cooking for a type 1 diabetic

[Chic Rustler]

well it seems we have a type one in the family. now we have to plan meals and calculate carbs. it seems balanced meals with a serving of greens or two, a serving of starch, and then a protein seem to prevent sugar spikes and lows.....but of coarse i have 2 days experience so..


do any of you have experience with type 1? id love to hear recipes.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

My DH is type 1. He was diagnosed over 20 years ago as type 2, but since then his pancreas has given up and he's converted to a type 1.

Definitely watch the carbs. Read everything you can. If your family member is not on a pump and a continuous glucose monitor - try to get them. There is a learning curve, but they make life so much easier.

A consult with a dietician would be beneficial - just remember that everyone responds differently to different carbs. There will be bumps in the road and you have to pay attention to details. It would help to keep a journal of what works and what doesn't.

If you have any questions feel free to PM me. I'm not a professional but I might be able to point you in the right direction.

Hang in there!

 

[Chic Rustler]

My DH is type 1. He was diagnosed over 20 years ago as type 2, but since then his pancreas has given up and he's converted to a type 1.

Definitely watch the carbs. Read everything you can. If your family member is not on a pump and a continuous glucose monitor - try to get them. There is a learning curve, but they make life so much easier.

A consult with a dietician would be beneficial - just remember that everyone responds differently to different carbs. There will be bumps in the road and you have to pay attention to details. It would help to keep a journal of what works and what doesn't.

If you have any questions feel free to PM me. I'm not a professional but I might be able to point you in the right direction.

Hang in there!

along with the log for the childrens hospital ive been keeping my own journal. i record BG, dosing, meals, ect. they say let him eat as much as he wants and dose him for the meal before hand and i did but i gave in today and let him have 2 servings of mac and chz when i knew there wasnt enough fiber in the meal for that and we had a very rough afternoon.

today is our first day with a CGM. im not happy with it at all. it was reading 50-70 points higher than the glucous tester and setting off alarms on our phones. we were in a frantic rush to get dinner done so he could have Novalog, only to find out he was fine when we tested before dinner. i nearly had another heart attack. in reality he was running around 245 before dinner but the CGM was saying 300 and trended up to 320. after we got it all sorted and him back in line we tested for ketones and got trace so we treated with water and tested neg after an hour.

anyway tonight i did better. we had seared venison steak, sweet potatoes and brussel sprouts. im hoping the sweet potatoes will give his tummy something to chew on and last threw the night. he woke a little low this morning. because of a poor bedtime snack choice last night amd i want to prevent that. im thinking ill check at 3am tonight just to be sure.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

CGM's are the bomb - most of the time. You've got to remember to calibrate. What system are you using? We're about to switch to an Omni system after using Medtronic for years.

We try to figure carbs before meals and dose appropriately at least 15 minutes before eating - but in reality it doesn't always work. Sometimes he doesn't eat all the carbs we figured and oops - we've already dosed for them. Sometimes he wants more and forgets to bolus for the increase. So much trial and error. Eventually it will become habit and you'll know carb amounts by heart.

Glad you already know how important it is to keep hydrated - especially when the numbers are high. You'll learn the triggers.

Deep breath Dad - no more heart attacks! Family needs you!

 

[Chic Rustler]

CGM's are the bomb - most of the time. You've got to remember to calibrate. What system are you using? We're about to switch to an Omni system after using Medtronic for years.

We try to figure carbs before meals and dose appropriately at least 15 minutes before eating - but in reality it doesn't always work. Sometimes he doesn't eat all the carbs we figured and oops - we've already dosed for them. Sometimes he wants more and forgets to bolus for the increase. So much trial and error. Eventually it will become habit and you'll know carb amounts by heart.

Glad you already know how important it is to keep hydrated - especially when the numbers are high. You'll learn the triggers.

Deep breath Dad - no more heart attacks! Family needs you!

thanks!


we are using the dexcom 7. they say sometimes it takes 24 hours for it to get right. i guess we will know tomorrow after he gets home from school. tomorrow is his first day back. we have a meeting with the nurse. she seems to be on top of it. the school menu has a carb count and we are going to tell her about the cgm and insist on using the glucouse checker for now. this week has been a roller coaster ride for sure but im hoping we get things leveled out and a routine soon.

 

[Chic Rustler]

also im not sure if we always wait the whole 15 mins before eating. im gonna start setting a timer.

 

[Mini Horses]

I'd like to mention -- just for thought -- sugar levels can affect his mental cognition. So, if things are "unusual" or "unlike" usual, check levels, knowing it could be causing changes and not just an attitude you might not otherwise see from him. Especially, low levels...dizziness, confusion, etc.

 

[tortoise]

No advise, just a and support. It must be terrifying going through this with a child. I'll be following this thread closely becuase my pancreas doesn't secrete enough insulin, but so far I've been able to keep it in check through diet.

 

[Chic Rustler]

this CGM has been a nightmare. it made all of our phones alert to high BG. when i tested at 11 it was a little high ao i retested him at 1130 amd it rose 25 points. the poor kid has gotten ao used to getting his fingure pricked he slept right threw it. anyhow so i decided to call the urgent line just incase. we then had to wake him up and test for keytones (negative) and the nurse on the line deiced we should just relax and wait on the lantis to kick in. so i go to sleep and the phones all alert again less than an hour later the dang thing has lost signal. i finally figured out how to mute ALL the alerts on the dang thing and decided i would retest BG. its the same, hasnt risen so im ok with that. lantis should be here any minute to smooth things out. gonna try this sleep thing again.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

I'd like to mention -- just for thought -- sugar levels can affect his mental cognition. So, if things are "unusual" or "unlike" usual, check levels, knowing it could be causing changes and not just an attitude you might not otherwise see from him. Especially, low levels...dizziness, confusion, etc.

Yep! Truth there!

@Chic Rustler I hate it that you're having so much trouble with the CGM. We had an occasion where a sensor was just bad. It would be off every time we calibrated. Only after calibrating it at least 4 or 5 times in one day did it get close to being right.

There have been several instances where DH had trouble with a sensor and he would call them. They're really helpful and have replaced several sensors at no charge.

Any chance you can get him on a pump? With DH, we got the CGM first and a month or so later we got the pump. It makes a huge difference because it delivers a constant flow of insulin.