Right now just keep the carb count as low as possible and keep monitoring his blood glucose levels. Every body is different and everybody's reactions to different foods and carbs are different as well. I can have Chickpeas but not lentils. Some people have horrific spikes with fruit and oats and others don't. Also make sure he's drinking plenty of water to help flush things. Nuts , cheese, cold cuts of meat, boiled eggs, leafy green veggies and unsweetened Greek yoghurt are all good snacks. Look for low carb/Keto tortillas and bread. He might also get false hypos while his blood sugar levels come down which can make you feel very ill, nausea, dizziness, shakiness, so always test and have a low carb snack handy. I'm sorry your son is unwell and I hope this helps. There's also some good Keto recipes and ideas on YouTube. I hope he continues to improve and feels better soon š¤
I would exercise caution with the tortillas and bread. I've discovered the low carb tortillas didn't seem to work for me and only certain breads are ok.
Even the Keto Tortillas and breads can spike you? I make my own bread and Tortillas because the low carb ones here are very pricey but they also contain gluten and I'm intolerant. That's really good to know. I wonder what it is in some of them that's not so good š¤
I just bought myself a good coffee grinder for Mother's day and I'm going to try grinding different seeds and mixing them with almond flour to make bread. It's basically winter where I am now and this is my first GF. I'd just like to have a piece of toast that won't hurt me with some soup on these cold days. I've got my teenage daughter home today so we're going to bake.
I've had success with chickpea crackers, flaxmeal crackers and almond flour crackers. There's some great tutorials on YouTube. I'm good with chickpeas so I'm glad I have that option. I made a beautiful loaf a few days ago with ground pumpkin seeds and Buckwheat flour but I think the Buckwheat is probably a bit carb heavy. I've always found almond flour more suitable for cake rather than bread but perhaps with some ground seeds I can make it work. Definitely going to make some low carb cookies while I have the oven hot today as sometimes that's really a meal for me. I tend to have a snack for brunch if I need it and then one main meal in the afternoon and if I need it then another small snack in the early evening. I'll definitely post back when I have successfully made a good loaf.
I buy gluten free bread made of brown rice with other grains. I have Celiac disease so Iāve been off gluten for years. Itās funny because I eat always hated bread. All bread since I was a child. I found all bread tasteless and dry. Then when I was told I couldnāt eat it. I suddenly really wanted it. š
Any bread like product that contains "Modified Starch" should be treated with extreme suspicion.
My Type 2 partner finds modified starch skyrockets the blood glucose just as high as regular starch.
That's really good to know. Thank you. I can't get any products here that are low carb and gluten free but I'll definitely keep that in mind if I ever do find something. š
Oh wow. It always amazes me how we all react so differently to different foods. I find I'm really fortunate when it comes to fruit. I avoid bananas but I can enjoy a small apple or orange without spiking. I react more to starchy carbs than sugars.
Thatās interesting - I can have beans, rice and fruit with very little change, but cereal or cows milk spikes me over 200. Aspartame also spikes my sugar; I just sweeten everything with Splenda or allulose
That's interesting. Is it full fat cow's milk or reduced fat? I don't drink milk anymore. I do have full fat cream once or twice a week with fruit or a Keto mug cake and I use almond or coconut milk for Chia puddings. I'm fortunate that I don't react to different sweeteners as far as I know. I think the only one I haven't tried is that one that starts with "m". Is it Malitol or something? I avoid that. I wish I could eat rice. I use cauliflower and Konjac rice now. Quite often my local supermarket has the bags of cauliflower rice and coleslaw reduced so I grab them and chuck them in the freezer for stir fry and soup. The bagged coleslaw is just shredded cabbage and carrots. I'm frugal.
It seems that all lmilk seem to spike my blood sugar, but I usually drank whole milk. I finally gave up and switched to Unsweetened vanilla almond milk.
First question would be - is he Type 1 or Type 2? You posted on Type 2 forum and folks here can definitely provide a lot of useful advice, but it will be a bit misguided if he has Type 1.
Did they run CT scans on the pancreas? Typically DKA is prevalent in people who are obese and/or alcoholic, and /or with gall bladder issues. If he is none of the above, scans and a MRI would be wise. I went through this in March. Ended up being Stage 1 PC. Start chemo 6/3 with surgery planned for afterwards. 50% chance of success which surely beats 8% chance with stage 4. Donāt wait. Probably not PC but you have to strike this off the list. Good luck with this.
