Drew's tumor was located underneat his brain near the optic nerves and the pituitary gland. He's taking DDAVP 0.2MG (twice a day) which is a hormone used to treat symptoms of diabetes insipidus (which makes you urine a lot). He's also taking DEXAMETHASONE 2MG (one a day) which is a corticosteroid, similar to a natural hormone produced by your adrenal glands. It often is used to replace this chemical when your body does not make enough of it. It relieves inflammation (swelling, heat, redness, and pain). He may only take the DEXAMETHASONE for a short while, but I'm thinking he'll be on the DDAVP for the rest of his like. He also has a diabetes monitoring system and needs to check his sugar levels 4 times a day. Today was our first day using the kit and I was only able to get readings from him twice (164 @ 5:30pm and 181 @ 9:30pm). I tried doing it this morning and this afternoon but the lancet didn't penetrate far enough and he kinda got pissed. And it's not bad at all- I practiced on myself 3 times before trying it on Drew. I think his fingers are sensitive from the testing done at the hospital the last 10 days. (Oh I checked my blood sugar 3 times and each time it was 144. That's high but one of the reasons for elevated blood sugar is "extreme emotional distress.")

Anyway I need help with a diet plan- his release papers say "1800 Calorie Diabetic Diet" but doesn't inform us on what to and not to eat. The first thing I did before him came home was to get rid of all the sugar in the house- no granular, no confectioners, no candy, etc. I bought some Splenda and some sugar free Reese's peanut butter cups and turtles and I can't tell the difference. But my friend is telling me that there's all kinds of tricks to this diet- carbs and stuff that turns to sugar, etc. I told Drew that I'd follow any diet he had too that way he wouldn't feel as if he was missing anything.

Is anyone here a diabetic, has a loved on that is, a nurse, or nutritionist and can help us? I'm going to the grocery store tomorrow so any help/ideas/recipes would be much appreciated... and rewarded!

The doctor can help you with that, also get the doctor to refer you to a dietician.

luv4u said:

Drew see's him Tuesday but that's a big window from yesterday until then- ya know. For now I've cut out the sweets and Tues the Dr can give us some advice.

I know I'm not supposed to bump this up, but we are worldwide an someone with info may have missed this when I posted it late last night. Thanks!

My father's been diabetic my entire life, so I hope I can help a wee bit.

It's important to remember it's not always something we classify as "sweet" or "sugary" that will raise blood sugar. Carbohydrates are naughty. You really must cut down on pastas and such. Not that a good lasagna can't be enjoyed, but pastas and such should not be a main focus in the diet at all.

Good fixes for "low" days can simply be a small piece of hard candy or a glass of orange juice.

I suppose I ought to ask my dad some tips for me to post here. I don't consider his diet as much as I should.

Basically you need to make sure that his diet gives him slow release carbs to last to the next meal time. Monitoring is really important so that you can make sure that he is not high or low. Basically sugars will push him high as sweet things tend to be fast release (if he is low he will need fast release to get him back) Diabetics lead normal lives they just need to monitor and be careful to have REGULAR meals with balance. Carbs are ok but limit them to enough to get you to the next meal.
I will get some stuff together if you want it. Note me if you need it!!
Good luck
P

Nero said:

Thanks Nero! I'm going to the post office today!

mdiver said:

orgNote sent! Thanks!

This is a good website for resources: http://www.diabetes.co.uk/index.html

Don't bother buying any special diabetic products, eg. jam/jelly, candy etc and be careful about the type of sweeteners you buy. I'm not sure which are safe to use freely ... you will need to check that.

Foods that release sugar slowly, e.g. apples, cherries, dried apricots, porridge oats, many vegetables have less of an affect on blood glucose levels than foods that are more refined, eg white bread. Look for low and medium GI foods (GI=glycaemic index). Don't eliminate carbohydrates completely. Just be a little more careful about the ones you pick. I'm sure your nutritional advisor will be more specific about this, but if you can find a GI Table, then foods which are generally good are ones with a GI factor of less than 50. 60-70 are foods that are ok but in moderation, and 70+ are foods which need to be eaten with caution.

Low fat foods are good and he should steer clear of large quantities of refined sugar and honey. Small quantities are usually allowed, although be aware that "sugar" is a loose term and that foods containing carbohydrates (sugars) will raise blood sugar levels, but to different degrees according to what they are and how much is eaten. So, although potatoes, pasta and bread are not forbidden foods to a diabetic, you may need to monitor their affect on blood sugar in order to get the quantities right. Generally, cooked root vegetables tend to raise blood sugar higher than non-root vegetables.

I wish you both well with this. Good luck.
xxx