i feel like an idiot, but diabetes is not one of my strong points (except for all the complications i see with the patients that my students care for ). so i for ask the help of my colleagues.
my dad was just diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. he seems okay with it, emotionally. he's 56, hx of htn and gout. had prostate ca 10 yrs age, but is doing well otherwise. so he's not completeyl paralyzed and devastated by the diagnosis (oh, he's also a paramedic, so he has medical knowledge).
anyway, my mother has a lot of questions. her main concern is his diet, and she's the one who will insure he is compliant with his diet. he's never cooked a meal a day in his life, and my mother loves to cook. she's rounded up all these diabetes cookbooks, starting to read labels, etc. she also bought a 'cooking with splenda' cookbook. what is the deal w/ splenda and diabetes? i'm assuming it's okay. my only knowledge of splenda is with atkins.
anyway, my other question is this (my mother asked me). should he be monitoring his fingersticks at home? i'm thinking he should, to some extent. definitely not q ac and hs, but just to have an idea (as my mother puts it). and if so, do insurance companies cover the cost of it for type 2? he's not on medicare (yet) or medcaid. but is it a justifiable expense? if not does anyone know how much they cost, and do you need a perscription?
any other advice or patient ed. links would be greatly appreciated.
