How important is eating for a newly diagosed diabetic?

[pnkdrgnfly]

Help! My newly diagnosed roommate isn't eating to lose weight. She was diagosed in 11/07 and was told eating right would be very important in helping to regulate her insulin intake. Her blood sugar is still all over the place; too low, & way too high. She gained about 20 lbs the last few months and is now only drinking these advantage no sugar 2 carb protein drinks with very little to no food everyday. I don't know enough about diabetes and need some help. She also doesn't have medical insurance and hasn't seen her doctor in a few months. I have heard about diabetic comas and people dying in their sleep and am very scared for her. Do I need to be worried or is what she is doing safer than eating too much sugar?

[soconnor59]

Hi! I am a newly diagnosed Type I diabetic (1 yr ago) at the ripe old age of 48.  My drs said that it is rare but I have probably been diabetic for a long time and it finally caught up with me.  My father was a Type I diabetic since he was 13 so I grew up with seeing, hearing, experiencing everything.  Now I have begun to go thru it myself.  First off, she needs the carbs. My drs have stressed to me that you need the carbs to fuel your body (& I have found that too little of carbs and I have such low energy) but you have to limit them also.  I am on a 4 carb per meal diet, but I also try to eat very low calorie carb items.  Needless to say, though, I have gained 43 lbs. in the last year and the drs say that insulin puts on weight (I am on 5 injections per day).  I work out an hour every single day (but I am older so my metabolism is not what it used to be either and working off pounds is a little harder).  I have seen my dad go into diabetic comas and I have come close to that also. If nothing else she should have glucose tablets handy (brings up the lows) or a glucagon injection kit (in case of a coma).  The glucagon injection kit is for when/if she would go into a coma, you hit her with an injection and lay her on her side.  The glucagon tells the liver to release all its sugar it is storing and it then releases it into the body and she will get sick and vomit.  That is why you lay her on her side.  After the injection, call 911 and a reminder, also, that she needs to eat something after she comes to restore her body's sugar and liver levels.  (Not that she would eat a bunch of sugar or carb items, though).  Secondly, she needs to see her or a dr (even if she can go to a free clinic) because she needs to be monitored.  Is she on insulin injections or pills or nothing?  Hypoglycemia or hyperglycemia can both be bad.  Too low of a reading can put her in a coma and cause death or too high can do the same.  She definitely should see a nutritionist and maybe a free clinic would be able to provide that to her also.  Good luck, you are definitely going to be her guardian angel.

[pnkdrgnfly]

Wow, thank you for responding. Your insight has helped me to understand it all a little better. I know she injects herself about 4 times a day. She actually seemed to be doing very well at first, really eating healthy foods, checking her blood sugar several times a day, keeping track of her caloric intake, until the weight gain. She is only 26 and has never been overweight. I'm sure this must be difficult, but I would rather see her a little chubby than risking her health. I guess I just need to encourage her to at least go back to her doctor. He may have done her a disservice by giving her a bunch of free insulin because she hasn't been back since and it has been months. I know someone gave her one of those glucagon things, so now I will know what to do with it should that happen.  Thank you so much, and good luck to you with everything. :)