hi everyone............ im the wife of a Type1 diabetic

Ive floated around reading posts from this forum for such a long time, thought i would say hello... its amazing to read so many stories that i can actually relate to - none of my friends really understand what its like living with a diabetic (ive done so for 15 years now), especially one that has been so prone to erratic levels. My husband has been a type1 since the age of 14, and over the years has suffered lots of ups and downs in life generally because of it. He is 38 now and in the last few years has managed to gain better control despite the fact he is losing his hypo awareness. even still, this year alone i have had to call paramedics for him twice as he has slipped into seizures during the night due to low levels. Even though i have witnessed this so many times now over the years, it still terrifies me every time. Ive got to say i have found this site quite supporting in the sense that it has helped me realise that we arent alone, cos sometimes that how it feels..... hopefully others understand what i mean - Its not just the diabetics that need support, sometimes spouses and family need a wee bit of help too.

Sorry if im rambling a bit.... its not something that i can get off my chest that often.

x

thanks noblehead As much as i love and adore my husband, it can be a little stressful at times to live with. ive never known him any other way though so i wouldnt change it for the world

im sure i will bluetit1802

hi daibell - his insulin regime was reviewed and changed about 2 years ago after a particularly bad episode of hypos. since then he doesnt have as many hypos as he used to which is great, however he is in a fairly physical job and still gets caught out easily. he is also checking blood sugars more and more these days cos of the lack of hypo awareness. the diabetic clinic have been keeping closer tabs on him recently too which is good thanks for the advice tho - will check out other parts of the forum.

donnellysdogs said:

I have empathy with you. I am actually the type 1 though...

However, I do know that a severe hypo for me is not so scarey as for the person that has helped.

I have had really good hypo awareness since going on my pump. My hubby never even knows at night if I've gone low.

Many, many years ago I would sometimes literally be screaming "help me, help me, help me" and running round the bedroom, hall and be really horrendous. Not every occasion but they were scarey for my hubby. He didn't know how to help me because I would also be so anti hypo stopper...

Since the pump 4 years ago I have had one hypo that needed ambulance, and that was because I was being so ill top and bottom end and couldn't take anything liquid or food.

It is horrible for the person dealing witha hypo,but honestly my pump has improved my levels so fantastically thatI have to recommend that your partner considers one.

I have a really active, physical job too and it has allowed me to reallyget to grips with my levels. Again night hypo's have complety changed for me.


Loving life

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i had to laugh at the term you used - "anti hypo stopper" cos that is quite often my husband to a T... lol. I almost always see the hypo before he has realised it and years back we used to have had so many fallouts during his hypos. he would argue to the death that he wasnt hypo (quite often he would also be stumbling about, sweating profusely, slurring his speech or his eyes would be rolling about) and then when my back was turned or he thought i wasnt looking he would start stuffing a mars bar down his throat or gulp down some lucozade - complete and utter denial. he can laugh about it though thankfully as that rarely happens these days.

agree with you donnellysdogs - i am unaware of any support networks in my area (for diabetics, or for relatives of diabetics). for quite a long time i have truly felt alone when it came to dealing with it. My husband is an absolute gem though. he knows what kind of stress he has put me through over the years and at the same time, feels an element of guilt for it. i tell him not to be silly tho' - i knew what i was getting myself into as i knew about his diabetes long before we even became an official couple (i had already witnessed some bad hypos by that point). didn't put me off tho'.... over 15 years later and we are still as strong as ever

noblehead said:

If you clink on the area where you line in the following it will tell you where your local Diabetes Support Group is:

http://www.diabetes.org.uk/How_we_help/Local_support_groups/Find-a-local-support-group/

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had a look - nearest one is about 60 miles away there seems to be a strong support network here tho so no need to do all the travelling

donnellysdogs said:

Some very lucky T1's around with great partners.. I had a psychopath partner at one time that said if I had a hypo he would get an injection loaded with insulin and finish me off!
Kicked him in to touch eventually!!

I must admit though that I have probably taken my hubby for granted sometimes. Not intentionally, but not saying "thanks for just being there for me".

He always offers to come to my appointments, though rarely I accept, but when I think about that.. Honest, I don't say thanks for offering. I just say "i'll be okay"...

Today I have scans, he offered to come with me... And seeing your response as someone who supports a fellow T1 has just made me realise how I responded... "No, I'll be ok" and yet the first thing when he speaks tonight will be to ask if it went ok. Not about his day etc.

This posting from you has really made me consider how I impact on my hubby. Thank you.


Loving life

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Thats terrible that you had a partner who treated you like that :0 i couldnt imagine how that felt. i think my husband is very similar to you in some ways - i too will generally offer to join him on appointments and quite often im told its not necessary.