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So worried about my husband.

F

Furbs

Newbie
Messages
4
Type of diabetes
Other
Treatment type
I do not have diabetes
Hi There

I hope someone can help.

My husband is 37 years old and has been diabetic since he was 6. He has never been brilliantly controlled and is currently overweight. He has retinopathy and is at the moment in danger of losing his sight in one eye.

Last Wednesday he had a fasting blood test and by Friday we had a call from the Dr that he needed to go in ASAP to discuss the results. He has his appointment today but I really really worried that something is terribly wrong. Has anyone else had this kind of thing from the Dr's and what was the outcome? Should I be worried?

Thank you :)
 
Hi Furbs

I am type 2 so cannot really comment but all I would like to say is I wish you all the best for the results and hopefully there is a way of sorting the retinopathy out. I have seen on the forum that it gets better but its also down to the fact that you need to have a good control over your BG's.

I would ask other t1's to comment on this.
 
If you know that his control hasn't been good then pretty much it's going to be his hba1c level that is causing him to be recalled.
As they normally also do a full blood count and chilestrrol it could be those tests that are causing concern.
Is IH under hospital consultant?
 
brettsza said:
Hi Furbs

I am type 2 so cannot really comment but all I would like to say is I wish you all the best for the results and hopefully there is a way of sorting the retinopathy out. I have seen on the forum that it gets better but its also down to the fact that you need to have a good control over your BG's.

I would ask other t1's to comment on this.
Click to expand...

Thank you :)
 
donnellysdogs said:
If you know that his control hasn't been good then pretty much it's going to be his hba1c level that is causing him to be recalled.
As they normally also do a full blood count and chilestrrol it could be those tests that are causing concern.
Is IH under hospital consultant?
Click to expand...
Thank you for replying.
No he is not under the hospital for his diabetes just his eyes.
He usually just see's the diabetic nurse twice a year.
 
Personally as a T1 although it may well be a pain I would recommend that your husband would be better with a consultant at hospital as well as the check ups that are compulsory with GP's.

The reason I say this is:

Great advances have been made in T1 (and T2) techonlogy wise and insulin wise.

GPs are just as their initials indicate.. General Practitioners.
Consultants deal with diabetes day in day out.

To get better control and your hubby does sound as if he may need to... Then it may be he needs to try a different insulin or indeed an insulin pump.

GP's do not readily recommend different insulins unless they are advised to by Consultants. They cannot give Insulin pumps to T1's that need them.

If he has retinopathy to the state where eye sight loss is imminent then he really needs to gain control back over a while (not immediately as this could also give retinopathy issues).

You said he had a fadting test so this would indicate cholesterol was checked as they wouldn't normally do a fasting glucose test on a T1 as standard.

I haven't been recalled by a GP as urgent but you are asking the best diabetic forum people.

I would wait to see what the results have indicated. Ask your hubby to get a print out off them and to use this as a basis to start improving control. He has been T1 for 30 years and this does not mean that he can't improve... There's huge advancements in diabetes T1 but to gain them he has to be under a hospital consultant and if I was in his shoes I would be asking for a referral to a hospital consultant.

Hospitals vary as well. Its worth googling diabetes clinics for the hospitals around you to choose the best one.

Please let us know how he gets on. We can't say what the appt is going to be about without a crystal ball but we are certainly around to help you both.
 
Are you and your husband in the UK, Furbs? I agree with the previous poster that it's much better for Type 1s to see a consultant. They're the experts in diabetes. He could still use his diabetes nurse to top up this care, but if his control is poor then he needs advice from a consultant, especially considering what you've said about his eye health.

I hope your worry is misplaced re the blood test. It sounds like a cholesterol test to me so maybe some of the fats in his blood are out of whack. Don't panic. Find out what you're dealing with first.

Wishing you both well.
 
Just to add my voice if your husband is T1 and having this level of difficulties he needs to be in the care of a hospital diabetic specialist team and probably being seen at no less than 3 month intervals by them.

