Need Advice - Princeton,TX

if you mean type instead of stage, then try to get your mom to calm down. Type 1 diabetes is NOTHING like type 2 diabetes. Type 2 can be controled by healthy life style changes. Type 1 is only controled by insulin. Do a google search on the differences and you'll see that Type 2 isn't a death sentence.

My mom was borderline type 2. She signed up for classes that taught her about nutrition and how to change your nutrition to control the diabetes. She's perfectly fine.

When you say 'Stage' do you mean 'Type'? Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes are quite different so she doesn't need to immediately worry over the fact that her mother died from Type 1, Type 2 is a more gradual disease.

What information has her doctor given her? Is she on medication, insulin or are they trying to control it with diet and exercise? Have they put together a health team for her: specialist, nutritionist, etc?

Type 2 Diabetes does not have to be a death sentence but it is absolutely a life-style change. The best advice we were given when my parents were diagnosed is to take it one step at a time. Change one food (like adding more veggies and fruits to the diet and removing candies, cake, etc) and deal with that for a few weeks, then change something else like adding water and reducing soda and sweet tea use. Start moving -- walking after a meal is an excellent way to help reduce glucose levels.

The main thing right now is to get her to calm down and breathe. Everything involved in dealing with this disease can seem incredibly complicated and confusing but I promise, in time, you and she will see that it's not impossible to understand it all.

Two books that I really like are:

The Type 2 Diabetes Sourcebook -- David Drum and Terry Zierenberg

Diabetes is not a piece of cake -- Janet Meirelles

Two websites that I really like are:

www.diabetes.org

www.joslin.org

If you want to talk to someone who has been through it with a parent (or two), please feel free to PM me. It's definitely a scary thing to hear but it's also very manageable.

I'm not sure how close this is to you, but there is a store here called Diabetic Design on North Beach Street. They sale a lot of diabetic safe foods, mixes, cakes, pasta, candies, meals, even other things like toothpaste, socks, shoes, education books and recipe books and other support items. If it is far from you, they also do online orders. They are very nice in there and could probably guide you to a support group even.

http://diabeticdesign.com/wp/?page_id=11

My grandmother has type 2 diabetes as well and it can be difficult (she has a lot of other health problems too), but she is able to mostly keep it under control with diet and meds. Best of luck to your family and mother, she will be in our prayers.

http://www.revolutionhealth.com/conditions/diabetes/types...

I've had Type 2 diabetes for about six years now. I keep it under control very easily with diet and regular check ups for blood work every three months. No problems from it at all. It just depends on whether or not you adhere to a healthy way of eating. Portion sizes are very important, too. If anything, the diabetes is helping me change my life for the better. Tell your mom to listen to her doctor. Make sure he's encouraging towards her treatment. That's very important. I'd be interested in hearing how your mom's diabetes is being treated.