Type 1 Intervention

I am a type 1 diabetic using Meditronic pump and Dexcom G6 CGM. I am 67 years young, diabetic since age 14 and in very good overall control( last A1c was 6.7). I have a friend (a proud and stubborn friend) also Type 1 for many years and using Lantus long term insulin and Novolog short acting insulin injections with finger sticking for treatment decisions. He is around 60 yrs young, very athletic (as am I). He is a very competitive xc skier. He has been having far too many hypoglycemic incidents (3-4 in the past 1 1/2 months) that have required medical emergency assistance.
He seems to be trying to do the right things for control( making sure blood sugars are 180 or so before racing, taking glucose during activity, etc, etc), but his sugars must be dropping so fast that he cannot find the brain power to do anything before he passes out . He is very stubborn, and listens when I suggest options, but he is the type of man who will not give up trying to always be in control, without the aid of others, always has the last word, knows what is best for him, etc, etc. I have suggested a GCM, he has had one before,but didn't like it because it was always telling him what to do, annoying him in the middle of the night, etc. I am very scared for him, as are many of his friends, he lives alone. Any suggestions on how to get him to get a GCM or other options?

EllieM said:

Do you think he's lost hypo awareness. I was advised to keep my bgs between 6 and 12 for a few weeks in order to regain mine..... (It worked)

I don't have a cgm (libre doesn't work for me and am waiting for Dexcom to bring g6 to New Zealand because g5 isn't compatible with my phone) and manage ok by

1) going for minimum basal that I can get away with (so as to avoid night hypos)
2) going increasingly low carb (less than 100g a day, often less than 60g). This has allowed me to reduce basal as well as bolus.
3) lots of testing

But I have T2 in my family, am 15 kg overweight and moderately insulin resistant, so the low carb bit may not be as useful for your friend as it is for me....

But you're right, 2 emergency hypos a month is beyond scary. Presumably he's lost his driving license if he ever had one? (In all of the 3 countries I've lived in that many hypos requiring help would lose you your license.)

Personally I would love to be woken by a machine if I had a hypo at night....

But if he's not prepared to get a cgm then maybe running higher is the way to go? Or get a hypo assistance dog???? (Have no idea who you go to for that but they seem awesome.)

Another thought. Would he consider a pump so as to be able to reduce basal drastically when exercising?

OK, out of ideas for now. Good luck.

Click to expand...

Thank you. No, he has not lost his license, though he has before, as a low led to a car accident. I talked to him since my first post here, and he is so resistant to advice. " don't like people telling me what to do" he says. Though he does tell me he appreciates my concern. As a fellow T1, he knows I know his feelings, and I do. He just broke up with his wife of 30-some years, so that's a big blow to his ego and his way of life, and as an athlete, he is now going all-out every day to drown his sorrows. I don't think he is unaware, just has a "I can take care of this, I'll be fine for a bit " attitude, and then his sugar drops like a bad habit. He does test every two hrs or so, I think. Low carb wont work, he needs to burn them during exercise. Thanks for your input.

Jaylee said:

Hi @bjing ,

Welcome to the forum.

You sound like a really good friend to this guy.

I use a CGM set up, I helps a little to pre-empt & avoid possible swings I'm BGs. I must admit I don't use the alarm function on my device. I'm still fully hypo awair..

Diabetes is a personal "thing." I've been in bands with other T1s & a T2. You can only lead by your own example & hope they find a better way regarding optimal BG with what they do?

In order for intervention to work, the person wanting the help has to accept they need help..

I'm only a mere "babe" at 51. But I hope to keep rocking like you at 67 & beyond.

Best wishes!

Click to expand...

Thanks so much. Yeah, leading by example , though I don't think he's paying attention. Thanks for reminding me about the acceptance. Makes me feel better about trying, but what else can I do? I also play a little music(mandolin). "keep on rockin' in the free world"!!

KK123 said:

You can lead a horse to water springs to mind. When it's a child that you are concerned about or a partner for example it's not possible to simply say oh well, but in this case it really is down to your friend to make his own decisions. You are not his carer and he probably feels resentful when people keep going on at him. I always think that people seem to think it's ok to dish out advice and criticism when it comes to the management of someone else's diabetes but would they do the same I wonder to someone with cancer, would they be saying do this, or do that? It's HIS business at the end of the day and all you can do is show concern as a friend (and you seem like a very good friend so he is lucky). x

Click to expand...

Exactly, and thank you for your input. It's his life to take care of.