As his partner you have a stake in this. If he disables himself through insufficient care, then you will be picking up the pieces. He needs to get a grip and bring his blood glucose levels sharply under control. He may not be aware of this, but normalising his BG has a strong chance of correcting or reversing some degree of retinopathy and other complications. It's not guaranteed, but what is guaranteed is that if he doesn't get his BG under control it will proceed to irreversible complications. You might want to use this opportunity as some kind of intervention, a wake up call for him. I am a T1 diabetic and I make no bones about this, we have an obligation to our loved ones to make a decent effort to be healthy. Anything else is selfish. So if a T1 diabetic has no partner or family, fine, their health is their own issue. As soon as you are married or have a family you become accountable to them to make a decent effort to stay as healthy as possible.

OK I will get off my soapbox now. I feel strongly about this, in case you can't tell.

Edit to add: He needs to get his IGF-2 checked. With high IGF-2 and existing retinopathy it may be dangerous to reduce Hba1C too quickly.
 
Just wanted to wish you both well and hope this wasn't too serious.

As Spiker has said something can be done about this but the drive and determination needs to be there, I hope he gets the help he needs, good luck ;)
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Yep, agree with Spiker.

We care enormously about diabetics and their partners and we all hope you will come back and let us know how he is.
 
Hi Furbs, hope you have seen the Dr now and all is well... If it's not, well at least you know now. We are here to help and support you during this worrying time. It's good to talk and you are amoung friend here
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Furbs said:
Hi There

I hope someone can help.

My husband is 37 years old and has been diabetic since he was 6. He has never been brilliantly controlled and is currently overweight. He has retinopathy and is at the moment in danger of losing his sight in one eye.

Last Wednesday he had a fasting blood test and by Friday we had a call from the Dr that he needed to go in ASAP to discuss the results. He has his appointment today but I really really worried that something is terribly wrong. Has anyone else had this kind of thing from the Dr's and what was the outcome? Should I be worried?

Thank you :)
Click to expand...
Don't know if your husband has done any courses but get his to ask his GP/Diabetes nurse about doing the DAFNE course .. It's much more than just carb counting. I did the course in Sept 2013 it's great and helped bring down my HBA1c with the info I learnt.
 
Hi Everyone
Thank you so much for your kind advice.

My husband saw the Dr yesterday but after all the panic and worry the results were actually fine. His Cholestrol was slightly higher than it should be and his blood count was elevated just a little (Nothing to worry about) but that was it... His overall control was OK, Kidney's & Liver all perfect. GP's have such a way of panicking you!!!

I have suggested to my husband that he requests to see the Diabetic consultant and he agreed. We are going to work together on ensuring his control gets better as well as his overall health. We have two young sons (4 and 18 mnts) who would very much like to have a healthy happy daddy!!

Again, I appreciate all of your advice and support.
xx
 
Glad to hear it was all ok. Yes, GPs can definitely panic you! I had a letter from my surgery once saying they'd been trying to contact me and coukd I phone them as soon as possible. I was so worried! But it turned out to be a reminder for a blood test I'd already had!

I'm pleased your husband is open to improving his control. He'll reap the benefits both in the short term and the long term.

Good luck :)
 
There's a great deal of anxiety put around by doctors and blood tests. There is a distinct case of "the boy who cried 'wolf'." about medical professionals doing this.
 
However, it does ensure the patient makes an appointment to see the GP.

To get a referral to hospital, which he is entitled to as a T1 he has to ask GP. However, before doing that research which is the best hospital. I go to one thats outside my CCG area as I phoned up and enquired whether they had pump clinics and how many specialist pump consultants and dsn's they had!! Then I chose the hospital and was very lucky to get the best consultant ever.
 
With such small youngsters you need your hubby to be able to enjoy them. So the sooner he can get with a consultant the better.
He will still have to have medication reviews with GP's and no doubt a check up with them because they are paid by results and how many patients do wee tests, cholesterol targets etc...
 
Aww Furbs, pleased he is ok. I got told at my last appointment my cholesterol is a bit high, doc wanted to start me on tablets but he said if I start I will be on them the rest of my life. So I opted not too, gonna give it a try to get it down myself. x
 
Furbs, Just want to say good for you, and thank goodness panic alert over. You're doing the right thing in getting your guy to the consultant and in tackling things together.

Best of luck, and he's a lucky man.
 
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