My mother is 76 years old and has had adult onset diabetes for about the last 15 years or so. She also has thyroid problems, a goiter , high blood pressure, high cholesterol and almost a year she suffered several heart attacks and had a triple bi-pass.

I was talking to her this evening and she told me that her docs have taken her off all her prescription diabetes meds and telling her that she MUST control her diabetes through diet as the meds are affecting her kidneys and they may shut down.

First off, if she could have controlled her diabetes strictly through diet she certainly would have. She tried hard enough. It was not good enough so they put her on meds that she has been taking for about 12 years I guess. Now they are saying that she cannot take the meds because of her kidneys.

This is all very frustrating. I have found some information about diabetes meds affecting kidney function, but not as much as I would like. Most of what I have found has been related to Glucophage. Now, I am not sure what she it taking but since that is the one most commonly prescribed I would bet that is the one.

There are probably things she could take that are herbal or homepathic, but as I said, she is 76 and to try to get her to even look down that path is a challenge.

Does anyone have any ideas, opinions, theories, links to info??? I will take anything I can get my hands on.

I am 40 and recently had a baby that she has not seen yet since she lives in NY and I in CO. I sure would like her to be around next spring -- the only time I will be able to make a trip to NY with the baby!!

Thanks folks for your time and for your reading my issues, hope to hear from someone. Anyone can certainly email me privately, my address is:
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Most oral meds are filtered through the kidneys. That what are kidneys do, filter everything we put in our body especially what we injest. What are her blood glucose levels? You are right, if she could be controlled w/ out anything they wouldnt have started her in the first place. Insulin could be an option. In the meantime, she needs to eat a higher protein, lower carb diet. She should probably stay away from white breads, pastas, and chips etc. Lots of veggies is good! Also, cinnammon tends to have some effect on blood sugar. If she eats some apples w/ cinnamon sprinkled on it might help some. It just depends on what #s she is having.

Thanks, yes I guess she may have to move to insulin....she HATES that idea. I will tell her about the protein and the cinnamon. I'm sure she already knows about the breads and the starches.

To make matters worse this is all becoming very depressing for her. One thing after another seems to be going wrong and they all have adverse affects upon each other.

Thanks again for the response and I will talk to her some more.

Willow

Make sure she understands that when she gets her sugar in control, her body can concentrate on getting other things straight...if her sugar is out of control, EVERYTHING stays out of control. It is that important and does effect everything!

She actually could be on as little as 2 shots a day- 1 with breakfast and 1 w/ dinner. Rapid acting mixes are the best because they cause less hypo and give better control. Using the pen will make it a piece of cake. Do you homework. The doc might need your suggestions. Good luck!

Too many doctors first give diabetics meds assuming the patient will not do what they need to in order to control via diet/exercise. Knowing this, it could have been that your mother was put on meds prematurely or she may have needed them. It is hard to know now. Many doctors do not bother with instructing diabetics as to how to go about controlling diabetes, just toss pills at them and not give them a chance to try diet/exercise only.

Your mom would do well to see a Certified Diabetes Educator to help work out a food plan for her. A certain amount of carbs will be allowed per meal and most likely it will be necessary to reduce that number in order for her body to handle. May even have to omit some foods the CDE says she can have. Your mom will need to fine tune the food plan specifically to how her body handles foods.

If your mother is overweight, she needs to lose weight, easier said than done. Being overweight causes insulin resistance. Exercise is essential for controlling diabetes. Exercise after each meal. Walking 3-4 miles per day or more, 1 mile at a time is good too. I prefer to walk after meals either 1 or 2 miles, I walk on a treadmill.

Eating a low fat, low carb diet will go a long ways in controlling diabetes. I brought my diabetes under control, no meds, by eating 3 oz. lean meat and 2 servings (1/2 c. each) of green veggies for lunch and dinner, lost 65 lbs. Omitted everything else. Breakfast was oatmeal mixture containing oatmeal, oat bran, wheat bran, soy granules, cook with water and add flaxseed meal, wheat germ. This breakfast does a great job lowering the blood sugar at breakfast but does not work for me at lunch or dinner.

Resturant meals, coverd dish luncheons are definitely not meals for diabetics, too much sugar added to the food plus being high in starch. Sugar in foods, even foods you would never suspect it to be in is what resturants depend on to bring customers back time and time again, because it makes food taste good.

Many diabetics think they can eat all they want of sugar-free foods, but, these sugar-free foods still contain carbohydrates and must be consumed in limited amounts. Many will be sweetened with sugar alcohols. Some diabetics will have sky high sugar levels from sugar alcohols and others will tolerate it in moderate amounts. Many sugar-free foods have more carbs than the real thing.

Many diabetics take meds and eat what they want to thinking the meds will do all the work for them. Of course that is not the way it works. Making a lifestyle change for life is the only way to get a good hold on diabetes. Then if necessary meds may help or as your mom has found out hurt.

Please remember, diabetes is an individual disease. Each person must test and test in order to find out what foods do to the BS and then consume the safe foods in the right portions. One person will be able to eat starches and others will not. Some will be able to eat some desserts and others will not. Some diabetics will have trouble with high fasting numbers and others do not. In other words your mother will need to fine tune everything she eats, portions, time of day, etc. Some diabetics need snacks and others do better without snacks. I have learned recently if I eat something before 7:00 a.m. my early morning BS will not go so high. Usually I am a late sleeper, but, now must set the alarm and get up and at least have a glass of milk to keep BS from going too high.

Being age 76 is not too old to work at controlling diabetes via diet/exercise only. I am almost 71. Learning to put an invisible zipper over our mouths in closed position when in the presence of good food will help a lot in controlling diabetes.

Sure hope your mom will be able to control on her own and not have to go on insulin.

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