why is my diabetic dad losing so much weight?

Question

dad has been type 1 diabetic for over 20 yrs and has recently been suffering with glucoma in eyes and we as a family have noticed a dramatic change in the way he works, he used to work all the time doing gardening and working in the garage in spare time but now seems to have slowed right down, he seems very depressed and he has lost alot of weight through mo fault of his own? he is having a breack from his injections as the injection sights in his body are quite bad and so he has been put on a new trial of like an inhaler insulin, but this has now been stopped due to lack of customers over entire medical board does this mean i wont have much longer with my dad?

Answer 1

You need to talk to your Dad. You must tell him how you feel. Tell him about how much that you care for him and love him. Ask him what he knows and give him support!

It is not possible for any of us to properly answer your question over the internet. Only a doctor or your dad can tell you the what they know.

Take care!

Answer 2

If your dad is truly a Type 1 diabetic, then he will die from DKA in a matter of DAYS without insulin, nevermind years later from kidney failure. Sometimes nurses are not educated well about Type 1 diabetes.

If he is only using the inhaled insulin, he is likely either not using a long acting injection at night to control his blood sugars overnight, or the inhaler does not provide good enough control for him. Type 1 diabetics MUST still take long acting insulin by injection daily in addition to the meal time inhaler, and many Type 1's find that the inhaler does not provide good enough control for them.

If your dad is depressed, which he very much could be, this can cause decreased appetite and weight loss.

You need to get your father in to his doctor ASAP, as in today. His treatment needs to be reviewed, to see if it is his blood sugars that really are the problem.

He also needs a full physical to look for other causes that can cause weight loss. Type 1 diabetics have a higher risk for Graves Disease and Celiac Disease, both which can cause weight loss. Does he have any other symptoms?

Weight loss is a sign of many issues, and it's hard to say what the problem at hand really is for sure.

Please take him to the doctor ASAP, this may be simple treatable depression or adjusting his diabetes treatment, but regardless of the cause, he needs to see his doctor right away. Do not delay.

Answer 3

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Answer 4

im a type 1 diabetic and im not sure if this would be much help to you but before i was diagnosed I suffered from major weight loss I lost so much weight it was disgusting, i would think you should take him to whatever doc you see that helps control his diabeties and have some blood tests to see what his levels have been in the past few months, i sure they can give you more of a certain answer, but it does kinda sound seious because if he isn't taken insulin and his a type 1 his body relies of some sort of insulin to keep him alive and his levels are probably getting higher and higher, which is making his tired and slowing him down all this is what i felt before i was dignosed aswell he needs insulin!!!

Answer 5

I don't know who's given the_only_solorose a thumbs down, but I agree with her. Because your father is taking a break from his injections, the chances are his blood sugars are at high levels. Sadly, this leads to improper fat metabolism, meaning that because his body's cells can't utilise what, if any, insulin is available, they start to burn up fat deposits. This, of course, inevitably leads to weight loss, which is one of initial symptoms that type 1 diabetics have ... as well as polyuria (peeing a lot), polydipsia (drinking a lot) and polyphagia (eating a lot). This all happens because the blood sugar levels are high, but the sugar (glucose) can't be utilised. The body's natural way of defending itself is for you to pee out the excess glucose (sugar). This, in turn, causes dehydration, so you drink more. Because your cells can't utilise the glucose that's in the system, it thinks you're not getting enough food, hence you eat more. As you can see, this is a vicious cycle.

Your father's doctor should be contacted immediately for advice. He is not in a good situation, and he definitely needs helping.

The reason he's cut down on his gardening ... apart from the cold weather and the time of year ... is that his blood sugar levels are too high. This leads to lethargy/tiredness.

Please do your father a favour and telephone his GP.

Sadly, if you don't do something fairly rapidly, your father's time with you will be shortened.

Answer 6

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Answer 7

The only way to know if he is eating right and controlling his diabetes is for him to tell his doctor he wants to go to diabetic classes where he will learn when to eat, how many carbohydrates to eat for his weight , a healthy weight to be and how many times a day he can eat for his weight.

Answer 8

Glaucoma robs your dad of his eyesight. He CAN'T see to do all the things he used to so please read up more on glaucoma. Plus the fact that he is having insulin problems right now all of this has made him depressed. He is probably not eating like he should do to the depression and this would cause weight loss. Have him see his doc to get the depression treated.

Answer 9

Maybe the inhaled insulin, Exhubra, wasn't doing him enough good.

See if the doctor will put him on a pump!! it only has one poke every 3 to 5 days. I have heard marvelous things from people on pumps. There is minimed, and omnipod that they like the most.

I sympathize with him entirely. I truly hate sticking myself multiple times daily.

Answer 10

Sounds like he needs to see the doc and get his insulin adjusted to his current lifestyle. If he is less active, that will effect the way the insulin reacts in his system. He may need to be put in the hospital until they can get it adjusted properly. (My dad and brother change their injection site to reduce problems. Try massaging the site after an injection to get the blood circulating in that area and reduce pain.)