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rose24

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Relationship to Diabetes
Type 1
Hi I have joined here because my boyfriend is type 1 and Im very worried about him. I have been doing research and this has made me worry about him even more.

The reason Im worried is he has lots of Hypo's but I no he takes his insulin. Last week he had 4 fits and 1 was in his sleep. Since we have been going out (6 months) he has had a fit about twice a month but it seems to be increasing.

I have spoke to my boyfriend about this and he told me not to worry.

Can anyone give me advise on what to do and how to cope please

Thank you.
 
Hi Rose, welcome to the forum 🙂 If he is having so many hypos then he is taking too much insulin for his needs. He needs to get this sorted out quickly, because there is no reason for it to be happening, r at least for it to be happening so frequently and leading to fits :( He needs to speak to his DSN (Diabetes Specialist Nurse) in order to assess his doses and make sure they are at a safe level. It's not fair on you to say not to worry and let this situation continue.

You might like to call the Diabetes UK Careline service so you can discuss the best approach with a trained counsellor - they can be contacted at:

http://www.diabetes.org.uk/How_we_help/Talk-to-someone/Careline/

What insulin is he on, and does he inject with every meal he eats? Had he been drinking before the night hypo?
 
Im not sure what its called but he injects everytime he eats a meal. He eats very very healthy and hardlys ever has sweet, chocolate etc. He likes to drink but only on a weekend but does go OTT i have to admit.

He has been to the nurse the other week and was told his levels were good so this is why Im so worried. The last fit i got elbowed in the face as i was asleep when this happened.

Im thinkin next time it happens is to call for a ambulance but i know this will make him very unhappy with me as he thinks he is fine.

Im very interested in this Diabetes UK Careline, do you have the telephone number ?

🙂
 
His overall levels may appear good, but if he is having frequent hypos and fits then he needs to address the causes of this. If he has been drinking he needs to make sure he has a carby snack before bed - chips, cheese on toast, sandwich etc. so that his levels don't drop too low overnight.

Has he been diagnosed long? It is a very difficult thing to try and persuade someone with diabetes that they need to be doing certain things because it can be resented as 'interference' - most of us don't like being told what to do! 🙂

The Careline number is 0845 120 2960, Monday?Friday, 9am?5pm or they can be contacted via email at careline@diabetes.org.uk

Or if you are in Scotland: carelinescotland@diabetes.org.uk

Does he test his blood sugar levels before eating and before bed?
 
I have never seen him test his blood, should he be doing this? He was diagnosed when he was a little boy so quite a while.

Im very worried but when i ask him about this and what i should do I know he doesnt like it.

i will give them a call thank you very much 🙂
 
Yes, he should test before injecting his insulin so that he knows how much to inject. Do you mind me asking how old he is? Sometimes people who have grown up with diabetes can get into bad habits, like with anything else, because they become so used to dealing with it.

If you'd like to read up on Type 1 diabetes, see if you can get a copy of Type 1 Diabetes in Children, Adolescents and Young People by Ragnar Hanas. It's quite expensive but you might be able to get a copy from your library 🙂 It's a really excellent book that covers everything. I hope the Careline can help with some suggestions 🙂
 
He is 25 so he is used to dealing with it but doesnt like to talk about it so its hard for me to speak.

The main thing Im worrying about is the fits esp as he travels alot and I worry its happening more than he lets on hence why im now looking for help.

I can tell now when its going to happen but i still worry. I will have a look for it, thank you 🙂
 
rose24 said:
He is 25 so he is used to dealing with it but doesnt like to talk about it so its hard for me to speak.

The main thing Im worrying about is the fits esp as he travels alot and I worry its happening more than he lets on hence why im now looking for help.

I can tell now when its going to happen but i still worry. I will have a look for it, thank you 🙂
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I hope he's not driving if he's not testing as he could lose his license if he has a hypo at the wheel (to say nothing about if he had an accident :(). Some people can be very private about their diabetes, and I do wonder if he is telling the whole truth to his nurse as well.
 
