Hi there! My husband was diagnosed with type 1 in Jan 2019, aged 75 when I was still working aged 69.A big shock! He is doing really well and now aged 78 has a sensor so no more finger pricking! However I feel my own life has also changed, so I wondered if there is a forum for carers/ partners? I feel we need to have other partners to relate to and to have discussions. If not, can I start one?!
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Husband diagnosed aged 75… now 78
- Thread starter SMM
- Start date
- Status
Docb
Moderator
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
Hi @SMM and welcome to the forum. There are quite a few carers on here, both those who care for somebody with diabetes and those with diabetes who care for somebody who might or might not have diabetes. Feel free to start some conversations here on this message board and see if you get the sort of thing you need. I'm in the carer with diabetes category and would be happy to join in.
Hi carers or partners of type1diabetics. My husband, age 78, has had type 1 Diabetes for 2 1/2 years now. He manages it very well, but since he had his sensor and the dafne course he is constantly monitoring himself and is preoccupied with getting it all at least 98% right! I know it is necessary, but his self preoccupation is new…. and I feel selfish if it irritates me. It must be so hard for him, and I have real empathy for his situation,but I am definitely living with his diabetes too.He denies he is anxious and just gets cross if I try and deflect him. I weigh and cook his food so am involved in the day to day management, but all spontaneity has gone for us both.Does anyone else experience this?
Pumper_Sue
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
- Pronouns
- He/Him
I completely understand your worries @SMM - and know just what you mean about the loss of spontaneity 
I think having a gadget like Libre which can ‘fill in the blanks’ between fingersticks can be fascinating and really quite motivating for some people (and actually quite overwhelming for others).
Because you can see the effect of your actions rolling out, more or less in realtime it can really help you to tweak your approaches to food, and see the results of those changes in smoother traces.
And if you can see that you are making improvements, it can be very tempting to aim for higher and higher ‘time in range’ numbers - almost becoming like a game.
This is all well and good, but it can slightly take over if you let it!
IMO it is important to keep a bit of balance between aiming for BG results that you are happy with, which offer reasonable chances of long-term health, and with the rest of ‘life’. So that you have a sustainable, flexible and enjoyable way of living where diabetes fits around you rather than the other way around.
There’s no clinical need to aim for anything like 98% Time in Range. The international consensus suggests 70%+ is optimal, with no more than 4% of readings below 4.0 🙂
forum.diabetes.org.uk
I think having a gadget like Libre which can ‘fill in the blanks’ between fingersticks can be fascinating and really quite motivating for some people (and actually quite overwhelming for others).
Because you can see the effect of your actions rolling out, more or less in realtime it can really help you to tweak your approaches to food, and see the results of those changes in smoother traces.
And if you can see that you are making improvements, it can be very tempting to aim for higher and higher ‘time in range’ numbers - almost becoming like a game.
This is all well and good, but it can slightly take over if you let it!
IMO it is important to keep a bit of balance between aiming for BG results that you are happy with, which offer reasonable chances of long-term health, and with the rest of ‘life’. So that you have a sustainable, flexible and enjoyable way of living where diabetes fits around you rather than the other way around.
There’s no clinical need to aim for anything like 98% Time in Range. The international consensus suggests 70%+ is optimal, with no more than 4% of readings below 4.0 🙂
Time In Range - useful for Libre / CGM wearers
I've been meaning to post this for ages, but kept forgetting! At the ADA this year the international consensus paper on TIR (time in range) was published by a panel of experts with a huge amount of knowledge and expertise in supporting people to use continuous data to help manage their...
forum.diabetes.org.uk
DouglasXKR
Active Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
It’s not easy and to a very considerable extent has been made more difficult by covid safeguards which prevent a partner or spouse from attending some NHS dietary courses etc but welcome spouses at consultations. We‘ve been married for 50 years and sharing these experiences is essential especially the advice on what to eat. Sharing this experience is what makes it tolerable and, if I may say so, survivable which is not an exaggeration. What greatly helped me was the diagnosis of bowel cancer my wife received some years ago which we survived together and it taught me a lesson. I hope your husband appreciates how much help you are and can be.
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