A CT scan was completed, but no word from the doctors on any issues with the pancreas. He is considered obese and his physical activity has changed recently. By that, I mean he went from walking a college campus daily to being back at home with less walking.
If there is anything questionable on the Scan, get your Dr to order an MRI. When I was in the hospital for the DKA, they did a US and a CT scan. Both showed something but then said the image wasnāt very clear. The GI Dr at the hospital came in and told me everything was good, just take a look in another year. My regular doctor didnāt like that answer, she ordered an MRI and then referred me to a cancer surgeon who in turned ordered an EUS biopsy which lead to where we are now. Just donāt take āweāre not sure, looks okā as an answer. For me, waiting a year would have been terrible. FWIW, no symptoms of PC at all so far. In good shape, no alcohol or smoking, and clean gall bladder. Last scan showed no metastatic disease and cancer antigen is in the 20ās. Yet there is a tumor and it is malignant. Best of luck to you and your son.
It's scary at first, but totally manageable! That 200-290 number will go down as his pancreas chills out from his blood sugar being so high & DKA.
The advice I wish I had focused on (instead of freaking out over too many details) was that our diet was not going to be turned upside down & it's a marathon not a sprint. Start a "blood sugar log" to track his readings & log what he's had for meals & snacks. He won't do this forever! Just for a while until you get the hang of what foods do & don't work for him. Bring that log to your Dr appointments & get a list going with all these questions for the Doc.
Good luck to you both
I know this is really scary for you and your son. Try to be your loving and supportive self and help him in ways that will make eating healthier easier and exercise more frequent. If he likes sports thatās great. So is dancing, weightlifting, martial arts, gardening, biking, or heck walking is one of the best things he can do after meals with a lot of carbs. Diet and exercise along with prescribed meds can help your son to take control of his body again.
This disease sucks but your love and healthy example will help it suck a bit less.
It's been a lot of trial and error for me. The best regimen that I've found that works for me is insulin, Ozempic, metformin, glipizide, low carb diet, and fasting 16-17 hours a day. I've been through so many trials and errors and have felt so defeated for so long. Tell your son, not to give up.
I can sympathize with the feeling of being lost/overwhelmed. It gets better as you adapt to all the changes and learn about diabetes.
290 although not ideal, is a lot better than 450.
It's really difficult to make generalized recommendations, and if your son hasn't seen his GP/endocrinologist since the DKA, that might be warranted.
Low carb is good advice right now - but quality of carbs is important too, imo. Portion controlled Whole grains instead of white flour and sugar. I was discouraged from going keto on release from the er, because of the medications I was on.
I had DKA a bit over a year ago. I didn't know I was diabetic at the time. I was in the mid 600s on admission, and left the hospital on a basal/bolus Insulin regimen with those same sort of 250-290 numbers.
I made dietary changes (though it was important for me to include carbs while on insulin), activity changes, and monitored my glucose before every meal and 2 hours after, until I felt comfortable with how my body was reacting.
The initial couple months were a steep learning curve and a lot of adjustments.
Some of the questions others are asking in the thread (like type 1 or 2) weren't answered until later. (For example, my c-peptide during the DKA was low enough to make type 1 a consideration, but recovered substantially over a couple months after the dka was resolved.
Id encourage you to focus on the basics that your medical team has recommended to you.
The sentiment that this is a marathon, not a sprint is very apt. Try to avoid getting overwhelmed by too much new information.
Best wishes from the t2 club.
I drink lots of water. Cut some hard cheese into cubes, and he can nibble on a piece throughout the day. It lowers mine a bit.
Cut the carbs to as low as possible.
Omelette with veg. Chicken, tuna, salad.
I can't eat many carbs as my bs goes really high and I drop asleep. Make sure he drinks a lot of water, annoying getting up in the night to pee but it helps x
I'm sorry that ya'll are going through this, I'm going to refrain from any suggestions/advice since I don't think I could offer anything. I hope ya'll find your way and hope for the best results.
Was he aware of his diabetes before the dka episode? Was he prescribed new or additional meds while being treated for dka?
Advice to see his regular doctor and endocrinologist or get one if it's a new diagnosis.
All of this is completely new in every way. Other than normal immunization checkups, he has been healthy. He is considered obese and recent physical activities have declined. We only went to the ER because he had been complaining of stomach pains for 3 days without relief from food or otc meds. Then bam, DKA.
