Daughter with Diabetes - She Is 15Yo

listen to nutitional specialist direct from my website.Click onto news and events 1-6 www.northbuffalo.jdpremiumproducts.com.

Hi M.,

As I'm sure you're aware from the American Diabetes Association, it's really important for your daughter to eat as many fresh, raw fruits and vegetables as she can. This could also help with the bipolar condition and chronic fatigue. Good nutrition helps every system of our bodies.

The challenge for diabetics is they can't handle all the sugar associated with lots of fruit. There is a solution! I found a product that puts 17 fruits, veggies and grains into capsules. In doing so, they remove the water, salt and sugar so it's safe for diabetics and heart patients. It's an easy way to bridge the gap between what we know we should eat and what we actually do eat each day. I love it so much I decided to market it so I could make it available to other moms like me.

Curious? Check out my website, www.GoodHealthMadeSimple.com as well as my coupon here on Mamasource.

God bless you and your daughters,

M.
"My son eats all his veggies now. Even the green ones."
www.GoodHealthMadeSimple.com/M.

Just a thought....Her symptoms may not all be because of the diabetes, but could be from the med she takes for the bipolar disorder. All of those things you mentioned are common side affects to those types of meds. Sometimes, the drugs that worked fine create problems during and after puberty.
Just a thought.

45 NET carbs per meal AND snack!!!!?
That is a HUGE amount!!
My daughter is a Type I, and she was on a 45 total carb per meal (3 meals) and 0-15 total carbs/snack (3 snacks max) every day. Net carbs are just the "bad" carbs, but diabetes does not care whether they are good or bad carbs - it uses those carbs to hurt you! The Dr. can adjust her dosage of carb reducing medicine to allow her to eat a lot less carbs. There are a lot of "free" foods - carb free that is - that she can eat. Pickles, dry salad, beef jerky... Lay off the carbs. Type II diabetics also must watch their fats, and that is where the net carbs come in handy for things. She should be eating as close to 0 net carbs (this only means that her carbs are all HEALTHY, and not sugar or junk food (french fries and pizza are the worst).

I would not worry about the periods. A lot of young girls have the 3 month spacing, especially when they are not 100% well. After she is on the lower carb diet, she should lose weight, and that will help with her total health.

Another thing that they do not tell you about diabetes at first - it makes you burn magnesium. Low magnesium causes depression and other mental illnesses as well as heart disease and the slow healing that diabetics are famous for. Go to the Vitamin Shoppe (or another good place) and get her 400mg magnesium glycinate. She should take one/day at bedtime, and not have any milk or calcium within an hour before taking it. This should help her health improve. Bipolar disorder is a mental illness that improves greatly with proper magnesium levels. I also agree that the meds for bipolar disorder can cause these appetite issues too. The lady who pointed out that the sugar swings can cause symptoms like bipolar disorder is exactly right too. The headaches could be eye problems caused by the higher sugar levels. My daughter's vision got worse just before she was diagnosed, then was completely back to 20/20 after the sugars were under control!

The huge appetite and fatigue could mean thyroid problems are there as well. Have her tested for all types of thyroid problems (there are several). My daughter went through a really bad year between being diagnosed with the diabetes and them finally admitting that she had a thyroid deficiency too. School suffered, and she was very lethargic. She has had this condition now for over 6 years, and is doing very well!

My Best to you both!

D.

Shaklee has a supplement that has been known to help. I'm sure you know she needs regular excercise...
Hope it gets better.

Hi M.,

I certainly understand your daughters symptoms. I'm a Type 1 Diabetic who was diagnosed within the last 6 years. The one suggestion I have is to drink plenty of water, incorporate some form of exercise and continue to watch her levels. If she is fatigued it may be because her levels are out of control and escalating or that she is not getting the right type of carbs in her system. There is a program on Cable called Diabetic Life that has proven to be extremely helpful to me.

Thanks,

C.

This could be an issue with her Thyroid...many times the thyroid issues and diabetes go hand in hand...and the drugs given can affect the other, etc. I would see the endocrinologist again.

M.,

I'm a Type 1 who was diagnosed at 13 years old (1979). Just before the diagnosis of diabetes (in March), I started wearing eyeglasses for myopia (near-sightedness). The fatigue your daughter is feeling can be caused by vision changes (she needs to see an ophthalmologist yearly anyway) and unstable blood sugarsl, as well as her other hormones, in general. The hormone changes affecting her blood sugars can also cause her to have the symptoms of Bipolar, without actually being Bipolar. (When my blood sugars go "wacky", I'm really all over the place with my behavior!!) When I was your daughter's age, my blood sugars were severely affected by my other hormones, and it NEVER mattered if I was "sticking to my diet" or not.

If you don't already have an endocrinologist and an ophthalmologist, you need to find one soon. PLEASE feel free to contact me if you need help with any of this!! And your daughter, as well....I know EXACTLY what she is going through, and it's *tough* to say the least.

You are NOT ALONE!!!
~J.~

Is your daughter seeing a pediatric endocrinologists? My daughter has Type 1-which is completely different than Type 2-but I know the doctors at the clinic she goes to treats chldren with type 2 also. If she is not seeing one then I suggest she should. They will regularly check her A1C and possibly provide better/more treatment options. Also-do you do blood glucose checks at home? That could help as well.

Is she being medicated for the bipolar disorder? Many of the drugs for psychiatric illnesses can lead to diabetes, so the first course of action is to find out if she is on one and if necessary change. If she is not being medicated, then you have to deal with just the diabetes problem which is big enough by itself/
The irregular periods can be normal at this age, but also can be a sign of polycystic ovarian syndrome. A gyn check up would help figure that out. If she is following the diet properly she should do better over the next few months.
Great organization for families of those with mental illnesses such as bipolar disorder-Planned Living Assistance Network of North Texas-check it out on the web

Have you had her thyroid checked?

I would have her thyroid checked and have her screened for celiac disease. When they diagnosed her, did they test for antibodies associated with diabetes? About 10-15% of folks diagnosed with type 2 are actually what they refer to as type 1.5, which is autoimmune based diabetes. About 15% of the folks with type1 (and this Type 1.5) also have celiac disease. And, of the folks with celiac, about 15% have autoimmune based thyroid disease. Also, bipolar is also correlated with celiac (which is an intolerance to wheat gluten). The proteins found in the gluten can impact the brain. You can google all your daughters symptoms to find the correlation with celiac. Or look at some of the references on this website: www.celiac.com There's actually a bipolar forum on the celiac.com website. The good news about celiac disease is that no drugs are required to treat it - she would just need to modify her diet, but it is very compatible with the diet she's following for her diabetes. Also, does your daughter exercise regularly? That is really, really important for diabetes.

You may have already done this, but I would have her thyriod levels checked. The symptoms you mention could be a sign of a thyriod disorder. I hope you get some wonderful help here!

Have you taken her to a pediatric endocrinologist and an adolescent OBGYN? I can recommend one to you if needed.