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diabetic symptoms ?

J

jue 88

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hello all.......my husband was diagnosed with diabetes t2,12 months ago,after he was finding it difficult to recover from a bout of flu,,blood teats were taken,and he was found to be diabetic.
at the moment,with medication,his levels seem to be fine between 5 and 8.......they were 14 to 18.
BUT..he goes through periods of being very withdrawn,,and will sit all day just watching tv,makes no attempt at conversation,and even when my son comes home from work,and tries to chat,he seems "locked in his own world".
he does work,in the evening,6 til midnight,,,but even when he has a night off,is happy to stay glue'd to the tv day and night.
he used to be very active,and loved going for walks,bird watching ect,but everything now seems an effort.
i will add,,he is not overweight,has always been skinny,but for the last 18 months has lost more weight.
he is not a drinker,although,he is a smoker.
although,he was diagnosed 12 months ago,he has complained for over 20 years of "burning feet",in bed at night..and has had ED for 6/8 years,so i think the problem has been there but undiagnosed for a number of years.
anyway,my question is...is withdrawing and being quiet,and unable or unwilling to be at ease with people,,all part of diabetes ?
his younger brother was diagnosed 10 years ago with it,,and i have learned recently that his gt grandmother died young,due to complications,after amputations.
any help or advise much appreciated,as i am a little confused.......thanks jue
 
I am not aware of withdrawing being a symptom or even part of diabetes. What I have noticed from reading many posts on here is that the diagnosis of diabetes takes people different ways.

In my case it was not a shock but just confusing since I was told to go away and change my lifestyle etc. but no-one said what to.

Other people get tearful and possibly frightened since they see it as a sort of death sentence and it is a long way from being that.

If diabetes has anything to do with your husband's mood then it may be that he has seen his own mortality and life now has a problem in it and he is not sure what to do about it.

I am not much help here but I can make a suggestion. Many posters on here have said that their mood was lifted by reading lots of stuff on this forum and finding things that they can do to help themselves. For some it turns into a hobby.

Good Luck.
 
thank you for your reply,sometimes its harder for partner of the diabetic,,as like myself, dont really know where to turn for help in understanding things,and whats "normal",and whats not..cheers
 
Hi. It is fairly common for diabetics to go thru periods of depression. Sometimes it's mild but sometimes more serious. There are lots of 'why me'. I suspect the ED doesn't help so your husband may be feeling fairly useless. I don't know how old he is? There are various approaches to helping with ED and some in addition to Viagra/Cialis (PM me if relevant for the approach I use). I can only suggest trying to get your husband to agree he has a degree of depression and if he can accept this then seek appropriate treatment. There are various organisations that can potentially help. I do voluntary work for Mind and I know a lot of their Service Users seek help for depression. BTW as your husband has never been overweight and has lost weight it is possible he is not actually T2 but Late onset T1 (LADA); I fit that profile. It is not easy to determine the exact type but there are some tests that can help. At the moment you say his blood sugar is fine and hopefully that will continue but if it does start to rise then seek further medication even if that means insulin in the longer term. I have moved to insulin this year and am much happier as it means I can eat fairly freely, keep my blood sugar in the right region and it's not really much of a hassle. It has certainly put me in a 'better place'. I do hope your husband can get appropriate help.
 
hi, it is hard for those around us even if we thinks its all about us, i feel for you and should remind myself of this when im feeling like it all me, my wife says i shut myself off and want to deal with this on my own and to a degree she is right i think, partly because i dont want to worry or bother my family but also because i have to deal with this, i have to deprive myself of certain things so i have to cope with the ****** feelings this brings on, i dont have depression but could understand why someone would feel this way, lets face it, it sucks lol and maybee hes just dealing with things in hes head by shutting out the world and focussing on tv, my tv is the internet i suppose but its the same but different, i also have relatives that died of it and as mentioned it does make you think about your own mortality, anyway im no help at all, just wanted to say i understand how he feels but also understand how you must be feeling and wish you all the best :)
 
thanks for help and support,,i dont feel quite so alone with this now,it's nice to know there is a forum,where people are so helpful, and understanding..it's a bit of an uphill battle living with somebody who is affected by diabetes,,especially when they are the sort that clams up,and cant talk about their problems.....nice to know I have somewhere to turn when worried,,thank you :D
 
Hi,Jue 88, :)
The tv can be a addict to many people, even this this forum is a bit of a addict for me ( I love it ).
When I hear my wife come home I quickly open the garage and turn the tv off, I know I am a cheat but not all the time.
However I do take a interest in other things.
Do you think you or your son can get something to get his act into gear. I am going to suggest a wee dog for obvious reasons.
What Squire Fulwood says does make a lot of sense,
Hope it all gets better.

Must fly Wife and Daughter due back soon. "where is that spanner"

Roy. :)
 
hi Roy.......we do have a dog....and a cat,,both of which he loves dearly,and he will walk the dog on occasions,as he is at home all day,but sadly not as much as he could,the tv has a stronger pull !.....he is hard to communicate with (at times),,other times not so bad,,it all seems a matter of mood swings,,one day fine,the next introvert,not speaking,not interested.
my son and i,do try to understand,and never push for conversation,when it is obvious that it is not going to happen.
my son has tried to get him to the cinema,to watch a new movie,that he knows he will love........no avail
he has also bought concert tickets,to take him to............no go
very difficult.........like living with a man in his own world,in his own comfort zone,,,,,,,that will take no moving.
my son and i ,are very tolerant,,but we both sometimes wonder,is it all done to diabetes,or another issue?
he is 59
thanks for the imput
julie x
 
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