Support and help for spouses of diabetics

[Tmg123]

Hello, I’m type 1 and have recently had a few nasty hypos. It’s upset my wife and family and I wonder if anyone know of any help or support out there for the spouses of diabetics? Thanks

 

[rebrascora]

Hi and welcome

So sorry to hear about your nasty hypos. I can't begin to imagine how frightening and traumatic it is to witness a loved one having a bad hypo and particularly if they are fitting or unconscious but the first thing I would want in that situation, is some reassurance that it is unlikely to happen again, so improving your knowledge and management and maybe obtaining some tech to help you, should be top priorities.
Do you know why they happened? Have you done a basal test to check your dose is appropriate still. Have you contacted your Diabetes clinic for help to prevent them? Have you done a DAFNE education course or similar? There is an online version called BERTIE which might be helpful since DAFNE courses are not currently running due to Covid.

It will be important to run your levels higher for a while if you have lost some of your hypo awareness, to try to get it back.

I appreciate that this is not the reason you have visited the forum and hopefully someone will be able to answer your question about a support group for relatives..... perhaps the Diabetes UK helpline would be a good place to ask.... the number is at the top right hand side of this page..... but doing your utmost to understand why these events happened and taking steps to prevent them happening again is vital and the forum members here should certainly be able to help you with advice and support for that if you would like to give us more information about your insulin regime and what tech if any you currently use etc and when the hypos happened etc.

 

[stillgoing]

Hi, Welcome to the forum. If she wanted to she can join this forum. When you join there is a relationship with diabetes question which you ticked type 1. There is also carer or similar box. She can then chat with us all directly and get all sorts of advice in how to keep you under control.

This site is for anyone with an interest in diabetes.

 

[Inka]

Welcome @Tmg123 Do you know what might have caused your hypos? Nasty hypos are terrifying - for the person with diabetes as well as their family. Anything you can do to reduce the risk of having one is a good thing.

If you’re ok with talking about it, you’ll get suggestions here that might help you. You’ll then indirectly help your wife too.

 

[Tmg123]

Hi all, thanks very much for your replies and support. I do know what caused them, yes. Either a mixture of injecting and getting distracted and not eating in time or having a crash after high really high readings and falling asleep before I had chance to sort myself out. Waking up to a room full of paramedics and a panicky and upset family. I’ve got a cgm which is pretty good but sometimes life just gets in my way, business, brexit, kids, COVID. I think I’ll get my wife to register too. As a guess how often do you guys have high readings? I think I’m too paranoid about the long term effects of high blood sugar and tend to run things too tight.

 

[stillgoing]

Its ok to run things tight but you have got to get the level right. My target point is 6.5 with an acceptable 5 to 8. This ensures I am ok to drive. If I pick up an infection or become stressed then mid teens are not uncommon. I try not to over react to them so that I don't crash and burn but the stress problem is difficult for me as the source of stress is not always easy to identify and then my body suddenly decides it not worried about it and then I crash. I have had the condition 57 years and only recently getting long term problems.

I know you are worried about long term effects of highs but your not doing your self any good with lows which need assistance either. Balance is the key and plenty of advice around here on how people have done it.

Perhaps a thought on your priorities and put yourself first. Then you will be in a better state to deal with life.

Good luck and keep playing the game🙂

 

[Inka]

If you do run things too tight, you can lose hypo awareness. I now eat something small if I’m below 5 and it’s improved my hypo awareness even though it was pretty good to start with, so it definitely makes a difference.

I’ve bolused and got distracted before but I felt the drop even though I was, by then, eating my cereal, so just had a Dextro or two to bring me up and carried on eating. If you have. CGM, could you set the Low alarm at a higher level?

How high do you call high? And do you know your correction factor so you can ensure you don’t overcorrect? I find one unit of insulin brings me down more in the evening so I’m always wary and take a smaller correction.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

As a guess how often do you guys have high readings? I think I’m too paranoid about the long term effects of high blood sugar and tend to run things too tight.

I am involved in a clinical trial which is just finishing the data collection phase and approaching analysis and writing/publication which is specifically exploring the barriers and ‘thinking traps’ we can put in the way of managing hypos in exactly the way you describe @Tmg123 - the new intervention being trialled also has sessions which include partners/significant others. If the study results are as encouraging as an early pilot, it might be worth keeping an eye on, as it sounds like something that would be very beneficial for you.

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