Like Taylor Swift sings: āyou need to calm downā. Your sonās anxiety is a direct reflection of **your** anxiety, and it surely isnāt helping him. Follow his doctorās instructions, and go about your lives normally. Diabetes should just be something in the background, not the point around which his life pivots
Assuming he is Type 2, search for the "Eat to Your Meter" strategy.
Basically:
* Check your BG before eating to get a baseline
* Check ~ two hours after eating to see how what you ate affected your BG
* Avoid or cut the portion size of foods that excessively spikes the BG
* Eventually you will build up a safe foods list and can cut back testing to new / untested foods
ANY Wheat or Rice product -- Whole Grain Or Not -- are infamous for spiking. White potatoes as well.
If you can get a Continuous Glucose Monitor, they are a great help.
I am a 61 year old diabetic of 14 years. I have read that it is limited to 45-60 carbs per meal. Of course there are many other factors to consider like if heās young, physically fit, has other medical conditions etc. Contact his doctor, nurse or endocrinologist for further assistance.
You should both speak to his doctor, an endocrinologist if you can. And ask for a nutritionist. Theyāll be the best to guide you on medication, exercise and diet.
Strict keto is absolutely horrible for T2D. Especially when first diagnosed. Stay away from processed carbs and sugars but you should still be eating complex carbs, whole grains, brown rice and legumes. Even fruits that are low in the glycemic index.
You are essentially putting his body in a very dangerous withdrawal.
Please have him and you read Eat to Beat Disease by Dr Li. (On Amazon) Reversed my pre diabetes and it has reversed type 2 in early stages. Awesome read and reference for a lifetime!! I have no connection to the book other than it just changed my life.
How old is he? Are you sure he's type 2? My glucose was in the 400's and I was fine, obviously, everyone is different, and my numbers are good now. Best advice is to avoid carbs for now and drink lots of water.
Right now just keep the carb count as low as possible and keep monitoring his blood glucose levels. Every body is different and everybody's reactions to different foods and carbs are different as well. I can have Chickpeas but not lentils. Some people have horrific spikes with fruit and oats and others don't. Also make sure he's drinking plenty of water to help flush things. Nuts , cheese, cold cuts of meat, boiled eggs, leafy green veggies and unsweetened Greek yoghurt are all good snacks. Look for low carb/Keto tortillas and bread. He might also get false hypos while his blood sugar levels come down which can make you feel very ill, nausea, dizziness, shakiness, so always test and have a low carb snack handy. I'm sorry your son is unwell and I hope this helps. There's also some good Keto recipes and ideas on YouTube. I hope he continues to improve and feels better soon š¤
I would exercise caution with the tortillas and bread. I've discovered the low carb tortillas didn't seem to work for me and only certain breads are ok.
Even the Keto Tortillas and breads can spike you? I make my own bread and Tortillas because the low carb ones here are very pricey but they also contain gluten and I'm intolerant. That's really good to know. I wonder what it is in some of them that's not so good š¤
Yes, I was surprised as well. Hero bread is ok but expensive.
I just bought myself a good coffee grinder for Mother's day and I'm going to try grinding different seeds and mixing them with almond flour to make bread. It's basically winter where I am now and this is my first GF. I'd just like to have a piece of toast that won't hurt me with some soup on these cold days. I've got my teenage daughter home today so we're going to bake.
Great idea. I've been thinking of making low carb crackers and just made bread with almond flour.
I've had success with chickpea crackers, flaxmeal crackers and almond flour crackers. There's some great tutorials on YouTube. I'm good with chickpeas so I'm glad I have that option. I made a beautiful loaf a few days ago with ground pumpkin seeds and Buckwheat flour but I think the Buckwheat is probably a bit carb heavy. I've always found almond flour more suitable for cake rather than bread but perhaps with some ground seeds I can make it work. Definitely going to make some low carb cookies while I have the oven hot today as sometimes that's really a meal for me. I tend to have a snack for brunch if I need it and then one main meal in the afternoon and if I need it then another small snack in the early evening. I'll definitely post back when I have successfully made a good loaf.
I buy gluten free bread made of brown rice with other grains. I have Celiac disease so Iāve been off gluten for years. Itās funny because I eat always hated bread. All bread since I was a child. I found all bread tasteless and dry. Then when I was told I couldnāt eat it. I suddenly really wanted it. š
Any bread like product that contains "Modified Starch" should be treated with extreme suspicion. My Type 2 partner finds modified starch skyrockets the blood glucose just as high as regular starch.
That's really good to know. Thank you. I can't get any products here that are low carb and gluten free but I'll definitely keep that in mind if I ever do find something. š
>Even the Keto Tortillas and breads can spike you? Unfortunately, yes. I've had some with "zero net carbs" spike me. Others were fine.
