Impromptu August Meeting

We do have a scheduled September meeting, but Tim and Allen have been working on something they wanted to present. Last Saturday August 30 Tim called everyone for a meeting. Of the 16 members, only 12 were able to attend, plus Dr. Tom.

Tim said I know many of you have been working with other people with type 2 diabetes and have not been having a lot of success. The community has lost three to diabetes and related issues this summer. Allen, Barry, Bob, and A.J have been involved with two of the three, while Tim and Dr. Tom had been working with the third individual. Tim continued that Allen and Barry are working with a difficult case because the wife is a registered dietitian and preventing them from accomplishing much.

Next, he commented on the fellow A.J and I have been working with and having small success with, but not getting far at present. A.J said it is because he is also listening to the wife of the individual Allen and Barry is having problems getting to reduce his carbohydrates. Dr. Tom spoke then and said two of the three deaths involved patients of his and even he had not expected them to die. The families had stopped all investigations about cause of death and therefore we can only suppose that diabetes has something to do with the death. The third one was identified as caused by diabetes, but not the reason, but it was suspected that extreme hyperglycemia was involved.

Tim asked if this wasn't discouraging. All of us agreed and Allen said he does not understand why some people just will not manage their diabetes. Barry added that they have not been able to reason with the people, especially those getting advice from the dietitian. Allen said this might be the toughest situation that we have encountered. The person with diabetes is not happy with his A1c's, but the wife is and keeps insisting he needs his carbohydrates. Plus she is the one cooking and feeding him the high carbohydrate foods. Barry added that she does not avoid high fructose corn syrup and it is found in several of the foods she prepares.

Jason asked if the husband couldn't just eat less. Barry said he had tried that and she just insists he eat more. Barry said he had tried to convince her that low-carb and medium fat was better, but she just says she isn't convinced and that she is the one that knows nutrition.

We talked a little longer, but could not come to something agreeable, so we broke up with the idea to keeping our research going.

Then on September 1, we got the information we needed and the emails were rapid between us. Allen's comment that the wife must be trying to kill her husband by Munchausen's by proxy syndrome seemed a bit extreme, but it fits the way she is so happy with his A1c. Why else would she reject low carb and insist on the high carb and so heavy on the whole grains.

Dr. Tom asked if there was a way for us to get him to his office without the wife, and that has become our next project.