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Husband type 1 moods

S

sam1531c

Newbie
Messages
1
Type of diabetes
Type 1
My hubby was diagnosed type 2 3 yr ago and has now been told hes type 1 on insulin. Hes just getting the carb counting under control and sugars for first time ever are about 7 (they were 35, 3 yr ago). This has totally affected his mood though...snappy...moody and very up and down with no patience! Anybody have any advice weve been married 25 yr, hes 42 so we are a good support to each other but its hard at min!
 
Hi @sam1531c. Mood swings are/ can be part and parcel for T1 diabetics. I'm 27 yrs in and still have periods of grumpiness. Fortunately I can detect the onset of these moments and have become quite adept at managing the feelings they create.
To me it's my diabetes having a tantrum, I don't try to fight it but go along with the flow for as long as it takes ( a week to 10 days at most ). I surround myself with as much positivity as possible.
Most importantly I forewarn my wife, she then knows it's nothing personal and can in a way ignore me and wait for " the dark cloud to pass " and the sunshine to come out.
Hope this helps. Good luck.
 
Has he been told the initial diagnosis as type 2 was a misdiagnosis and he is in fact type 1? Or is he a type 2 on insulin? It's worth getting some clarity on that as it may be possible for a type 2 diabetic to come off insulin with diet and exercise adjustments.

Commencing insulin is pretty stressful. Dealing with the fact you have a chronic health condition that's incurable and requires life long dependence on a dangerous drug is pretty stressful. If he has been running high for years and his blood sugar has just come down to euglycaemic physically he probably feels really ill while his body gets used to normal blood sugar levels.

Irritability/snappiness/changes in mood can also be symptoms of high/low blood sugar for some people.

Just have a conversation with your husband about it so you can figure out how to deal with the moods together.
 
Hello hello
Type 1 of 43 years here and yup i get moody from time to time.
If he has recently started getting his blood glucose level under control then he will be feeling low even though his sugar levels are not low at 7.
Given time if he's operating at 7 then he will feel better and subsequently his mood should improve.
Hopefully and i wish you well.

Regards
Tony
 
sam1531c said:
My hubby was diagnosed type 2 3 yr ago and has now been told hes type 1 on insulin. Hes just getting the carb counting under control and sugars for first time ever are about 7 (they were 35, 3 yr ago). This has totally affected his mood though...snappy...moody and very up and down with no patience! Anybody have any advice weve been married 25 yr, hes 42 so we are a good support to each other but its hard at min!
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So was he misdiagnosed as Type 2 originally? If so, perhaps that's contributing to his moods?

My advice is to let him offload, sympathise with him, and reassure him he's still the same person.
 
As Tony said a drop in BG when you've historically been running high can cause the body to give symptoms like a hypo even though you're where you need to be. For some people, myself included, these symptoms can include irritability. Give him some time, as he's probably feeling a bit **** at the moment, he should come around.
 
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Fluctuating bs can certainly cause fluctuating moods. It also takes a while for the body to adjust

Just getting the diagnosis is very hard to wrap your head around. Then having to try to figure out how much insulin to take based on what you're going to eat. Then of course the constant sticking ourselves.

I've been type 1 for 3 years now and I certainly have my moments. I've accepted it of course but still struggle sometimes. I does change out lives one way or another and we need to think about it every day multiple times if we want good control.

Best I can say is be patient and by all means don't take it personally. You could gently tell him you're trying to understand but it hurts you when he's impatient. Maybe that will ease things a little for both of you.
I do understand it can't be easy for my husband either. Just in a different way. He's very understanding but can't really know what's like just I can't really know what it's like for him. Trying to understand is the best anyone can do.

Best wishes!!!
 
Plenty of people can eat moderate carbs without hurting or mood swings @Hoping4Cure The key to Type 1 is controlling blood sugar not eliminating carbs. Educated and judicious use of insulin is what works.
 
Despite mr Hoping4cures somewhat scary post i'm with Azure.
Carbs are friends that need to be looked after.
My life would be dull without a Sunday Roast.........

Kindest regards

Tony
 
Hoping4Cure said:
Countless studies have shown that diabetics' blood sugar means and variance, i.e. control, are directly correlated with their carb consumption, generally speaking. How that works in the body is settled science, as far as I know.

So I disagree that moderate carb eating is a smart or healthy choice, even though I do it myself from time to time. (though I consider it "cheating" because my normal diet doesn't permit simple carbs).

Any time you eat carbs you need more insulin to cover it, causing sugar spikes and troughs, increasing chance of hypoglycemia, weight gain, and having to re-feed. The law of small numbers aka Bernstein is based on sound reasoning and empirical evidence and the scientific method. I don't believe for one second most type 1s are well-controlled (actually many studies show this is indeed not the case), because my definition of well-controlled is stricter than most. My own moods and irritability are directly related to how well I eat, and I honestly doubt it's any different in other people. Hyperglycemia has effects on the mind and body which are pretty much universal AFAIK.

Carb consumption shapes my sugar graphs in a direct way. Put it this way, I take GLP-1 right? To slow down digestion and thus reduce sugar spikes. Does this help? Yes, definitely. A lot. I can sit through a meal without getting antsy during conversation afterward. But is it better than simply eating a low-carb meal that doesn't spike my sugars in the first place? No, not at all.

Thankfully this disease will be cured soon and other people's carb intake is not my business. I just find it odd that every diabetes site people are saying it's OK to just count your carbs and cover them with an appropriate amount of insulin. This is bad advice, IMO, and one which I followed for nearly two decades until following LCHF which is life-changing. But people don't listen and resist change, they want to eat their carbs like non-diabetics and are OK with long-term complications resulting thereof. That's on them.

I'm bowing out to these discussions, I only signed up here to talk about FMD in the other thread and it seems my views are not welcome here.
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I dont think it was meant to imply that stuffing yourself full of carbs on a day in day out basis is good for T1's!!
Just not to be worried of having moderate carbs.

Ie... I can eat a teaplate of all coloured veg. Broccoli, aubergine, courgette, bnut squash and celeriac and match my carbs without too much worry. I cannot afford to be picky and choosy as I cannot eat meat or anything stringy like beans or with shells like peas, or skins like tomato.. so I have to include veg like butternut squash which is 18.9g carb per 100g.

I match my insulin and remain ok..
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I used to but after being a low carber for decades, before it was "labelled" I think something contributed to less working in my colon. After reading more and more people going low carb on here and then having constipation... well, I'm worried for people...
Smaller portions on a tea plate give less insulin so you can easily include carbs as you are not over sizing on the huge plates!!
 
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