Moving on….Starting on insulin....positive signs of improvement ...glimmers of hope...

iHs said:

Years ago, diabetics didnt test bg levels, ibecause meters werent developed so everyone just used clinitest tabs and Clinistix.
I am sure Mollys OH will pick up on the hypo feeling as not being ok and treat with some glucose or carb to see if the feeling goes. If it goes, thrn he will know that he has acted correctly. It will be for the dsn to discuss driving a car and the DVLA requirement and the necessity to bg test.
Not sure how strong in action Humalin 1 is but as long as he keeps to eating carb food in the correct quantities, then he should be ok. I am sure Molly can buy the SD codefree meter and teststrips without robbing the bank and do 2 more tests if worried.

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I think the problem is getting OH to actually test at any time....

iHs said:

If Mollys OH does decide to post to a forum, it might be wise for Mollys threads to be deleted so that OH wont put 2 and 2 togrther and work out who the threads relate to as it will cause relationship bust up and pack yr bags time.

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Whilst I hope that Molly's OH gets his diabetes under control for both his and her sake I'm not sure that having her threads deleted would be right, a lot of good intentioned people have posted on these threads offering good advice and moral support to Molly,
Her portrayal of her other half has been discussed on a previous thread, and yet she has carried on with her postings about him.
I'm a great believer in if you don't want it known don't post on a public medium it's Molly's choice to post the information she has and Molly should stand by her words for better or worse.
That said since the recent upgrade to the forum we all now have the ability to delete our own posts and I'm not sure that's a good thing. If I wanted one of my posts deleting it should be at a moderators decision

iHs said:

Years ago diabetic internet forums didnt exist and most insulin dependant people managed ok with seeing their hospital consultants and reading copies of Balance magazine. The situation turned bad when diabetics were discharged to the care of a GP and the bolus basal regime was introduced which no one knew how to use correctly until DAFNE courses and online BDEC. At the moment, there isnt any real need for Mollys OH tolook at forums as all he will have to do is eat the correct amount of carb as and when he should and that can be detrrmined by info given by dsn and bg testing. He should be ok with testing bg x 4 per day and eat carb the little and often way to stabilise the insulin's effect with the oral med on bg bg. If he eats too much carb, his bg will go higher and if he eats too little, then the hypo feeling will come.

If Mollys OH does decide to post to a forum, it might be wise for Mollys threads to be deleted so that OH wont put 2 and 2 togrther and work out who the threads relate to as it will cause relationship bust up and pack yr bags time.

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As I understand Molly´s OH don't want to test at all but really likes eating carbs of all kinds. So high BG and now insulin. **** of course and could be handled differently but there you go.

Mollys OH is not alone with this.....there are loads just like him.
My partners friend has been type 2 since 2006, was and still is overweight, has high bp, high cholesterol, gout. He doesnt care at all what he eats as long as he enjoys it. Thinks I am around the twist because I calculate the carb that I eat so that I can bolus ok with my pump. He doesnt test bg levels anymore because GP told him he didnt need to, so to him, what he doesnt know about, he doesnt worry about and just lets GP do hba1c test. He eats fruit and nuts but what he also eats is bakery products from Lidl like apple turnovers, fresh baked bread, cakes if he fancies and going to cafes eating large fry up meals loaded with chips etc. I give up talking to him trying to get him to cut down because of the weightgain but its like talking to the brick wall. Does he have complications, well no not at the moment. No idea what his hba1c is as he can never remember. Ive done a sneaky bg test on him now and again and its always within range which puzzles me lol. He is not on insulin yet and just takes SR Metformin and another drug Trajenta which weirdly has stopped the Metformin from causing frequent trips to the loo.
I am sure his GP would have a fit if he saw exactly what was being eaten.

Molly56 said:

Just thought a quick update was in order as some definite signs of improvement and hope…..

Over the last couple of days there have been some noticeable signs of progress….first of all he has accepted the idea that he has to do something about his diabetes and that the insulin is the next step….

….a more positive sign is that he has also been talking about what he needs to do and is taking steps himself to find out what he actually needs to do…..he has read through the information provided by the nurse and we have actually talked about what he will need to do…

.....to me this is definite progress as he would always blank any attempts to talk about it in the past….

…he has also been looking up information on the internet about insulin pens and has even been looking at videos on Youtube about how to inject……he also found ones about the top 10 things to eat to lower blood glucose levels and top 10 things not to eat …..so is beginning to think more about diet and how this will help…..he even suggested last night that he will be ditching his evening bowl of porridge!

I collected his insulin prescription yesterday and this is now with his other medication so it is now just up to him to decide when to start and get on with it….

Am hoping that this new found interest in dealing with his diabetes will continue…..only the coming days will tell….

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Hi Molly,
Said I would not post on this thread again, but I have followed it, and my opinion unfortunately has not changed.

