Does my mother have diabetes?

I went to mom's house yesterday.  She had some overnight guests staying with her who were diabetic and had a meter.  They took mom's BS earlier yesterday morning and it was nearly 300 she said.  She could not tell me an exact number.  This morning it was down to 158.  She said that it has fluctated from 200 to nearly 300 to 150s.  This is concerning for me.  I asked her if she was feeling anything.  She says that she has early morning headaches and a feeling like she was going to pass out.   She said she was symptom free right now though.  She said she had been drinking whole milk, eating lots of sweets and that is why it is so high.  She said that as if it could happen to anyone but I don't think that is normal, it doesn't happen to me.  She says when you get older, your body changes.   I asked her if she has said anything to her doctor.  She said that they do random blood tests for her medicine and it has always been borderline but they have never said or done anything or even mentioned it.   

Am I jumping the gun on being concerned?  Mom is in the low-income range and I am wondering if this is why the docs aren't doing anything.   Mom is overweight and is 58 years old. 

• Does my mother have diabetes? - Concerned daughter.
  • Not necessarily - An Iowan
    • I never thought of that. - Concerned daughter.
  • Is she losing weight or having frequent - S/M

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Okay, I've been feeling really weird the past couple of days (yes, that's an official medical term; it's right up there with icky, which I will be using later).  The first time, it felt like my blood sugar was too low, but that didn't make sense since I had just eaten a sausage 'n' mushroom omelet.  Went to lay down, and kept waking up feeling like I was going to pass out.  Make any sense?  Had that horrible feeling off and on all day yesterday, then again today.  Finally got smart enought to get the old glucometer out and it read 112.  Had a bologna, cheese and ketchup sandwich a little later, then tried having nothing for 2 hours.  About 1 3/4 hours later, I started feeling really icky again.  I tested and it was 106.  Had some orange juice and I felt a little better.  Had supper and felt a lot better.  Two hours with nothing but water, and the retest put me at 80.

I've spent half the night on Google, then again, I got smart enough to throw the question out here... WHAT'S GOING ON?   Maybe it's not even my sugar... maybe I just had some bad eggs.  Or maybe it's high blood pressure and I'm just looking at the wrong thing.

Shaky, nauseas, spacy, tired, like I'm going to pass out, headache, and my face 'throbs' (I'm sure there's more), but the numbers don't make sense.

I know, go to the doctor, right?  I'll be calling to schedule a complete physical sometime this next week.  In the meantime, just wondered what y'all thought?

No insurance.  Went to the doc yesterday to go over lab work I had done in November.  My blood glucose was 127 (upper limit of normal being 126).  I am 45 yeard old and overweight, but I never had this happen before.  He then did a glucometer reading (after I had had three cups of coffee, each with two sugars, of which I was still sipping on as he took the reading).  He then ordered new lab work as a recheck, but stated he had to put NIDDM as a diagnosis on the requisition form.  I don't feel a diagnosis can be made that simply.  What's really upsetting is the fact that he informed me that now since I had been diagnosed with NIDDM that I would probably never be able to get health insurance with a pre-existing condition such as this.  I feel that through correct diet and exercise over the next few months I can easily lose ten or more pounds, and that this more than likely will change the status of my next lab values.  I feel so very sad about this.  What do I do??

Ok, so here is what is going on.  My mother in-law fell down some stairs and broke her leg.  She did not have insurance.  She had not been to a doctor in 27 years.  She has been in the hospital for about 4 days.  They had to do surgery and things are looking good.  She will have to have rehab for a few months, use a walker and so on.  Well, guess who they ask to take care of her for the next few months?  The "stay-at-home" mom who has all the free time in the world haha (not to mention I have a 3 year old who stays at home with me and a busy 6 year old in school).  This would consist of me taking her to the restroom, bathing, changing dressings, helping with rehab exercises, not to mention working 8 hours a day and making sure my 3 year old doesn't climb on her.  I feel bad for saying no, but I think that they should feel bad for asking me.  She has 5 children.  I feel that it is way too much responsibility for me to take on and that it absurd that they asked me.  Aren't there facilities where she can go at least for the 1st month?  Please help, just need advise. 

And for anyone who wants to say "if it was your mother..."  Believe it or not, in June MY mother fell down some stairs and broke her ankle.  I was at her house every afternoon and we had people come in multiple times daily to check on her.  However, the mother in-law is about 25 years older and the extent of the injury is greater.  I would have never asked my husband to take care of her and help her do these things. 

them.  Your sister-in-law should not even bring them over there anymore in my opinion.  If your mother-in-law's gate cannot hold them in for sure, then she absolutely should not watch them.

