My boyfriend, 19 years old type one diabetic, diagnosis at 13. About 6ft '2 about 135/140lbs. Absolutely hates, and RARELY test his blood sugar. And guess-ta-mates the amount of insulin when he does dose... #1 concern!! He is starting to look really skinny!
He has extremely bad stomach issues all the time, spends a lot of time in the bathroom. Or making trips back and forth. He has lost all sex drive, and says its cause it takes all his energy and he never feels good after. He struggles to be happy. He says he is constantly upset and angry. We recently got jobs, night shift. I am really very worried about his weight, and sparatic dosing, mental, and physical being! Pleaseee help. What can i do, to help? What food should i make, what supplements, vitamins do get?!?!
Edited by Mod
Dear Zaquellyn,
I'm so sorry to hear of your boyfriend's troubles.
Believe me, ma'am, his troubles have NOT ended there. With his poor control of his diabetes, things WILL get worse.
Sadly, unitl such time as HE decides to take things seriously, his condition WILL continue to deteriorate, and he MAY need more than short hospital stays before he 'catches on'.
Your reporting of him spending "a lot of time in the bathroom" indicates that his blood sugar (glucose) levels are VERY LIKELY way out of control. This, unfortunately, is causing irreparable damage to his internal organs, blood vessels, and nerves. All of this leads to the development of diabetes-related complications, some of which can be a real pain (neuropathy), some which can prove embarrassing (erectile dysfunction, lack of control of bowel and bladder function, etc.) , and some which can prove fatal (heart attacks, strokes, total kidney failure, etc.)
Although coeliac [celiac, for our American cousins] disease has already been mentioned, and this MAY be a factor as someone that has one immune condition (type 1 diabetes in the case of your boyfriend) is more likely to go on to develop other immune conditions, of which coeliac disease is just one of several, I am more inclined to believe that your boyfriend MAY have already developed autonomic neuropathy, which is nerve-ending trouble that affects things that are normally taken care of 'automatically' by the body. This type of neuropathy can affect things such as sexual function, blood pressure control, temperature control, digestion (this has its own title, called gastroparesis, which affects how efficiently stomach contents are passed through the digestive tract). There are various tests that would need to be carried out to either confirm or refute this.
When you say "He struggles to be happy. He says he is constantly upset and angry." This MAY indicate that he is suffering with depression, and this is understandable for someone that has been diagnosed with a chronic condition, but it really is not helped by his poor attitude towards controlling his diabetes ... something that he DOES have some control over.
Your boyfriend's lack of weight MAY be due to his body's 'make-up' but it MAY also be due to his poor diabetes control. When insufficient insulin is being injected/pumped into his body, glucose can not be utilised [utillized] efficiently so the body's cells believe that they are going through a period of starvation. In a deliberate attempt to stay alive they look for an alternative source of 'fuel'. Fat and muscle tissues are used as this source of fuel. In type 1 diabetes AND some type 2 diabetics, this is where they develop diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) and require hospital admission for emergency medical attention. (DKA is considered a life-threatening situation, which is why hospital admission occurs.)
Unfortunately, Zaquellyn, the foods that you prepare are likely to have very little, to no effect, on your boyfriend, and the same with supplements and vitamins. (Some supplements and vitamins MAY help, but lack of those vitamins and nutrients need to be diagnosed as being deficient in the first place.)
I would suggest that your first port of call would be to convince your boyfriend that he should see his doctor and, if possible, go along with him. Try to convince your boyfriend to be 'open' with his doctor, AND to mention all of the things that you've told us about here. (Writing the things that he should discuss on a piece of paper MAY prove helpful so that he doesn't forget to mention something, but the chances are he will NOT mention everything, hence the reason I suggest that you also attend COULD be a good thing. Be aware, however, that this COULD encroach on what might be a good relationship as no-one likes to be told that they're not doing what they said/agreed they would do.)
You've received some useful information here, ma'am, from all around the world, and even though I don't know your or your boyfriend personally, I truly do hope that you can both 'move forward' to getting the help that you both require.
Lots of Love and Light.
Mick
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P.S. Please don't be offended, or alarmed, at the 'x's'. It's merely a logo, of sorts, that I've used for the past 40-odd years.
