Anyone know about controlling diabetes?

[mogs0]

My Aunt was diagnosed with diabetes a few years ago. It's the one brought on by poor diet and not enough exercise. She was put on medication but told me that she only went on to the pills so that she didn't have to change her diet etc. Over the last year her dosage has been increased at least 3 times.
We live next door to eachother and I often take her a plate of dinner or she comes in and eats with us. She mainly lives off cakes, bread, cup-a-soup and anything she can put in the microwave.

Since this last dose increase I'm really worried but she doesn't seem bothered about it so I'm not sure how serious it is. Anyone have any advise for me?

Has she not had any appointments with a dietician to explain how her diet of food high in sugar etc can affect her health? The GP should be able to refer you. Type 2 diabetes needs to be controlled.

She is a retired nurse and thinks she knows far more than any dietician could possibly tell her. I've asked about it a few times suggesting that they could give her a plan to follow. Even though we all roughly know what's good and what's bad having a guide to follow makes it easier to stick to (IMO).

She is controlling it with medication, not very well obv as the dose keeps being increased!!

She needs to know that the treatment of diabletes has changed a lot in recent yrs but the main way of controlling her blood sgar should be through a proper diet that is low GI.
I am amazed at the amount of diabetics who don't realise the seriousness of the disease and eat all manner of crap.

I assume that her Dr tells her about changing her diet each time she goes for her blood test results but it makes no difference.

She is very stubborn and set in her ways. She thinks she knows better than anyone else. After a hip replacement op 18 months ago she went to physio once and said it wasn't that beneficial and didn't go again. The furthest she walks is from her house across the road to her car. When ds and I moved here I kept asking her to walk to school with us or even just part of the way but she never does.

How serious is this type of diabetes? Will I scare myself if I go searching the internet for info?

mogs have a look here tis not too scary
it's the complications of unstable diabetes that cause problems.Some of these are fairly insidious thus people are unaware of the effects on their long term health.Much like lots of things really.

Oh blimey she is the sort of patient that I used to despair at seeing in my diabetic clinic!! (was a practice nurse)

Yes diabetes is serious if not well controlled. Can you tell her she runs the risk of nerve damage, kidney damage, circulatory damage and eye damage? The problem with poorly controlled diabetes is that it has an effect on most of the body's systems and organs.

Being on tablets is no substitute for having a good diet, there may well come a point when she has reached the maximum dosage and requires insulin.

Will she see the diabetic nurse? Maybe seeing a 'fellow' nurse might be more acceptable to her?

Thanks for the replies. I'll have a look at the link tomorrow (fell asleep on the sofa again and now it's too late for my brain to cope with anything!!).

Sidge - I couldn't tell her anything that she'd believe!! I have a feeling she is not far from the maximum dosage. She's been told by her GP that the latest meds will cause her to put on weight which is what worried me as she is considerably overweight already.

I might subtly enquire as to whether there is a diabetic nurse at her surgery (different to my one). She finds it hard to believe that anyone her junior could possibly know anything that she doesn't despite the fact that I regularly suprise her with my little nuggets of wisdom!!

"She finds it hard to believe that anyone her junior could possibly know anything that she doesn't"
Then surely she should practise what she preaches? You don't have to be a nurse with years of experience to know that a diet that consists of mainly cake, bread and powdered soup is not the best thing for a perfectly healthy person. Let alone someone with a condition that needs a good diet to help control it.
It sounds like maybe she could be in denial? Like she doesn't believe it exists. Although if she is taking her medication maybe it is just her being uneducated about the condition. Like ggirl says, medications have changed, and type2 diabetes wasn't present as much (or recognised/diagnosed as much) as often as it is these days. Times have changed.
She needs to realise the possible consequences, that are, if she carrys on like this are going to be more likely to happen.
Is she unhappy in other aspects of her life? Does she see anybody else apart from immediate family? You say she walks to her car so I take it she drives- does she see friends reguarly/do anything with them?

apologies for grammar in places...

She has quite a good social life but it often involves going out for coffee and cake or lunches etc. She's probably out 2 or 3 times a week seeing friends and goes to a line-dancing class once a week with my Mum, sister and a couple of her friends which she thinks ticks the exercise box for the week.

I think I might look into low GI meals and make more of an effort to cook her dinner more often. It's pointless offering her advice on changing her eating habits because she won't listen to me but if I can cook her a healthy meal a few times a week then that should help a bit.

Thanks for the responses!!

You could try shock tactics - tell her that she won't be able to go line dancing if she gets peripheral vascular disease, or diabetic neuropathy, or goes blind due to diabetic retinopathy.

It must be very frustrating for you.

Does she not realise that she will end up on insulin soon, which is a whole lot worse than the tablets she takes now. She will have to match the insulin to the food she eats, take it at the right time so it acts with the food she eats at meals, and is a right pain! I should know as I have diabetes - fortunately diet controlled at the moment, but I was on insulin when pregnant two years ago.

I would wager a bet that she is in denial about the whole thing. I think that a lot of nurses and the like are the worlds worst patients (very gross generalisation, but my Mum is a classic case!). Perhaps the only thing that will get her to sort her self out - as only she can do it - is ending up in hospital with high blood sugar levels.

I have been diagnosed for a year and still struggle with the diet side of things, and I am 40 this year, so I will be living with this for years to come.

Sorry no real advice, but you are doing your best!