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Concerned girlfriend..

Stellar_bella said:
Thanks so much for the book info hale710 that's really helpful! Because I have no idea what I'm supposed to be cooking for him :/ I made vegetable soup n toast for tea last time he had a fit and I felt terrible because I thought I didn't make the right food for dinner :((


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If he carb counts it doesn't matter what he eats. You will see a lot on here about low carbing, I personally don't go down this route. It's not necessary for everyone. I eat what I want when I want :)

EDIT: if he's on a mixed insulin it DOES matter actually. I always forget not everyone is on basal/bolus. Do you know the name of the insulin he uses?
 
Stellar_bella said:
He uses novorapid in the day and a purple night time insulin I can't think of the name of :/


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Cool so that's a basal/bolus regime. So he can eat what he likes provided he does the correct amount of Novorapid with it!
 
Nope as far as carb counting goes it doesnt make a difference what "brand" it is. ie i use Novorapid and levimer. But i will carb count in the exact same way as he should!

This website gives you the general idea:

http://diabetes.webmd.com/carbohydrate- ... se-insulin

it seems quite complex to start, but as a basic rule you give 1u insulin (in this case novorapid) per 10g carbs and then move your ratio up and down dependant on your BG level 2 hours after a meal. so for me in my honeymoon period (im new to this) i am only doing 0.5unit per 20g carbs as i need very little insulin. so lets take a digestive biscuit, that is 10g carbohydrate. for me i wouldnt do any insulin. but for your boyfriend it is more than likely he'll need 1unit (potentially more).

but to be honest, its not up to you to know this stuff. its HIS body and he needs to control it. no point you knowing if he wont bother. but as i carb count my boyfriend now does it with me. if im unsure we sit down and pull out the food diary to see how ive reacted to similar foods and pick my dose accordingly. so if he starts taking control im sure he'd appreciate you taking an interest.

all of this is explained much more eloquently in the book i mentioned the other day. he explains all the different types of insulin regimes and the benefits and what to do with regards to exercise and so on. its about £10 and if YOU'RE interested it might rub off on him!
 
Hi Sarah,

Type 1 Diabetes- reading matter to get started
One of the key issues to overcoming the initial shock of knowing you are a Type 1 diabetic and having been diagnosed with a lifelong condition, is to gain as much knowledge as possible. For managing diabetes .. knowledge is power.

As your partner gains more knowledge than his initial fears will subside, he will gain in confidence and ultimately he will realise that this condition can be controlled so that he can indeed live a long and healthy life and it should not stop him doing anything he wanted to do.

That has been my attitude, and although I've been T1 for 43 years, diagnosed in the late 1960s when the medication and technology was very basic compared to today, I've never let my condition restrict what I wanted to do in anything .... relationships, family life, career, travel and leisure pursuits. I took my diabetes seriously, I controlled by diabetes and didn't let it control me! So after more than four decades I have none of the complications that can occur from poorly controlled blood glucose over an extended period. Gaining knowledge, and then using it to maintain good blood glucose levels, was key to my strategy.

So where to start to gain this knowledge?
Documents available on the internet:-

Note: ALL adult T1 diabetics should be using carb counting in order to get good blood glucose control.
Note: Ensure that you consult your DSN before making any changes to the current insulin and diet regime. They are medically trained to answer your queries and should always be consulted on such issues, particularly in the early days during the steep learning curve.
I hope you find these references useful, and I wish you and your partner every success on your long journey ...
Knowledge is power for diabetics and so I strongly recommend that you read carefully the following documents and books …
Key points to good control: - Get used to detailed carbohydrate counting and insulin adjustment.

Documents available on the internet:-

A. An introduction to carbohydrate counting and insulin dose adjustment

https://shop.diabetes.org.uk/store/literature/information-books/carbs-count-e-book.aspx
An excellent introductory document from Diabetes UK that covers all aspects of diabetes, and the method of carb counting, insulin adjustment and insulin-carb ratios is covered in Chapter 2 (Carbohydrates) and Chapter 3 (Insulin). Even if you are not doing carb counting, you should definitely read this!

B. Basal Testing … how to check your Lantus or Levemir dose is correct
In the absence of food, exercise and mealtime/bolus insulin, basal insulin should hold the blood sugar steady. Any significant rise or fall in blood sugar during a fasting basal test probably means that the basal rates need to be adjusted - even if the blood sugar winds up near normal by the end of the test. This is how to check it ….
http://www.diabetes-support.org.uk/info/?page_id=120

C. Adjusting your Insulin when results are too high or too low:
A detailed guide, with plenty of examples, to assist you in making required insulin adjustments. Download it and print it out so it is readily at hand after blood sugars have been made & recorded.
http://www.diabetes-scotland.org/ggc/do ... Change.pdf

Books you should consider purchasing:-

1. Carbs & Cals: A Visual Guide to Carbohydrate & Calorie Counting for People with Diabetes (Chris Cheyette)
Buy this excellently illustrated book that provides clear pictures, portion sizes & weights plus carbohydrate values of nearly every food you might need.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0956 ... 01_s00_i01

2. Type 1 Diabetes in Children, Adolescents and Young Adults (Ragnar Hanas)
A comprehensive book with great detail in all aspects of managing diabetes with emphasis on children. This is easily the best book I have ever read about managing Type 1 diabetes, so if you only buy one book …. this is the one.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Type-1-Diabetes ... gnar+Hanas

You HAVE to convince your partner that he CANNOT ignore his diabetes .. because without good blood sugar control .. he will slowly kill himself due to the resultant long term like-threatening complications .. so there are NO other options.

Please read carefully and ensure you partner does also.

Best wishes ..

JontYW
 
Hi Sarah ,

I can totally sympathise with you , my partner and I have been together 9 months ,he is Type 1and he was very poorly controlled before we got together , didn't take his tablets for various complications although he did take his insulin. He is now seeing his GP regularly and has had one appointment with the Diabetic nurse (under protest). Unfortunately due to misdiagnosis when he was younger then 15 years of him not looking after himself his diabetes is severe, blood sugar poorly conrolled and he is becoming insulin resistent I think.
He is stubborn to the point where I could cheerfully club him about the head, he does seem to be coming out of the diabetes denial but it is a long road ahead. He also has night hypos and they are scary to the uninitiated , I too am finding it hard to cope with especially now as he has severe gastroparesis where his stomach isn't working right due to nerve damage (neuropathy) from the Diabetes. It is an emotional rollercoaster everyday , you need to look after yourself too though.
I can't say to you that there aren't days when I think 'hang on I didn't sign up for this' because there are and then I feel guilty as he is poorly.

You keep on trying to help Sarah, it is down to him if he chooses to accept your help but don't do it to the detriment of your own physical and mental health love as that won't get either of you anywhere.

Take care xx
 
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