complex carbs

I brought back from the States 200 glucose test strips for Baba to keep tabs on his sugar level. They are cheaper in the states, and he loves his blood-tester.

He also loves poking other people with his toy.

We were having another discussion about his blood sugar. Tolga was on Skype and had joined in. Baba was telling Tolga how I wouldn't buy Ramazan pita for dinner unless it was wheat Ramazan pita (which, there is no such thing). He was laughing because they were out of wheat bread and I had come back with the Ramazan pita anyhow - a delicious bread made especially for the holiday.

Tolga, knowing his father, asked him what his sugar level was. Baba had eaten a lot for dinner. And a lot of it was complex carbohydrates: white bread, borek (a cheese pastry), french fries with ketchup. Baba grabbed his machine to check, initially feeling confident, but then - in case he was wrong, he confessed he had eaten pita.

The suggested time to check your blood sugar level is two hours after a meal. That is when the sugar can best be measured from the meal to your blood. It had been four hours since we had eaten and Baba's blood sugar, surely on its way down, was 206. I shook my head. Baba's sugar is consistently high and a common consequence is amputation of the extremities. And Baba's feet and legs worry me. Bug bites and scrapes don't heal easily and his toenails are looking pretty funky.

Baba was a little miffed that his blood sugar was so high so he grabbed my finger to test my sugar. While I shuddered at the biggest no-no in all medicine "don't share needles." I didn't fight as he stabbed my finger. The thing is, I'm pregnant and always hungry. My sugar was 77. Baba didn't seem to know what to do, hesitated, then called his wife over. (I think he was determined to find someone else with high blood sugar). Anne's blood sugar was 140.

Tolga scolded his father for not watching what he ate. Baba made excuses and even lies to defend himself. ("There's no sugar in ketchup!") We told him, in the end, we want him to live to see our children grow up and marry.

In reflecting on the conversation today, Baba said - [Tolga] loves me. I love him.