Dear Ellen,
I have just joined this site to-day,and your letter was the first I have read,I am so sorry for your loss,What you say is true,I have been diabetic for over 20yrs and I would not except it for the first 5yrs,it was just down to luck that I am still here,your story is so sad and it must have been difficult for you to write but even if one person reads your letter and takes heed then at least you might save a life.
I wish you the very best for the future
Norm
I know that most on here know the seriousness of diabetes for the people in denial like my husband was, please believe me it does kill.
I lot of you know the problems i've had over last few months especially, but i want to share this with you.
Christmas eve Gerard wanted to go drinking so as always he did what we wanted. I went with my little boy to mums to wait for Santa. Gerard would follow the next day when he woke.
Christmas day, lunch time, friends phoned to see if Gerard was with me, i explained i thought he would be sleeping as he'd been drinking for 12 hours night before. By 3.30 i hadn't heard anything and i was worried. I phoned friends and asked them to break in. They found Gerard breathing but only just.
He was inject with glucogon but urinated and bit his tongue so he was rushed to hospital. By time i got there he had 6 doctors working on him and his sugar levels were now 8 but he hadn't woken. They moved him to Intensive Care and sedated him and did a CT scan but results looked good. They stopped his sedation at 8am boxing day but Gerard never woke up. It came apparent over the next few days that Gerard was brain damaged neurologically. On New Years even they removed the ventilator and waited for my husband to die. They were waiting for him to either choke on his fluids or starve his body of oxygen. Two and a half days later, at 11.55 on 2nd January, i lay on his bed, holding his hand, with my head on his chest. He took his last breath and passed away.
He left me, 29 (well i was 30 on monday) our son who is 4 and his two daughters 15 and 11. All because he couldn't listen and accept he was a diabetic.
Please, if anyone reading this is having problems, seek help. I tried my best for Gerard and myself and his family all know that. He didn't help him self, but you can if you want to. You don't think now of the hurt you cause to others when you pass away. Please get help before its too late.[/quote]