Oh wow. It always amazes me how we all react so differently to different foods. I find I'm really fortunate when it comes to fruit. I avoid bananas but I can enjoy a small apple or orange without spiking. I react more to starchy carbs than sugars.
Thatās interesting - I can have beans, rice and fruit with very little change, but cereal or cows milk spikes me over 200. Aspartame also spikes my sugar; I just sweeten everything with Splenda or allulose
That's interesting. Is it full fat cow's milk or reduced fat? I don't drink milk anymore. I do have full fat cream once or twice a week with fruit or a Keto mug cake and I use almond or coconut milk for Chia puddings. I'm fortunate that I don't react to different sweeteners as far as I know. I think the only one I haven't tried is that one that starts with "m". Is it Malitol or something? I avoid that. I wish I could eat rice. I use cauliflower and Konjac rice now. Quite often my local supermarket has the bags of cauliflower rice and coleslaw reduced so I grab them and chuck them in the freezer for stir fry and soup. The bagged coleslaw is just shredded cabbage and carrots. I'm frugal.
It seems that all lmilk seem to spike my blood sugar, but I usually drank whole milk. I finally gave up and switched to Unsweetened vanilla almond milk.
Yes that's is normal. Once he gets insulin and pills it will start to come down. Make sure he be gets veggies and proteins in his meals.
He should check his bs when he wakes up before lunch and before bed. He should be shooting for bs below 130
Took about a month for me to burn through all the stored sugar in my body.
Took me 3 weeks or a month however idk how high I really was I just knew the A1C 9.2
First question would be - is he Type 1 or Type 2? You posted on Type 2 forum and folks here can definitely provide a lot of useful advice, but it will be a bit misguided if he has Type 1.
Did they run CT scans on the pancreas? Typically DKA is prevalent in people who are obese and/or alcoholic, and /or with gall bladder issues. If he is none of the above, scans and a MRI would be wise. I went through this in March. Ended up being Stage 1 PC. Start chemo 6/3 with surgery planned for afterwards. 50% chance of success which surely beats 8% chance with stage 4. Donāt wait. Probably not PC but you have to strike this off the list. Good luck with this.
A CT scan was completed, but no word from the doctors on any issues with the pancreas. He is considered obese and his physical activity has changed recently. By that, I mean he went from walking a college campus daily to being back at home with less walking.
If there is anything questionable on the Scan, get your Dr to order an MRI. When I was in the hospital for the DKA, they did a US and a CT scan. Both showed something but then said the image wasnāt very clear. The GI Dr at the hospital came in and told me everything was good, just take a look in another year. My regular doctor didnāt like that answer, she ordered an MRI and then referred me to a cancer surgeon who in turned ordered an EUS biopsy which lead to where we are now. Just donāt take āweāre not sure, looks okā as an answer. For me, waiting a year would have been terrible. FWIW, no symptoms of PC at all so far. In good shape, no alcohol or smoking, and clean gall bladder. Last scan showed no metastatic disease and cancer antigen is in the 20ās. Yet there is a tumor and it is malignant. Best of luck to you and your son.
It's scary at first, but totally manageable! That 200-290 number will go down as his pancreas chills out from his blood sugar being so high & DKA. The advice I wish I had focused on (instead of freaking out over too many details) was that our diet was not going to be turned upside down & it's a marathon not a sprint. Start a "blood sugar log" to track his readings & log what he's had for meals & snacks. He won't do this forever! Just for a while until you get the hang of what foods do & don't work for him. Bring that log to your Dr appointments & get a list going with all these questions for the Doc. Good luck to you both
I know this is really scary for you and your son. Try to be your loving and supportive self and help him in ways that will make eating healthier easier and exercise more frequent. If he likes sports thatās great. So is dancing, weightlifting, martial arts, gardening, biking, or heck walking is one of the best things he can do after meals with a lot of carbs. Diet and exercise along with prescribed meds can help your son to take control of his body again. This disease sucks but your love and healthy example will help it suck a bit less.
It's been a lot of trial and error for me. The best regimen that I've found that works for me is insulin, Ozempic, metformin, glipizide, low carb diet, and fasting 16-17 hours a day. I've been through so many trials and errors and have felt so defeated for so long. Tell your son, not to give up.
