Supporting your loved ones to live healthier with type 2 diabetes
Holly Dodd shares her personal experience of supporting her stepfather through his type 2 diabetes journey.
Type 2 diabetes now makes up around 90% of all diabetes cases. What is especially surprising is the rise in diagnosis in people under 40 from 170,000 to 216,000 in just 1 year.
As diabetes is becoming more prevalent in our lives, I would like to share some of my family’s experiences after my stepfather’s diagnosis.
Discovering diabetes
When my stepfather was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, it came as a surprise. Like many people, he did not experience the more obvious symptoms. Symptoms like extreme thirst are ones that we often associate with diabetes. Many people with type 2 diabetes go undiagnosed for years because the symptoms can be too subtle or mistaken for something else.
My stepfather was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes after an unrelated prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood test. At the time he had abnormally high blood glucose levels. He was then asked to come in for an appointment where they formally confirmed the diagnosis. All of us were taken aback by it because he had actually been feeling fine.
The hardest change
One of the hardest things my stepfather struggled with was the adjustment to a healthier lifestyle. A healthy diet is one of the first changes to make once diagnosed. He had always been a fan of carb-heavy meals and desserts like apple crumble. Switching to a healthier and balanced diet was definitely a struggle at first.
What made it even harder was the social aspect of food. We often bond with family and friends over meals, and suddenly, he felt restricted at gatherings. It was not just a physical change, but an emotional one too. Food is tied to enjoyment and tradition, and cutting back felt like a loss in some ways.
Food that worked for him
Food replacements were a big part of his success in managing his type 2 diabetes. Here are a few swaps that worked well:
- Breakfast: Instead of a buttery crumpet, two poached eggs with a slice of wholemeal bread.
- Lunch: Instead of supermarket meal deals, meal prepped turkey salad.
- Dinner: Instead of a dairy filled curry, low carb chicken wraps with extra veg (and lots of it).
Another thing that we found particularly helpful was finding out meals from online sources. It gave us inspiration and showed regular people making the food, rather than it being just cookbooks. We followed recipes to prepare meals, so he was not tempted to get an unhealthy meal on his lunch break.
It was also important to note the diet change and results from it are not a one size fits all. We had to do quite a lot of testing to figure this out. Using a continuous glucose monitor helped him figure this out really well. And interestingly, these heart healthy foods began to make him feel better in general, but more specifically less lethargic.
Exercise
Now this is the tricky one. He was never really a fan of exercise even before the diagnosis which made it quite difficult.
We knew that it had to be something that was not too drastic, like low-impact cardio. My mother and stepfather started going for 30-minute walks every weekday morning, and longer hikes on the weekends. He absolutely loved it; it made him feel better in almost every way. Having my mum join him made it easier to stay consistent, turning it into a routine they both enjoyed.
Emotional support: The key to lasting change
While diet and exercise were important, we soon realised that emotional support was a priority. A diagnosis like diabetes can feel overwhelming, and the lifestyle changes needed to manage it can be isolating.
Here’s how I tried to offer emotional support:
- Being patient and non-judgmental: He’s only human and was bound to make mistakes, we just had to remind him that what matters is consistency over time.
- Celebrating small wins: We celebrated every milestone, no matter how small. Whether it was sticking to his meal plan for a week or successfully lowering his blood sugar levels.
- Being a listening ear: Sometimes, the best support is just being there to listen.
My stepfather struggled during the lifestyle change at the beginning of this journey. As time has gone on, he has managed to get his blood glucose levels down to 46 mmol as of last month. It will still be something he will be working on, but it’s a huge step and we are very proud! I think me and my family supporting him has made us all closer and healthier.
Read more about type 2 diabetes
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