know what he said. Perhaps the use of the term "borderline diabetes" is a psychological gambit by the physician where, in his best clinical experience, it will help your father deal best with this illness. I'm the last person to criticize someone for spin-doctoring a patient.
The term "borderline diabetes" has a REALLY bad reputation in the diabetic community. It's usually how the story of an amputation or someone going blind or having a massive MI starts out, and is indicative of Total Physician Incompetence (TPI).
The doctor may have had a good reason. There may be insurance or work concerns that I'm not privy to. Beginning treatment without writing down a diagnosis might be a smart move, though one likely to get the doctor in trouble should a sufficient paper trail be left behind.
But to me, it screams "Get a second opinion."
An alternative problem is that a physician tells the patient he has beginning diabetes and the patient doesn't take it seriously enough. That, too, is a problem.
I don't know what it is. I'm just very concerned. I know what I would do if it were my father, but then again, my Dad died of complications from diabetes.
12. Where does your Dad live? If you were to exercise with him (once he gets an approved exercise program) it would be a big help to him. It won't do as much good for you physically, but emotionally, it's great.
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Posted 22 Nov 2005 at 4:02 pm ¶Also:
Diabetes is about carbohydrate, not sweets. Pizza can screw up my BG as good as ice cream. Mashed potatoes on an empty stomach hits harder than some candy bars.
Chew a cracker in your mouth for a minute. Notice the sweetness? Starch breaks down rapidly into sugars.
This is all about glycemic index. Feel free to Google.
Cutting out all sweets, by the way, is not a good move. People who plan for a small amount of sweets in their diet do better than people who have no sweets planned.
Usually diabetics are put on a modified cardiac diet that reduces the carbs somewhat.
Buy your dad his first box of Splenda. Best sugar substitute on the market!
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Posted 22 Nov 2005 at 4:06 pm ¶another good source for low glycemic index meal planning is the south beach diet book. i'm not saying that your dad should go on the sb diet, but the book does explain the glycemic index very well. we will also keep your family in our prayers. my dad's dad also died of diabetes.
splenda is a great sub, but don't try it in lemonade. yuck!
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Posted 23 Nov 2005 at 4:56 pm ¶Post a Comment