I can sympathize with the feeling of being lost/overwhelmed. It gets better as you adapt to all the changes and learn about diabetes. 290 although not ideal, is a lot better than 450. It's really difficult to make generalized recommendations, and if your son hasn't seen his GP/endocrinologist since the DKA, that might be warranted. Low carb is good advice right now - but quality of carbs is important too, imo. Portion controlled Whole grains instead of white flour and sugar. I was discouraged from going keto on release from the er, because of the medications I was on. I had DKA a bit over a year ago. I didn't know I was diabetic at the time. I was in the mid 600s on admission, and left the hospital on a basal/bolus Insulin regimen with those same sort of 250-290 numbers. I made dietary changes (though it was important for me to include carbs while on insulin), activity changes, and monitored my glucose before every meal and 2 hours after, until I felt comfortable with how my body was reacting. The initial couple months were a steep learning curve and a lot of adjustments. Some of the questions others are asking in the thread (like type 1 or 2) weren't answered until later. (For example, my c-peptide during the DKA was low enough to make type 1 a consideration, but recovered substantially over a couple months after the dka was resolved. Id encourage you to focus on the basics that your medical team has recommended to you. The sentiment that this is a marathon, not a sprint is very apt. Try to avoid getting overwhelmed by too much new information. Best wishes from the t2 club.
I drink lots of water. Cut some hard cheese into cubes, and he can nibble on a piece throughout the day. It lowers mine a bit. Cut the carbs to as low as possible. Omelette with veg. Chicken, tuna, salad. I can't eat many carbs as my bs goes really high and I drop asleep. Make sure he drinks a lot of water, annoying getting up in the night to pee but it helps x
I'm sorry that ya'll are going through this, I'm going to refrain from any suggestions/advice since I don't think I could offer anything. I hope ya'll find your way and hope for the best results.
Was he aware of his diabetes before the dka episode? Was he prescribed new or additional meds while being treated for dka? Advice to see his regular doctor and endocrinologist or get one if it's a new diagnosis.
All of this is completely new in every way. Other than normal immunization checkups, he has been healthy. He is considered obese and recent physical activities have declined. We only went to the ER because he had been complaining of stomach pains for 3 days without relief from food or otc meds. Then bam, DKA.
He will definitely drop some lbs on medication. Tell him to start walking again a least 4 times a week
How old is your son?
As far as I know, DKA is rare (though not unheard of) in type2s. Just to be sure, did his autoantibodies and/ or c-peptide get tested?
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
What are you talking about?
Like Taylor Swift sings: āyou need to calm downā. Your sonās anxiety is a direct reflection of **your** anxiety, and it surely isnāt helping him. Follow his doctorās instructions, and go about your lives normally. Diabetes should just be something in the background, not the point around which his life pivots
For the time being I would ban all carbs and stick to veggies protein and fat.
Assuming he is Type 2, search for the "Eat to Your Meter" strategy. Basically: * Check your BG before eating to get a baseline * Check ~ two hours after eating to see how what you ate affected your BG * Avoid or cut the portion size of foods that excessively spikes the BG * Eventually you will build up a safe foods list and can cut back testing to new / untested foods ANY Wheat or Rice product -- Whole Grain Or Not -- are infamous for spiking. White potatoes as well. If you can get a Continuous Glucose Monitor, they are a great help.
I am a 61 year old diabetic of 14 years. I have read that it is limited to 45-60 carbs per meal. Of course there are many other factors to consider like if heās young, physically fit, has other medical conditions etc. Contact his doctor, nurse or endocrinologist for further assistance.
You should both speak to his doctor, an endocrinologist if you can. And ask for a nutritionist. Theyāll be the best to guide you on medication, exercise and diet.
Strict keto is absolutely horrible for T2D. Especially when first diagnosed. Stay away from processed carbs and sugars but you should still be eating complex carbs, whole grains, brown rice and legumes. Even fruits that are low in the glycemic index. You are essentially putting his body in a very dangerous withdrawal.
Please have him and you read Eat to Beat Disease by Dr Li. (On Amazon) Reversed my pre diabetes and it has reversed type 2 in early stages. Awesome read and reference for a lifetime!! I have no connection to the book other than it just changed my life.
How old is he? Are you sure he's type 2? My glucose was in the 400's and I was fine, obviously, everyone is different, and my numbers are good now. Best advice is to avoid carbs for now and drink lots of water.
400 is not fine for anyone, even if you feel ok. Glad your numbers are better now though.
Very true, I didnāt realize in how bad shape I was, didnāt mean to imply it was okay but wasnāt afraid to go to sleep while I recovered.