Living With A Diabetic Mother

If someone close to you is diagnosed with a serious medical condition it affects your life as well. Some diseases require treatment, lifestyle changes, and support from people around them. One such disease which is very common in India is Diabetes.

Diabetes has become a grave concern for India with more than 3 crore people suffering from it. Experts suggest that his number will continue to rise as India is unable to attain freedom from diabetes.

Even if you are not suffering from this but someone you are living with is, there are things you will need to know. This is important to help you in ensuring the care of your loved ones.

Here is my experience of living with a diabetic mother.

Acceptance

The first part that would be hard is to get an old person to accept they have a serious condition and that this condition requires certain changes. My mother turned into a very rigid person who did not believe that the disease is serious.

To tackle this problem, you need to talk facts. Use data to explain to them how dangerous the condition is and convince them into accepting it and working to manage it

If this problem did not arise for you then consider yourself lucky.

The Changes

Walk can qualify as an exercise for old people, Credits: Needpix

Diet: requires changes. These changes include diet, exercise, and alternative therapies. When initially the diet came and my mother was told that she cannot eat like she used to, she became quite bothered.

Restricting someone’s diet, especially for a foodie, is a big thing but it has to be done. One factor which is escalating diabetes in India is the poor lifestyle and food choices.

To make it easier for my mother I started monitoring my diet as well. I got rid of the sweet snacks and found healthier items. If there will be food items that a diabetic cannot eat then it becomes difficult for them to ignore. If everyone decides to eat healthily then it becomes easier for the patient in the beginning.

Physical Activity: Some form of exercise is a must for a diabetic patient. Exercise helps in weight loss, maintains optimum metabolism levels, and releases stress. There are many studies that show the importance of exercise for a diabetic patient.

I had to encourage my mother to do exercise and you have to do the same. It is easier if you can be a part of a group of people all of which exercise.

Debunking the Myths

Honey can be as harmful as sugar for a diabetic patient, Credits: Wikimedia Commons

One very important aspect of living with a diabetic patient is to not fall for the myths. There are many types of advice you will come across regarding the right and wrongs of approaching diabetes.  My advice is to do not believe any of them before consulting an expert. If you have doubts, talk to a doctor about it and proceed afterward.

One such question I came across was: is honey good for diabetes?  Somebody had informed my mother that if you substitute sugar with honey you can have it as much as you want.

That is incorrect. Honey cannot be consumed in large quantities. Honey and sugar can be interchanged but their quantities need to remain limited.

There are many such pieces of information that can cause a lot of harm. Diabetes awareness is still low in India but if India wants to achieve freedom from diabetes then awareness about the disease needs to increase.

Ayurvedic Medicine for Diabetes

Bottle gourd juice can help with diabetes, Credits: Flickr

Ayurvedic medicines can be very helpful in treating and managing diabetes. This was another advice that my mother was given but this one helped.  She got an ayurvedic treatment which helped control her diabetes better.  There are many forms of treatment available and you can try after consulting an ayurvedic medicine for diabetes doctor.

Some common ayurvedic treatments used in diabetes are fenugreek seeds and bitter gourd juice.

Takeaway 

Living with a diabetic parent brings about many changes to your life. In my opinion, these changes are necessary because they help the patient cope with the problem. Support your loved ones by being aware of diabetes and making changes.

Pay attention to the myths of diabetes and if you try ayurvedic medicines consult an expert before it. Diabetes is a manageable disease if handled properly.