Wife/Husband of a diabetic

[Mrs.Type 1]

I am interested in getting feedback from some spouses of diabetics. My husband was diagnosed at 15. I knew him for about a year before he was diagnosed and now its been 7 years and we are still struggling with this disease. I feel I have some knowledge to be shared with other spouses of diabetics and I also feel that I have alot to learn. I have no problem admitting that I married this disease but I also think that it is important to fight to make sure this disease does not take my husband from me.

[notme]

Hi Mrs. ....welcome to Diabetes Forums. I think it is great that you have come here to look for help for you and your husband. My husband is very understanding, but does not "understand" diabetes very well.

I am sure you will find lots of help here from the good people on the forums.

Welcome :wavey:

[Mrs.Type 1]

Thankyou...I find it is easier to help my husband the more i learn about diabetes and i dont want to be just book smart when it comes to this disease. And with the complications we are having with our son i think the best thing for me to do is go ahead and learn as much as i can. We have been through 5 or 6 DKA's in just the past 3 years one of them coming very close to taking my husbands life and i learned alot then but i need to further my knowledge to prevent them.

[GrammaBear]

Hello Mrs. Type 1,

Welcome to the Forum and I have to say I think you are a kind person to want to learn about diabetes in order to help your husband. One book that I have found helpful is the book, "Think like a Pancreas" by Gary Scheiner. It is a good reference book plus it is written both for the person who has diabetes and those that want to learn more about it.

GrammaBear

[LCD]

I am interested in getting feedback from some spouses of diabetics. I have no problem admitting that I married this disease but I also think that it is important to fight to make sure this disease does not take my husband from me.

I was married to a type 1 very "brittle" diabetic for almost twenty-five years, until 1999. There have been a lot of progress and improvements over the last ten years. We went throught a lot of very difficult situations; hospitalizations, dialysis, kidney/pancareas transplants, ambutations, etc.

He was a wonderful man and I was truly blessed to have him in my life.

Some of the many lessons I learned from him are helping me now, as I was dx in 2007 with Type 2.

Feel free to pm if you have any questions.

As Joni Mitchell sang "I've been on both sides now"

[David_S]

Well you can email my wife.. she pretty much took on this disease when I was diagnosed.. and changed the depression I felt at first.. to a team effort to manage it. She has read everything she could and she does all the shopping. She lost weight with our new lifestyle.. we don't call it a diet.. it is just how we eat. She went low carb with me and lost 75 pounds.
(please use the diabetes forums email for initial contact)

[Mrs.Type 1]

I really do appreciate the welcome....i was a little nervous about joining a forum about a disease that i dont have personally. I will be sure to check out the literature thank you everyone.

[notme]

You are more than welcome to be here and learn. I personally would LOVE to see more spouses and significant others join the forums. I think your life has also been changed by your husband's diagnosis.

Please stick around and help other partners of people with diabetes.

[nashscan]

My fiance is the most wonderful supportive significant other anyone could ever have to help battle this disease. She makes me feel so special. She tells me that I shouldn't have to battle this alone. She loves to get my test strips ready or poke my finger. Heck, on our 2nd date she wanted to watch me do my shot when I told her about my diabetes. Most other women would just squirm. She listens to me when I go on a rant about some aspect of this disease. She never tries to police what I eat. I am totally in love with this woman. I think everyone who is a good human being should have a significant other to be by their side if that's what they want.