15 Things to Remember When Living With a Diabetic

[Diabetes Yoyo]

Diabetes does not only affect the patient, but it has a profound impact on the nearest and dearest around them. My partner, Ms YoYo, has been living with type 1 diabetes for the last 15 years. During our time together, I have learnt some key points about living with a diabetic person, which I have collated below. Hopefully, my experience can also help the others, who are affected by diabetes.

1. Learn how to use the Glucagon kit. Hopefully you’ll never have to use it, but just in case, it’s worth knowing how it works and what you should do if she is unconscious.
2. Remind her to check the sugar levels regularly.
3. Learn to count the carbs; it should not be just down to her to do this.
4. When she is injecting insulin in a public place and other people are staring at her when she’s doing this, stare back at them disapprovingly.
5. If she is acting in a strange way or saying weird things to you, never take it personally. Most often it’s the ’sugar levels talking’.
6. 9 out of 10 times it is indeed the sugar levels talking. Learn to recognise this, so that when she is actually telling you off about something, you know she’s serious and you should take notice and act accordingly.
7. Check her feet regularly for any cuts or bleeding wounds.
8. Learn to recognise a hypo so that you can provide food and support to treat it.
9. Never ask her if she should eat whatever she wants to eat, be it an ice cream, a cake or some sweets. Managing diabetes is a full time job and she deserves a treat occasionally. You’ll deal with the high sugar levels later.
10. Never tell her that you know exactly how she feels, because you don’t. Only another type 1 diabetic can know how she feels.
11. Put her needs ahead of your own. No matter how much you want to go out, to the cinema, or for a walk, if her sugar levels disagree, it will not happen.
12. Remember to have fun. Living with diabetes is tough and at times depressing, but little things in life can cheer you up such as cinema, a concert, art show, or simply a day out.
13. Learn how to use the glucose meter. Pricking your finger occasionally will help you remind of what diabetics go through on a daily basis (and you can also check that you are not a diabetic).
14. Don’t panic. We have all been stuck in a traffic jam with nothing to eat in the car when a hypo strikes, counting down the miles to the nearest service station. Stay calm and keep a cool head.
15. Love your diabetic unconditionally.

I hope you have found these tips useful, and if you have something to add to the list, please let me know. You can also follow our journey on Twitter.

Yours,
Mr YoYo