topic Re: What to eat when ill? Help, please. in Wellness

What to eat when ill? Help, please.

teainlondon — Tue, 14 Mar 2017 22:56:23 GMT

I am a new diabetic 2, so I have limited knowledge of out of the ordinary situations. I have fibromyalgia and have pain all over my body and my arthritis has intensified for the last two weeks. I think the monitor sticks three times a day have made my fibromyalgia worse. My fingers are bruised and sore and swollen. I have a slight fever and am terribly stressed because I've never felt like this before.

I have not been able to cook so have had to resort to frozen dinners and canned soup. My blood numbers have climbed.

Does anyone have a suggestion of what to eat when not feeling well? I have done fine and controlled my situation without meds, and want to continue to do that. I know when I go for my A1c reading, if it's up, my endocrinologist will want to put me on medication. I don't trust any of those.

I am 73 years old and need some advice, please.

tea

Re: What to eat when ill? Help, please.

makena — Tue, 14 Mar 2017 22:58:00 GMT

@teainlondon please seek your physician's advice.

Re: What to eat when ill? Help, please.

151949 — Tue, 14 Mar 2017 23:01:21 GMT

Ask your doctor to send you to see the dietician or go to a diabetes class.

Re: What to eat when ill? Help, please.

Mz iMac — Tue, 14 Mar 2017 23:01:44 GMT

Does your town have Meals On Wheels?

Re: What to eat when ill? Help, please.

teainlondon — Tue, 14 Mar 2017 23:05:40 GMT

I hate to say this, but he doesn't know. He is old school, sent me to a dietician when I first saw him and the dietician was just out of college and didn't have any answers fro anything. I have researched and followed the Mayo Clinic and ADA to control myself day to day. I just hoped there would be some suggestions from people on the board who have competent care and could give suggestions.

Thanks,

tea

Re: What to eat when ill? Help, please.

Brooklynny — Tue, 14 Mar 2017 23:10:21 GMT

@teainlondon, @makena is correct. You have serious medical issues, and you need to talk to your doctors. Also, please get over your mistrust of medications. I am currently undergoing chemo, and I have to take several prescription meds to counteract the chemo side effects. After two months of treatment, I am feeling quite well and not suffering needlessly. Please see your doctors and get expert advice. I hope you feel better soon.

P.S. I just saw your response above. If you're not happy with your current doctor, you can call your local or major hospital in your area and ask for referrals to see someone new to get a second opinion. It won't cost you anything to do so, and most health insurance plans will pay for second opinions.

Re: What to eat when ill? Help, please.

teainlondon — Tue, 14 Mar 2017 23:17:37 GMT

Thanks. I hope you recover. I am sorry you have cancer. I feel foolish whining about diabetes when you have to have chemo.

I live in the country and the doctor twenty miles away is never concerned with anything but what can be charged on my visit. I was sent a letter telling me I had diabetes. There was no explanation of what to do, what to eat, what goals were. Nothing. I have never been ill, so I have done all the research for hours on end educating myself on this disease. I will continue to research to see if I can find any suggestions about foods when ill.

I hope you continue to feel well and recover completely.

tea

Re: What to eat when ill? Help, please.

cherry — Tue, 14 Mar 2017 23:30:03 GMT

Buy some glucerna. It is a drink that will supply you with nutrients. You should be eating protein, eggs, meat , fish , cheese. For vegetables have only small amounts of starchy ones like potatoes , peas and corn. Cottage cheese is always safe to eat. So is peanut butter and a slice of bread for a snack

Eat fruit ,and stay away from juice. Choose fruit like apples, pears, berries. Citrus is ok if you eat a small orange, not a large one.

You can have nuts and seeds. Use whole wheat bread, but sparingly. If you have bread ,stay away from potatoes for that meal.

Try to keep your meals under 50 carbs , less is always better

You can look up the amount of carbs in food ,on the net with google. You can also buy a book that will list the amount of carbs in food, at a bookstore or amazon

Re: What to eat when ill? Help, please.

Brooklynny — Tue, 14 Mar 2017 23:30:28 GMT

@teainlondon, thanks for your good wishes. Getting sick when you never have been is a tough thing to swallow. You're shocked, bewildered, and don't know what to do. I've never been sick either, so I can sympathize. I live in NYC, so I'm fortunate that I have access to the best specialists. I hope you can find another doctor that understands your concerns and can educate you on how best to care for yourself. Good luck to you.

Re: What to eat when ill? Help, please.

teainlondon — Tue, 14 Mar 2017 23:45:38 GMT

Thanks, Cherry. I have some of everything you mentioned except Glucerna. One big problem is that I am the only cook in my household. It's just my hsband and me. He can't cook. So if I'm not able he will go to the grocery store and get frozen dinners.

So eating when I feel rotten is a problem. He can drive an hour and get Cracker Barrel, which is the only place that's not a chain of fried poison for me. At Cracker Barrel he can get just vegetables and I have had that before. My blood does okay with that, but not every day.

My daily meal is overn roasted chicken breast, leafy green vegetables, and a salad or fruit. I have good blood numbers with that meal. We have red meat once a week.

My a1c is 6.1 and I have blood numbers around 120's or 130's, but being ill has put them into 140's. I know not eating is just as bad as eating the wrong foods. So it's a dilemma.

