Up half the night helping diabetic with diet diary

[Alnitak7]

As a special favor to a diabetic man who is strict about his diet, I opened up my Excel chart and recorded the things he ate.

I told him it would be better than his notebook because you can do a search for things you've recorded and you would not have to look them up over and over again or go back into your notebook to find information on food. He does not know how to work with Excel and I was so tired from helping him that I never did it again.

He was so strict on his diet the doctor finally told him he was "not diabetic anymore." He still keeps his diary anyway.

I can see what this is doing to his life and how much time it takes up.

I asked "Why can't you just take your blood sugar and then plan what you going to eat instead of writing down what you have eaten?"

I wondered if this wouldn't save time.

He told me this is complicated.

[CDEWannaBe]

People deal with the stress of managing diabetes in different ways. Sounds like your guy had found a food diary helps him eat a strict diet.

[classicdame, MSN, EdD]

very few diabetics need that sort of governance. Brittle diabetics are ususally managed more by medication than diet. Diet plays only a part of the role of control. Exercise, genetics, overall health, medication - so many factors. As a diabetic I learned long ago not to make a religion out of food. Easier to walk a few blocks.

[mammac5]

Dietary intake, physical activity, medications, stress...all have to be managed in order to achieve optimum diabetes management.

Perhaps the gentleman has OCD and his stress is relieved by keeping track of intake. My dad has managed DM for >20 yrs without meds by being OCD. He can tell you any time of day or night what he's eaten, how far he walked, how many lbs of weights or reps he did at the YMCA, what his blood sugar readings are...

It's not everybody's way, but it seems to be working very well for your patient and my dad.

[carterlee]

As a diabetic, nurse, educator & mom. There are very few things in life we can control. For a person with diabetes food is something that we can control. So yes I think some diabetics become OCD about food it's their one thing in this whole picture that we have control over. Also depending on age, life style etc... If they are retired they may not have anything else in their lives to focus on. So I am less concerned about the patient who grabs ahold of life and charges forward as I am about the ones who see this as a death sentence and be come depressed and feel that life is over. This is a great field to work in and you can make a great difference in someone's life by helping them come to terms with diabetes and how to proceed.