Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Ashley W on October 1, 2009 at 8:28pm

Hi Suzanne,
I can 100% relate to your post - my husband has had type 1 for about 12 years and we've experienced some pretty intense lows together too. You sound very supportive and positive, which is a great thing.

I wanted to point you to a blog that I started about being a "significant other" of someone with type 1 - one of the first postings I did was on blood sugar lows (you can see it here: http://diabetesdelicatebalance.blogspot.com/2009/08/being-loved-one... ), because it seems top of mind for anyone who is looking for support or understanding around being in a relationship with a PWD. In that blog post I talk about some tips I have ... and there were a few comments from others. I hope it helps.

Hang in there - it is not an easy road, but as you get more used to being with someone who gets low, and as you said you get used to or more tuned into the signs, it gets easier. And there are things that you can do to help it get easier. Read the blog and I'd love to know if it helps.


Good luck,
Ashley

Permalink Reply by Daniel Oliva, RRT RPFT AE-C on October 1, 2009 at 9:00pm

Check his bld sugars before bed, and maybe have a snack of cheese & crackers or peanut butter and crackers about 4 crackers should help.. the protein slows the absorption of the carbs and will keep him from dropping also I sleep with my meter by my night stand.... and a apple. My lows seem to always wake me up so I check with my meter. You my want to talk to his MD about how much insulin he is using....My Doc always uses the three am check for three nights in a row..I set a alarm.
They also may want to use the glucose meter that you wear for a few nights...If you have great insurance you may get the continuous loop monitoring. This dose not have to happen too often. There are a lot of clinical trials out there for people who can not feel the lows...look at clinical trails .gov.diabetes. There is a lot going on out there for type 1 or type 3's But those are the only one I look for. Good luck but keep checking the bld sugars. The more you do the more you are in control. The more you know the more YOU control.
My best wishes,
Dan

Permalink Reply by Katie Zeller on October 2, 2009 at 12:01am

My husband has been Type 1 for 5 months (he had his pancreas removed). At first he always felt his lows, now he rarely does which is really worrying (for me). And he hates it when I wake him up to test. It's a conundrum. I just left him alone for 2 weeks while I visited family, which was eeven more worrying.
I'm not trying to make you feel worse - just letting you know that, somehow, we manage to get through it all.
And I share your quest for any tips on how to handle it all better.
I also know that a CGM would be wonderful - but, we have to work with what we have.... And we don't have one.

Good luck to you both.

Permalink Reply by Just Little Me on October 2, 2009 at 3:33am

Ashley

I've been married to a wonderful man with diabetes for 20 years and have had to deal with numerous hypo episodes - sometimes I can get him out on my own, sometimes it's too low (20) and I have to call the paramedics. I can tell you one thing, it has decreased greatly since he got the insulin pump. (2-3 episodes a month before the pump and now 2-3 episodes a year). It's all about checking the numbers and keeping after them. Does he check his BS often? Does he make sure to eat before he goes to bed if it's getting low? How does he deal with you talking about his diabetes? If he's OK with it - great - talk, learn, go to his doctor appointments and you may want to check into getting glucagon - it's an emergency only shot that you can give him if he is unable to take anything by mouth (unconscious). Let us know how it's going.

JustLittleMe

Permalink Reply by Suzanne G. on October 7, 2009 at 4:22pm

Thank you all for sharing your experiences and advice. I really appreciate it. I'm confident that with time I'll be better informed - thanks to sites like this one!