Your sister-in-law sounds selfish to me, so point out to her that it is unsafe for her OWN animals to be out running free, as anyone would have the right to shoot them if they were on their property threatening them.  Maybe then she will care!  Plus she (or you mom-in-law) could be sued if the dogs injure or kill someone or someone's animals.  Not to mention they would have to live with that for the rest of their lives.

tis better to raise children in a happy divorced home than a miserable married one.

I divorced my kids father and within 3 years, all of us were in a much better place and now, 16 years later, this still holds true!!!  This, I swear!! 

She does it all the time and it's infuriating!!!  She interrupts my sentence by finishing it herself and it drives me absolutely crazy.  I've asked her nicely, I've asked her rudely, it still continues and I have just given up.  She's not going to change, especially at her age.  Sometimes when she interrupts me, I'll just stop talking altogether and that's the end of the conversation.  Try turning the tables and doing it to your boyfriend incessantly and see if he gets the point.

 I feel your pain!!

my wonderful DIL made me a CD from pictures of my two sons from tiny baby up to my older son's wedding (my younger son was Best Man).  Her choice of music and pictures were all just perfect.  I LOVE IT!

I have told her especially when H is here especially to knock first.  She never seems to get the message through her head. 

I met my daughter for lunch Saturday and it was great!  Unfortunately she live about 35 miles away and traffic was horrendous.  But all worth it of course.  Sunday at church and hanging out with some friends - great weekend!

My mother has 4 daughters, 22 years between the first daughter and the last.  Each time a daughter marries, the mother tries to come between the couple by getting the daughter to say bad things about the husband and leave him.  She unfortunately has had two bad marriages herself, but is still married to the second husband despite his infidelities.  With each marriage, the pressure is applied earlier to the daughter.

We are now on the marriage of the third daughter.  She had been married for  90 days and the pressure is being applied pretty severely for her to leave her new husband and move back home with mother.

The first daughter has not spoken to mother for 14 years due to this compulsive behavior.  The second daughter fell for it once and doesn't want to be divorced again, and is actually relieved there is another target.

Loyalty to mother is the only acceptable behavior.  Daughter number two is not convinced daughter number three will be able to take the heat.

Anybody know about these things?

My son is nearly 40, has a very good IT computer job. He's never been good about remembering my birthday, mother's day or christmas. Usually his wife would cover for him, not always, but enough that I didn't usually say anything or complain if one of these occasions were missed. However, he and his wife have split up and now I realize that I don't even get a card or a phone call on any of these occasions!  Nothing. In the past I had thought about "forgetting" his birthday once in a while, but now I am so mad that I feel like never sending him another card with money, etc. But then I think that he is still my son and just because he can't be bothered to call or send a card on my birthday, or on mother's day or at christmas that I should just let it go and not be a petty person and go ahead and continue with my remembrances. 

Thoughts?

I know EXACTLY what you are talking about.  I have a son (my youngest) who is the same way.  He did not come over today.  He called me this morning and talked 2 minutes.  A couple of weeks ago, I fell and hurt my wrist (thought I broke it).  My daughter called him and asked him if he could take me to the hospital.  He said he and his girlfriend were out shopping and stuff, and he didn't have time to do it.  I was so hurt.  Thank goodness I only badly sprained my wrist, but that is beside the point.  Once when I was younger, and I was helping a lady who had bone cancer, her husband told me about children "when they are young, they break your heart, and when they are grown, they step on it."  I told myself "not my children.  They would never forget about me."  I understand what he was saying now. 

As far as presents and cards on birthdays and such for children who don't remember you, I will not remember them.  My daughter did not have much money to spend, but she bought me a humming bird feeder and some flip-flops, and she and her husband and children came over and spent the day with me.  My oldest son bought me a hanging basket and spent the day with me.  Them I will remember.

Mother's day has been a tough day for me for a long time, especially the last two.  After 14 out of our 18 years of marriage, we tried for a baby.  We had "unexplained infertility".  2 years ago, my uterus proapsed (nothing like wiping after peeing and feeling something at the vaginal opening, grabbing a mirror and going "darned, that looks like my cervix), most likely from lifting too many heavy objects from our many military moves.  Silly as it may sound, I do consider myself Mommy to my 2 black and 1 fawn pug.  Unfortunately, the gifts I get from them are piles of poo.     Pugs aren't cheap dogs but they have paid at least 100 fold with their antics, love, cuddling and sweetness. 