Rosie hi and a warm welcome to the forum
 
Are you sure he is fitting? This is a serious thing if he is and needs medical help for it.
If he's just hypo (low blood sugar) then poke him to wake him up so he can treat his low.
If he needs an ambulance more than twice within 12 mths then his driving licence is gone even a night time hypo counts.

As others have said it sounds as if he is on far to much insulin.
It is law now that he must test before he drives as well. Does sound to me though as if he is not safe to hold a licence at the moment. :(
 
hi Rose.... I can't add anything as I'm not on insulin.... but just wanted to welcome you to the forum x
 
Thank you everyone 🙂

I had no idea he needed to test before he drives so I will talk to him about this. Im going to sit him down and talk about this as i feel i have a lot more to say and facts to back myself up so he cant ignore it.

When he has a hypo I can sometimes get him to eat but if its really bad he fits and I cant do anything and he doesnt remember anything about it when he comes round which is very scary.
 
rose24 said:
Thank you everyone 🙂

I had no idea he needed to test before he drives so I will talk to him about this. Im going to sit him down and talk about this as i feel i have a lot more to say and facts to back myself up so he cant ignore it.

When he has a hypo I can sometimes get him to eat but if its really bad he fits and I cant do anything and he doesnt remember anything about it when he comes round which is very scary.
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Hi Rose,
if he is fitting then he is not allowed to hold a driving licence for at least 6 mths since the last fit.
His DSN and or consultant need to be told so they can sort it out for him so either he doesn't die or he kills someone else whilst at the wheel of a car.
My advice to you is do not get into a car with him if you value your life. 😱
 
rose24 said:
...When he has a hypo I can sometimes get him to eat but if its really bad he fits and I cant do anything and he doesnt remember anything about it when he comes round which is very scary.
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Does he believe that he does actually have the fits? If he doesn't and your camera/phone is capable of video capture then... 😉
 
He knows he has fits cos his teeth are all chipped and he has bitten his tongue a few times. He doesnt like being told what to do but am going to show him everything ppl have said on here 😱
 
rose24 said:
He knows he has fits cos his teeth are all chipped and he has bitten his tongue a few times. He doesnt like being told what to do but am going to show him everything ppl have said on here 😱
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It's incredibly dangerous to drive if he is having these fits Rose, what on earth does he think would happen if he had one at the wheel? Doesn't bear thinking about :( It sounds to me like he doesn't like being told what he needs to do, which is fine - but only if he takes responsibility himself and he is not doing that currently. He does NOT need to be having these problems and he is being selfish by making others fear for his safety and potentially putting others at risk. :(
 
Hi Rose

The good news for your partner Rose, is that it doesn't have to be like this.

Diabetes is contrary, annoying and occasionally makes no sense but most of the time it can be controlled and made to behave itself and should not stop a person from doing anything. That just takes a little attention and planning.

I had several years of waking low/going hypo overnight and because I had just slipped into it, and because it didn't happen *all* the time I just allowed myself to believe that this was 'as good as could be achieved without living like a monk'. Like your partner I'd also been diabetic for years and I also found it difficult to accept suggestions made by my Dr or nurse - especially when they were of the 'You are doing quite well, you just need to try a bit harder' variety.

Has your partner been on any kind of course in recent years to help them manage their D? Courses like DAFNE can be a huge help to people who were taught the basics donkeys years ago and have just muddled along ever since figuring things out as they go.

It may be that your partner would run a mile from a course like that - but it can hugely help to get in a room where you are not the *only* diabetic and be able to compare notes/approaches/experiences. Especially where the course gives a framework for handling 'real life' stuff like sport, illness and alcohol.

If he really couldn't face it there is a brilliant online course that he can do from the comfort of his own laptop here: http://www.bdec-e-learning.com/
 
I also had a similar problem when I was coming off my honeymoon period, I had a hypo which resulted in a coma and possibly a fit.

Nobody was there to witness it but I had friction burns on my face and had also bitten my tongue.

I problem was I was taking far too much insulin, even though I was following exactly what the nurse had told me to do and was even testing myself 4-6 per day.

I had my driving license revoked for 12 months, this may sound selfish but before you mention this to a doctor or nurse, you may want to consider the option of trying to solve this problem yourself.
 
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