[HollyB]

Just to confuse matters -- Type 1s don't necessarily have to eat low-carb, especially if they are active people. Healthy, yes -- the kind of diet we all should be eating -- more veggies and whole grains, less fat, fewer greasy/sugary desserts.

I'm going to suggest we distinguish here between what you NEED to know in order to provide necessary backup and feel confident dealing with emergencies, and what you would like your husband to share with you. Then start with the needs.

So. First and foremost you need a game plan for what to do if he's low and can't manage by himself. If you like, we can tell you the drill and you can run it by him: "This is what I understand I should do -- do you agree?"

A list of what meds he's taking so if he has to check into hospital and can't speak for himself, they will have that info.

You should understand the basic principles behind diabetes management, so you can provide some intelligent support. For example, if he's really high when he tests before dinner, you could ask if he wants to delay dinner for a bit so he can get his sugar down to something reasonable before eating sends it back up again. You can get this basic info from a book that's focused on Type 1 -- "Think Like a Pancreas" is very readable and will help you understand the basic chemistry involved. Who knows, maybe he'll read it too.

After that, you're into a delicate negotiation. He may always want to keep the details of his treatment private. I think it's a fair argument, though, that people who are married should have a good understanding of each other's health status along with other issues. It's part of knowing and caring about each other, right? Not that you want to mother or nag him, you just want to be somewhat in the loop.