fox: a big hug. (hug)
fox ([personal profile] fox) wrote2005-01-12 02:46 am

nothing like a little excitement, the night before i leave.

My father is diabetic.

His father was also diabetic, and had to inject himself with insulin for as long as I knew him (and disposed of the sharps, incidentally, in an empty soda can he kept in the refrigerator for that purpose -- FREAKY), and compared to my grandfather, my father is hardly diabetic at all.  But still, he's been monitoring his blood sugar for years, and over the years it's had more and more of a mind of its own.  For a while now, he and his doctor(s?) have been messing around with his medication in an attempt to get it to where the sugar level will be more or less even throughout the day -- at the levels of medication he was taking, a few months ago his sugar would plummet sort of late mid-afternoon, and be very low in the morning, which was no good.  So they've adjusted this and tweaked that, and mainly it's been under control.

The first day I was back, my parents had to go to a dealership a couple of hours away to pick up my father's car, which had broken down on their way to visit my grandparents a week or so before -- it's not important, but they arrived home after a long drive and my father immediately took his sugar reading and it was dangerously low and he had some candy and was then able to think about what to do next (high on the list was "call the doctor and see if something can be done about this", because this was the plummeting thing I mentioned earlier, and it'd happened enough that it couldn't be considered a fluke).  But since then, the whole time I've been home, it's been pretty much okay.  Haven't heard any chatter about it, anyway.

But about half an hour ago, just as I was about to leave the living room and head up to bed, my dad comes down from his room looking not so good.  Which, okay, nobody looks so good immediately upon waking up.  But what are you doing up, I said, and he said he was awake and felt like he should measure his sugar.  And it was Too Low, and I brought him a bit of chocolate to eat while I made him some popcorn, and I watched his jaw tremble as he chewed it.

I'm not happy.  He says it's no big deal, and it doesn't happen often but he just readjusted his medication again, and I believe him, because he's seen enough with various family members that one thing he's not is stupid about his health.  So it's not that I think he won't take care of himself, or won't keep my mother informed, or whatever.  But, dudes.  Ack.  Ack.

[identity profile] kaalee.livejournal.com 2005-01-12 10:57 am (UTC)(link)
whoa. that is a little scary-ish. it also brings to my mind thoughts that I have about my parents being mortal and some such. always is kind of an odd blow to me. <3333

[identity profile] the-emu.livejournal.com 2005-01-12 12:06 pm (UTC)(link)
That really sucks. It's scary, a parent being ill - parents aren't supposed to get sick, or vulnerable.

8^-

[identity profile] darthrami.livejournal.com 2005-01-12 12:23 pm (UTC)(link)
Meep. At least he knows what he's doing, and seems to be doing the right things.

[identity profile] mearagrrl.livejournal.com 2005-01-12 03:10 pm (UTC)(link)
FYI, OJ is a good thing for a quick blood sugar hit.

[identity profile] darthfox.livejournal.com 2005-01-12 03:24 pm (UTC)(link)
indeed. :-) but no OJ in the house -- my brother is the only one who drinks it regularly, so they get some when he's coming home, but this time there wasn't any left over. they don't keep it normally.

[identity profile] thyesc.livejournal.com 2005-01-12 03:26 pm (UTC)(link)
((HUGS)) ACK. I am so sorry :-(
axiom_of_stripe: DC Comics: Kory cries "X'Hal!" (Default)

[personal profile] axiom_of_stripe 2005-01-12 04:23 pm (UTC)(link)
{{{ hugs you wordlessly }}}
ext_1059: (Default)

[identity profile] shezan.livejournal.com 2005-01-12 04:24 pm (UTC)(link)
[livejournal.com profile] minchdexter would be very informative on this - he's got diabetes in a major way, necessitating an insulin pump and about 10 blood sugar checks a day.

[identity profile] ccr1138.livejournal.com 2005-01-12 10:19 pm (UTC)(link)
Sorry your dad's having this trouble. I recommend eating 6-8 small snacks a day consisting mostly of protein, such as a spoonful of peanut butter or cheese on a cracker. The protein takes much longer to break down into glucose than does carbohydrate, thus keeping the sugar on a more even keel. It's worth a try if he's not doing that already. Best wishes!

[identity profile] darthfox.livejournal.com 2005-01-13 08:36 pm (UTC)(link)
he's got a whole system of daily quotas, and isn't supposed to have too much protein -- he asked if he could bump it up, and was told to take care of his kidneys -- but yeah, he does do the balance-through-the-day thing. it's the medication, rar. [makes faces at medication]

[identity profile] glasshouseslive.livejournal.com 2005-01-12 11:50 pm (UTC)(link)
Meep! Keep us updated. It's always weird to see a parent vulnerable. And if his current doctor can't figure it out, bug him to switch.