Hi there,It sounds as if they are trying to build up her reserves so that she is able to survive the op. If, as you have said, her diabetes is usually diet controlled, the hospital should be offering her low GI but nutritious meals and snacks to build up her reserves. If you want to take her a treat, take her a curry made of chickpeas, sweet potato, carnation coconut milk , a korma curry base mix, zucchinni, broccoli and served over basmati rice. All low GI and tolerated by diabetics. I would still encourage her use of sweeteners in tea etc, but encourage her to also drink serves of low GI soups.  It will help her blood sugar to remain stable, and also help her to regain some condition. If you get some help from a dietician to make sure her needs are met and help her regain some weight, without upsetting her blood sugar, it would be of great benefit. As her diabetes is not severe, the doctors are weighing up the options and have decided that he weight gain is more importannt than her diabetes at this stage. She must need the operation to improve her quality of life. If her blood sugar levels became too unstable, they would use insulin to level it out. Just check with them how often they are testing her blood sugar levels. I hope that your Nan picks up and can have the op soon so she can get better! Best wishes, Michele

It would be dependant on her type of diabetes and the severity of it.  There are some low GI products, that are sugars not substitutes, that she could use such as brown sugar or raw sugar.  They release the energy over a longer period of time and the body can handle that a lot better.

Close monitoring will be required as well as a food diary.

hi again.  i think that everyone here has left some excellent responses.  i just wanted to add to my other comments as an afterthought.  your nan may eat foods higher in both complex and simple carbohydrates to prepare her for the surgery, but without the insulin she needs for the body to absorb the energy, the sugars will just sit in her blood and not do her any good (her body will produce some insulin but it may not be enough to cope with the extra sugars in her diet).  this is the importance of monitoring- if her BSLs are sitting high, then the foods she is eating are not being used anyway.  while she is having this temporary change in her diet, she might require some metformin- or another diabetes tablet, or insulin injections in order for her body to effectively use the extra energy she is eating.  Any bowel illness can affect your appetite, so she is probably losing weight.  i just wanted to make sure that you were aware that her body may need assistance to utilize the extra energy she is eating.  i agree with the comments made about prioritising health complaints and issues- it was spot on.

Food is a balance. With old age, food is often uninteresting and gets forgotten. With diabetes, it is a balance of regularity and consistency. A lot of it comes down to how stable is her diabetes; how well is it really controlled. And if bowel problem are effecting ehr appetite, and she's not eating, then it would be logical to encourage exceptional food, to peek interest, keep her eating and build up her strength. I know that's a lot of if's, but I hope it will get you thinking.

I don't belevie they've given up on her. I believe they are balance a balance, and really liked what the one lady said on here about the kids with CF and Diabetes. Eating these foods won't kill her, but her diabetes will require more monitoring. Depending, I can see where she may have to go on insulin pills for a while, or something like that, to balance it until her surgery.

For them to have told her she can eat anything she wants, I'm suspecting that they beleive she is unlikely to go overboard and eat to the degree of causign harm.. (which would be a challenge for me, but not so for others! I'd be pigging out on icecream, bacon, cheese and chocolate if i didn't have to watch my fat content!) It would be good to remind her of the signs of high blood sugar, and make sure she has a plan for dealing with it. And careful charting of her sugars will be extremely important because her doctor may need to put her on insulin if she's running high too much.

I pray she gets well soon. Iamschild.

Go to her local Doc and tell him what the specialist said and demand a referal to a dietitioan so they can help her with her diet, have the Specialist write notes on what his expectations are so they know exactly what to do. Make the Doc get the first available URGENT appointment to ge things resolved.

I hope things turn out o.k for her and if not then think about her being free resume her life without pain and the embarrassment she suffers from having accidents.

Good luck.

thanks for your answers they really helped xx

my dad is in his seventys and is a diabetic and he has jelly beans or orange juice when his suger count is low .

 This seems to be a catch22 situation for your Nan.....with this operation they are hoping to make her comfortable and give her a bit more time......without the operation she wont have much time and be  uncomfortable. But to do the operation she needs to build up her strength and at this stage they don't seem too concerned about the diabetics, plus it is only short term till she has the surgery. I'm sure there are foods out there she can have that won't affect her diabetics.

I don't think they are giving up on her sweetie quiet the opposite they are trying to get her strong enough to make it through surgery which at this stage in her life, it  is major surgery. 

If this is over a short term period just so she can gain some weight to have a life saving operation, then the only issue should generally be how it makes her feel (reacting to blood sugar levels)  Once she has had the operation, she can then revert to appropriate eating for her diabetes to avoid the long term complications that inappropriate diet in a diabetic can lead to.  Health professionals address each health issue in terms of their priority on the immediate health of the patient.  My two nephews who are in their mid 20s both have cystic fibrosis and as adults they have developed diabetes.  The diet required to manage CF is very high in fats etc which is diametrically opposed to a sensible diet for a diabetic.  The approach taken in this case is to 'feed the CF' (which is the much more critical component of their health) and 'treat the diabetes' with insulin.

Hello sorry to hear that about your nanny, my mum has type two and she does the right thing and she is ok my dad also has type two and does the wrong thing with eating and he is ok he is nearly 69. I can see why you are worried because she is being told she can have what she wants probably to much wouldnt be good sounds like they are just trying to get her to eat so she gets her strength up. I know my nanny 87 dosent eat much because of her bowel. Sounds like your doing the right thing keeping an eye on her.

Hey I have diabetes too. A bit of sugar isn't going to do anything BUT it depends on the person. It could make her blood sugar levels raise through the roof, it may do nothing and it may prevent a sugar crash. So long as she is testing her levels or using insulin if she is a type 1 diabetic she should be okay. Just tell her to do her readings regularly (so even if she's a type 2 which is diet controlled) she can keep an eye on it.

is your nan type 2 diabetic and diet controlled or does she have insulin?  a bit of sugar in her tea isn't going to kill her.  if her blood sugar levels are running a bit low then it will help to stabilise her.  she needs to keep an eye on her BSLs, and do her fingerpricks as often as her doctor has prescribed.  i would be encouraging your nan to have a healthy diet, full of nutrients that will make her strong and a bit of mild regular exercise to prepare her for her upcoming surgery.  if her dr wants her to change her diet, in terms of adding more sugar, then he/she will need to monitor her diabetes more carefully.