But this too will pass and I'll feel better if I can just get through this rough spot.

Thanks for your suggestions. That helps me feel better.

tea

Re: What to eat when ill? Help, please.

lolakimono — Wed, 15 Mar 2017 00:04:48 GMT

@teainlondon

http://www.diabetes.org/food-and-fitness/food/what-can-i-eat/making-healthy-food-choices/?loc=ff-slabnav

Re: What to eat when ill? Help, please.

lolakimono — Wed, 15 Mar 2017 00:07:01 GMT

@teainlondon

Have you seen a portion controller like this one before? It's on the diabetes.org site.

Re: What to eat when ill? Help, please.

cherry — Wed, 15 Mar 2017 00:08:28 GMT

You can buy Glucerna at a grocery store or a drugstore. It comes in 3 flavors. It's best when it is cold. It' a fast snack if you are ill. You can also have broth of any sort ,for a pick me up.

Diet Vernors Ginger Ale is good for an upset stomach.You can have a few crackers with cheese or peanut butter.

Salsa is good on cottage cheese ,and you can have that too

Re: What to eat when ill? Help, please.

RedTop — Wed, 15 Mar 2017 00:22:54 GMT

My husband has been diabetic for 20 years and I was diagnosed as pre-diabetic 7 years ago. If your A1c is usually within the range that your physician is happy with, elevated blood sugar readings from your current illness are not reason enough to go on medication. If you record your blood sugar readings for your doctor, make a notation for the length of time you are sick, so the doctor will be aware of the circumstances, and why those readings are slightly higher.

At some point, most diabetics require medication. Oral meds help protect the blood vessels in your eyes and kidneys. There is no need to be afraid of all diabetic meds, just ask your doctor to prescribe an older medication that has been around awhile if and when that time comes. Glyburide and Metformin are the older ones I am familiar with. I take Metformin and Lantus insulin, but have refused Januvia and Jenta-Dueto because of their links to pancreatic cancer.

If you have been sick 2 weeks with a slight fever, and little improvement, I think you need to go see your primary care physician. Best wishes to you.

Re: What to eat when ill? Help, please.

jackthebear — Wed, 15 Mar 2017 00:23:41 GMT

@teainlondon wrote:
I am a new diabetic 2, so I have limited knowledge of out of the ordinary situations. I have fibromyalgia and have pain all over my body and my arthritis has intensified for the last two weeks. I think the monitor sticks three times a day have made my fibromyalgia worse. My fingers are bruised and sore and swollen. I have a slight fever and am terribly stressed because I've never felt like this before.

I have not been able to cook so have had to resort to frozen dinners and canned soup. My blood numbers have climbed.

Does anyone have a suggestion of what to eat when not feeling well? I have done fine and controlled my situation without meds, and want to continue to do that. I know when I go for my A1c reading, if it's up, my endocrinologist will want to put me on medication. I don't trust any of those.

I am 73 years old and need some advice, please.

tea

does your local hospital have a Diabetes Educator program?

as for trusting meds, think of the alternatives

Re: What to eat when ill? Help, please.

cherry — Wed, 15 Mar 2017 00:30:43 GMT

You can have a hamburger or hotdogs for an easy meal. The bun is where the carbs are, (about 30) and if you have some pork and beans along with the sandwich its ok. Just stay away from potato chips

I think you are a bit more afraid of food than you need to be. Grilled cheese sandwiches are about 30 carbs. You could have some tomato soup ( a cup) with it.

Tuna salad sandwich is also ok, as well as chicken salad

I take metformin ,and I know I will always have to. It's nothing to be afraid of

Re: What to eat when ill? Help, please.

AuntG — Wed, 15 Mar 2017 00:45:13 GMT

@teainlondon, I sense how bad you feel and wish I had some advice. My husband and I have tried to cut back on red meat too so we eat salmon and chicken, plus salads and vegetable soup.

Re: What to eat when ill? Help, please.

Q4u — Wed, 15 Mar 2017 00:42:38 GMT

I am also a Type 2 Diabetic. Remember that colds, flu will automatically raise your blood sugars. @cherry mentioned the product Glucerna, I also use the drinks as a replacement meal sometimes.

When I don't feel well, I will soft boil two eggs and put two slices of Multi-grain bread (pulled apart into pieces except for most of the crust). I put nothing on the bread. I take the eggs and get them out of the shells (I crack them and then use a teaspoon to scoop out all the egg making sure I don't get egg shell in it). I then mix the bread and two eggs together well. If it's a little cool, I microwave it 20 seconds.

This little meal (carb and protein) without any oils or butter has been in my family for generations and we always feel good after eating it. Remember the carb count from your bread and only use complex carbs (no white bread).

Hope this makes you feel good..... when my boys were little they would call it "Buppy" and always asked for it when they were sick. Take care....

Re: What to eat when ill? Help, please.

Big Joanie — Wed, 15 Mar 2017 00:50:13 GMT

I was taught at a diabetes class to stick my fingers on the sides....

Then each finger gives you two places to stick.. and i think the sides

are less painfull than the tips of your fingers...

Good luck .. I am having trouble figuring out what to eat too.... i am a compulsive

overeater and sugar-holic....

So I am fighting this on all fronts ...!!

Re: What to eat when ill? Help, please.

lolakimono — Wed, 15 Mar 2017 00:53:59 GMT