sweet tooth

[littlegem]

Hi,
Just this last 4/5 days my hubby has been refusing to eat proper food as in meat and veg, he will eat 2 small spoonfuls then say he wants cakes, buns, chocolate. He's diabetic so obviously I don't let him have them. He has drained tinned pears.
He can't live on pears!
How do I get him to eat meals?
If he doesn't eat at all that is just as bad for his diabetes as it will go too low.
I don't know what to do.
Suggestions please.
Thank you xx

 

[lin1]

Hi Littlegem
The only thing I can think of at the momement is to have a word with the diabetic nurse or clinic.
I also wonder if their are meal replacement desserts suitable for diabetics
My mum developed a very sweet tooth as your husband seems to have and adored the meal replacemnt called Resource dessert energy ,but I cannot remember if they are suitable for diabetics , your gp should know if they or something similar would be suitable
I hope you find a solution soon

 

[zoet]

Nope, sorry, dont need to have a word with anyone.

He will eat what eat wants to bl**dy eat! And thats that. Its no good thinking you are prolonging or adding quality to a life that has already decided which path its going on.

Sorry...harsh...but true. It doesnt matter what he eats. As long as he eats. It could be custard five times a day, or omlette, or melon or bubble gum...it REALLY does not matter. While he eats feed him what he likes and be thankful he eats. There is absolutely NO goo=od at all putting him on a healthy diet of any sort....hes eating for life now Lady...you eat it too...every memory, every good time, every meal enjoyed, it is all a bonus. Food is simply one of the last pleasures left, dont make it a chore. xxx

 

[Grannie G]

I wouldn`t go as far as Zoet but I would and do allow sweet food as long as your husband is taking his medication.

My husband is allowed more than he ever was but he does eat his savoury meals as well so I can understand your concern littlegem.

I would have a word with the diabetic nurse and the doctor. The biggest problem is poorly controlled blood sugar increases confusion.

However it is very tempting to give someone with dementia what they want, just out of sympathy for their disease and because confrontation does not work.

 

[littlegem]

Nope, sorry, dont need to have a word with anyone.

He will eat what eat wants to bl**dy eat! And thats that. Its no good thinking you are prolonging or adding quality to a life that has already decided which path its going on.

Sorry...harsh...but true. It doesnt matter what he eats. As long as he eats. It could be custard five times a day, or omlette, or melon or bubble gum...it REALLY does not matter. While he eats feed him what he likes and be thankful he eats. There is absolutely NO goo=od at all putting him on a healthy diet of any sort....hes eating for life now Lady...you eat it too...every memory, every good time, every meal enjoyed, it is all a bonus. Food is simply one of the last pleasures left, dont make it a chore. xxx

Great post zoet!!!,
I do give in within reason
His blood sugars are checked when I think he's had too much sweet stuff but, SO FAR, it's not been a problem, it's just the not eating anything else that was worrying me. He always had good breakfast at least.
I'll play it by ear until he sees the diabetic nurse.
Your post brought the first smile of the day.
Thank you.
xx

 

[chucky]

hello littlegem, ive had issues with my dad with sweets and choc etc and it was the CH manager who had a problem with it. He is also diabetic but i only give him a treat once a week jelly babies and aeros which he looks forward to and asks for them the minute i go in. The problem is that obviously being diabetic you need to watch his sugar levels and i can see that eating nothing but treats wont be beneficial to his health. I decided to go against the CH on this because at my dads stage i feel its the only pleasure he gets but he does eat his meals too. This is a hard one for you if you cant get him to eat food too. Ask your GP if you can have a referral for a dietician and maybe they can reccommend alternatives. Its good that he has still got an appetite and wants to eat, even if it is only pears. Dont fret over this, it may well be that he will get bored with the pears and return to proper meals soon. xx

 

[Nannybus]

I am with Zoet on this one. My mother has lain immobile for three years. Before that she always lived such a healthy life, only eating what was good for her. What for!!! She is now 92 and in a living hell. She loves chocolate and I provide.

 

[Christin]

Hello, we did go through a couple of years when FIL would eat nothing but very soft food and I thought it might be something to do with chewing. He asked continually for biscuits, cake, even searching at night for sweet things. He also became quite fixated about colours and would only eat 'red' soup.

Around Christmas time he refused all food, we couldn't tempt him with anything and then he began to tell us he had pains in his stomach, which we think were hunger pains, he said he couldn't eat because he felt so sick. The only thing we could tempt him to eat was chocolate. We did this as a one off, to reintroduce him to food. Now he has moved to a NH he has begun to eat a larger variety of foods than here but we still take him some treats, jaffa cakes, bananas etc.

It quite possibly is just a phase, I think its important to keep some sort of balance.

 

[Pacucho]

Some tips

Hi

Sorry to read about your hubby not eating properly. Here are some tips I picked up over the years in caring for my late mum, who suffered from severe vascular dementia:

- Try to make the meal look attractive in terms of colour. For example, I sometimes mixed fruit into the main meal to give it colour.
- I used to eat at the same time and in the same room as my mum. Sometimes I found she followed me in eating.
- I made sure I did not finish my meal too early before my mum otherwise she had a tendency to stop eating.
- Make sure the meal does not look too much on the plate otherwise he may feel daunted and put off, i.e. little and often usually works. Also, there is no harm in placing a portion on a big plate as it can give the appearance there is not that much to eat which can help.
- Sometimes my mum liked to clear her mouth out because she did not eat too well, and so ensure he has a small glass of water at the same time.
- If your husband does not eat straight away be patient. Sometimes it took my mum up to 30 minutes before she ate.
- Finally, I used to ensure I ate something crunchy so that when my heard me eating it sometimes encouraged her to eat.

Hope this helps.

Paco