BTW, adoption and in vitro were both out of the question.  Hubby was in the military, and military pay is no way to get rich.  I worked for a doctor and we all know how well they pay - ha ha.  American adoption is around 50 grand. AFAIC, that is BUYING a baby with mainly the lawyer getting rich.  I would have found the money for this had there not been the chance of the mother changing my mind (that happened to my cousins.  I was way too emotionally fragile by this point).  IVF is now up to about $20-25K for an 18% chance of conceiving.  It just wasn't meant to be. 

I got very depressed over this and started drinking a lot.  I became an alcoholic.  As many times as I should have died from alcohol poisoning or whatever (I didn't drink and drive - Hubby was at sea 77% of the time so there was no need to hide it), I'm still alive.  I ended up in the hospital twice with alcoholic hepatitis and pancreatitis, also destroying my gallbladder.  Thankfully, all of my liver enzymes are back to normal and my pancreas is okay.  People often talk about how morphine and Demerol make you high.  Well, I'm here to tell you that if you're in enough pain, it does not make you high, it just takes the edge off.  If you think you may have a drinking problem, I am here, just E-mail me.  We always say in A.A., if you're not sure you have a drinking problem, try controlled drinking for a few weeks.  If you can stop at a couple of drinks, well, you're probably okay.  If not, you probably need to seek help.  There's nothing more powerful than 2 people trying to talk each other out of trying to take a drink.  I do give out my phone number too for folks who think they have a drinking problem. 

So, anyway, I want to wish all of the mothers out there, mothers of bio children, mothers of foster children, mothers of adopted children and mothers of pets a belated happy mother's day.  I hope all of your dreams came true.  My pain is lessening with time.  My only true pain is my own mother.  She put me thru a lot of pain.  I got a nasty E-mail from her Sunday, apologizing for not getting back to her soon but that I had been working 7 days a week, 10-14 hour days because of OT.  She vindictively commented that since I had been working so much, perhaps I should just staty home and rest.  This was not a caring mother concerned for her daughter.  This was a mother getting even.  Trust me - I've dealt with it for 42 years now.  My response?  "Fine with me."  I deleted any subsequent E-mails from her yesterday.  My only sadness is my dad.  He gets put in the middle of this.  Thankfully, I do see a wonderful counselor.  He told me I live with a lot of guilt, which I do.  But after 42 years of verbal and emotional abuse, I have had enough.  I chose to deal with it my drinking (I have been sober for many years), my sister chose to deal with it by overeating - she has now lost a significant amount of weight and I am so pround of her.  I have nothing against overweight people, I just don't want to see her die young of heart disease or other ailments that plague people with excessive weight.  She has 2 beautiful kids, one who got a full scholarschip to Ohio State and is majoring in engineering, taking all honors classes.  My niece is 10.  Once she is off to school, my sister said she is leaving Ohio.  She has had enough of my mom too. 

Anyway, seeing as how I was so destructive toward my body with the alcohol (I was brought down at age 33 with the alc. hepatitis and pancreatitis,, I know God has a purpose for me.  At first, I cursed God.  How dare he turn me into an alcoholic at the tender age of 33.  I have met so many people at AA meetings who wish they had recovered earlier in life.  Alcohol is a great time killer and I now bless God for sobering me up early.  If there is one person I can help, I'm more than willing to do so.

Take care of yourselves and God bless you all! :-)

P.S.  Sorry for the (as Stephen King puts it) diarrhea of the word processor. 

Does this happen to anyone else?

First let me say happy belated mother's day to all the moms!  I have to get this off my chest so I can move on.  

I have a 12 year-old-son who is my world.  Like every mother's child is to them.  I do not EXPECT ANYTHING on any occasion except Happy whatever day.  However last Sunday took the cake.  The first person to wish me a Happy Mother's day last weekend was my EX-husband.  He called from Arizona.  Thinking that he wanted to speak to our son I explained to him he was not here at the moment.  He said no he just called to wish me happy mom's day.  I was so touched.  My husband and my son NEVER did wish me a happy mothers day, however, I did get my big butt chewed on Monday when I was asked by my husband why I did not remind him to call his mother and why hadn't I picked up a card for her, he continues to go on about how selfish I am.  I was to hurt and upset.  Yes, I did call my mother, my ex-mother-in-law, my sister and my best friends.  I never did hear HMD from them .  We had a similar situation some time back where they never wished me a happy birthday until 2 days after!

Do I have a right to be upset or am I really selfish?