When I was a child, my mom used to tell me that being the loved one of a type 1 diabetic is harder than being the diabetic. Most times, I think she' s right. Nobody understands me quite so well as my type 1 diabetic friends; they know the spaghetti-legs of lows and the Hyperphobia of highs. Family, friends, past boyfriends...all are on the outside looking in - and I have no idea how that feels.
But Laurie does, and she posted the following in response to Linda' s Story:
I have been married to a type 1 diabetic for 32 years. He does not take good care of himself and I know more about diabetes than he does. I have read the books, he has not and will not read even one of them. 5 years ago, he was very sick and almost died dr.' s could not find out what was wrong, finally they found out he has gastroparesis and he had to get a gastric pacemaker put in his stomach to help digest his food. This is common in diabetics. So if any of your diabetics are vomiting uncontrollably, and can' t keep food down it is probably gastroparesis. He has been in and out of the hospital so many times that I have lost count. We had a home that we built and lived in for 14 years on 3 acres but we lost it, because of hospital bills, and him not being able to work. I can' t tell all of you how important it is to take care or your diabetes! My husband fights me when I ask him to do his test, or eat when I know he needs to. It is a constant battle to keep him half way healthy and it is about to do me in. I am depressed because of it and don' t care much about myself. I have told him for so many years that it is bad that he has diabetes, but he is also lucky that he does not have a disease like cancer, that he has NO control over! He can control his diabetes, especially if he would take good care of himself! Linda, I know exactly how you feel! I/we can' t go on a trip or a weekend away, if I go away for the afternoon, he will go work in the yard and not stop to eat and he will have a sugar low. If we go on a trip he will more than likely end up in the hospital, I don' t know why? I is something about going away? I have called from a store and had to rush home to find him doing flip flops on the front porch with his sugars at 37! With what I have gone through with this man, I would guess that it has taken a good 10 to 20 years off of my life and it just keeps on going as of yesterday when he had a low of 40 because I wasn' t home for 2 hours while I went to the grocery store and he couldn' t take the time to get himself some lunch! He scared our 14 year old daughter half to death and I almost got in an accident driving about 80 mph to get home. OK, I am done complaining, I wish so bad that I knew a way to get him to take care of himself? I have tried everything I can think of. I don' t know what to do. Thanks for listening. Lauri
Lauri, thank you so much for sharing your story. And please, remember to take care of you.
When I was a child, my mom used to tell me that being the loved one of a type 1 diabetic is harder than being the diabetic. Most times, I think she' s right. Nobody understands me quite so well as my type 1 diabetic friends; they know the spaghetti-legs of lows and the Hyperphobia of highs. Family, friends, past boyfriends...all are on the outside looking in - and I have no idea how that feels.
But Laurie does, and she posted the following in response to Linda' s Story:
So if any of your diabetics are vomiting uncontrollably, and can' t keep food down it is probably gastroparesis. He has been in and out of the hospital so many times that I have lost count. We had a home that we built and lived in for 14 years on 3 acres but we lost it, because of hospital bills, and him not being able to work. I can' t tell all of you how important it is to take care or your diabetes! My husband fights me when I ask him to do his test, or eat when I know he needs to. It is a constant battle to keep him half way healthy and it is about to do me in. I am depressed because of it and don' t care much about myself. I have told him for so many years that it is bad that he has diabetes, but he is also lucky that he does not have a disease like cancer, that he has NO control over! He can control his diabetes, especially if he would take good care of himself!
Linda, I know exactly how you feel! I/we can' t go on a trip or a weekend away, if I go away for the afternoon, he will go work in the yard and not stop to eat and he will have a sugar low. If we go on a trip he will more than likely end up in the hospital, I don' t know why? I is something about going away?
I have called from a store and had to rush home to find him doing flip flops on the front porch with his sugars at 37!
With what I have gone through with this man, I would guess that it has taken a good 10 to 20 years off of my life and it just keeps on going as of yesterday when he had a low of 40 because I wasn' t home for 2 hours while I went to the grocery store and he couldn' t take the time to get himself some lunch! He scared our 14 year old daughter half to death and I almost got in an accident driving about 80 mph to get home.
OK, I am done complaining, I wish so bad that I knew a way to get him to take care of himself? I have tried everything I can think of. I don' t know what to do.
Thanks for listening. Lauri
Lauri, thank you so much for sharing your story. And please, remember to take care of you.
Comments, as always, are open.