I am both pleased and also disappointed that your OH has had to get to this point, but if the insulin is going to help him now, and it has induced positive actions in your OH all the better.

I have mentioned on at least 3 if not 4 occasions to you in the past, is your OH aware of this site? and asked have you told him that he could get lots of help here and explained to him how it could help him? You have never replied.

You say now, he has been on 'you tube' to find out different information on injecting insulin etc and also looking at insulin pens, but you do not once mention anything about sending him here, where he could get so much support and lots of tremendous advice.

Neil

Hi Molly

tbh, I was determined not to post on this forum again, but after reading this thread I decided to make this one exception.

It seems your husband is in denial, because he's afraid of changes, he's afraid he'll have to give up what he likes - and he's refusing testing because he doesn't want to see the consequences. And it seems that warning there will be painful complications, don't work either.

That could have been mine story, you know.

When the GP first told me I have diabetes, I felt the same. I thought I would have to give up everything I liked. When I came home, I spent hours crying. Then I ate a very bad lunch, complete with a chocolate cake. Then I felt guilty, so for dinner, I only ate a bowl of salad. Few hours later, I got all the lovely symptoms of the hypo. I tested my BG, and it was 2.2. So then I cried some more, because I thought that's what my life would be like from that day.
Frankly, if anyone tried to force low-carb diet on me, if I was told I had to avoid all things I liked, I would be in the same situation as your husband is now. I was real real lucky that LCHF is pretty much uknown here and that there were no low-carb fans to shove it down my neck (the aggressive promotion of low-carb diet as the only solution for diabetes is the main reason I stopped coming to this forum, tbh. It's useful if you follow a low-carb diet, but otherwise it's actually discouraging and negativistic.)

The next day I had a meeting with my diabetologist. Unlike the doctors low-carb fans mention here, she's neither uneducated jerk, nor the incarnation of evil, and didn't give me a lot of stupid advice waiting till my diabetes gets worse. (And I don't believe she's so unique, either.) She's very nice, patient, and experienced, since she specializes in diabetes for thirty years. She told me that a well educated diabetic can eat anything. And that while I must start with 150 grams of carbs per day, once I get it under the control, and still want more, we can see if that's possible.

It was great relief to hear that, and quite motivating! Yeah, I could limit myself for a few months or a year, if it means I don't have to give up everything, and that I can still have a normal life.

I have been allowed to eat bread, rice, pasta, potatoes, carrot, corn, oat flakes, bananas, and all the other things low-carb fans here say you should never ever eat. That doesn't mean I eat whatever and whenever I want. I got a meal plan with the amount of carbs I'm allowed to eat for each meal (for me it's 150 grams of carbs in 3 main meals and 3 snacks), and I had to learn to determine the size of the portion. During the first week, they always seemed too small, but it really isn't difficult to get used to it. I also had to change my drinking regime - instead of 2 litres of coke, I now drink 2 litres of water, and I had to start doing some exercises (as much as I can, as I have a problem with the backbone).

And the results? Well. According to low-carb fans here, my diabetes should have worsened.
Instead, in 4 months, my BG dropped from 16 before meal and 24 2 hours after to 4.4 before meal and 5.3 2 hours later. And, despite being on insulin, I lost 10 kilos. If my level of C-peptid weren't too low, I'd already be off the insulin...
Last weekend, I had a real pizza. Well, a mini pizza, but better than nothing. And no, I didn't put a lot of fat cheese on it (yuck), I just calculated the number of carbs in the whole dough and then split it to 5 mini pizzas, so they were within my allowed limit for meal... I ate salad of leafy veggies 20 minutes before, and went for a 15 minutes walk afterwards. My BG was perfectly normal.
Yesterday my friend invited me for a lunch, and I had a piece of normal cheesecake with strawberries. Two hours later, my BG was slightly above my average, but well within the 2 mmol limit, and below six (4.2 before the lunch, 5.6 2 hours later)...

See, there's no reason to be afraid of diet or insulin. A bit of discipline for a few months, and he can see in the testings how well he's improving, every day! A bit of determination, and next Christmas, he can have a piece of a mince pie, without having to worry it'll kill him.

I wish both your husband and you good luck and a lot of optimism. He can do it! If a crybaby like me succeeded, anyone can.

Molly56 said:

Should have expanded on this, sorry....

The last few days have seen a much more positive attitude...is taking insulin and is testing and recording bs results as instructed....without being reminded or prompted....
.....also looking a bit more at what he eats and selecting items with lower carb content when out shopping...

I have taken the advice of a forum member (sorry, can't remember who) and am taking a step back, watching and observing....but ready to answer questions when asked.....(at the end of the day this is his illness to deal with and he has to deal with it).....he does also seem more willing to talk about it whereas in the past he would blank any attempts to do so...

It's early days as yet but I do believe we have turned a corner....

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Great news and it will make his future health so much better.