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Posted 2/4/2006 6:30 AM (GMT 0)
Hello all, Im new here.  I just found this site from searching around on the internet trying to find things to help my wife.  Shes 29 yrs old and is a Type 1 juvenile diabetic(since age 10).  We have only been married two years and now have a little boy(16mths).  SHe suffers from gastroperisis, and other diabetic related ailments.  She now has to start kidney dialysis soon.  Im completely overwhelmed and scared to death at the same time.  She is literally a walking time bomb with her blood sugar being very brittle.  Two weeks ago, we almost lost her.  She was vomiting from her stomach acting up and checked her blood sugar.  It was 79....good right?  She drank TWO whole coke's and ate some peanut butter crackers.  In NINE, NINE minutes her number went from 79 to 38.  She wears an insulin pump which was turned off obviously.  SO in another two min, while we were waiting for her cokes/crackers to kick in, she started seizing and stopped breathing.  She turned totally blue and held my hand the whole time....she wouldnt let go.  Well, shes ok now, but Im not.  I want to help her through all of this, but Im running on "e".  What can I say or do to help her?  Shes been going through this for so long, and say's she's tired of feeling sick and tired.  Do I tell her to toss in the towel, or keep fighting for me and our son?  Please help......
Posted 2/4/2006 8:50 PM (GMT 0)
Mike,

I'm so glad you found us. We might not be the best help you can find but we will give you all we have. First off, who's doing the cooking at your house? The grocery shopping? Have you both taken a food class in the last 5 yrs. from a trained diabetic educator? Is she on the list for a pancreas transplant? When was the last time she had her pump checked? Answers to these questions will help us help you.

The fact that she has been dealing with this since age 10 doesn't mean she is totally educated on all the ins and outs of the glycemic index (the level of sugars that get into the bloodstream from certain foods) or some of the newer developments in diabetic care. Add to this the fact that she not only has her own diet to manage but the diet of a growing toddler and a grown man as well... I'd be going bonkers if I were her. And somewhere in there between age 10 and getting married she had to learn to cook, diabetically no less! She is really to be admired!

Please give her all the encouragement you can. Assistance in the kitchen is essential. Working on a weekly menu, grocery list and assisting her with getting meals and snacks on time will go a long way toward keeping her sugars level. Also, the toddler running amok in the house can use up all her energy so be sure to have alternative foods on hand for the nights that she hasn't had time to cook. One evening a week could be devoted to preparing foods for the week ahead (cutting up meat for stew, cooking chicken breasts for casserole, going over recipies to assure that all the neccesary stuff is on hand, stuff like that.) This is something that you could do as a team and could become a fun time together. Investing in a slow cooker that she can dump stuff into in the morning while she does busy mom stuff all day would be great, too.

If you could stop on your way home from work and get a little fresh fruit and salad fixings once or twice a week that would help also. She may not have time or the energy to keep these essentials on hand and they spoil quickly so they are hard to store up on.

I also would suggest that you make a special appointment with her endocrinologist to discuss her feelings of discouragement. If she doesn't have one I would find her one. Ask for some food classes, food lists anything they have that you can use as a tool to help her stay on track. You two are a team and you can do this together.

I'm sending prayers your way for the both of you. Hang in there and KOKO! (Keep on keepin' on!)
Posted 2/9/2006 12:14 PM (GMT 0)

Hi Mike,

I've only just read your post - EEEKK!

This is no time to throw in the towel!  Even with all these health complaints your wife can go on living.  Please please get to your local hospital and get help with this.  Find out what to do if your wife's blood sugar goes low yourself - maybe you can get the glucagon injection to keep in case of these emergencies?  You need to learn how to inject this if your wife cannot. 

Also, as Jeannie mentioned, find out about the glycemic index (GI) - look on the web!  Find out exactly how food will affect your wife's blood sugars.  (I have found that coke isn't actually that quick acting on blood sugar, even though it is full of sugar - I find lucozade to be much better for hypos.) It must be hard that your wife has so many things to consider, so I urge you to see a dietician.  You really need to seek professional advice, and seek it together.

I'm really thinking of you both right now and I sincerely hope this gets better soon.  Keep us updated!

Claire x

Posted 2/17/2006 8:41 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Mike,

I'm so sorry to hear about your wife and I wish you both good luck and health. I'm not sure I can even explain to what extent I emphathise with her. If you could spare the time I was wondering if I could ask you a quick question, how old was your wife when she started having health complications?

I'm in a similar situation, sort of. I'm 26 was diagnosed at 11 and I'm about to get married and we're planning on having kids in two years and I was wondering if her health suffered because of her pregnancy? I'm sorry to pry at a time like this, but I feel like she could be me. Again only if your inclined to answer and it's no inconveniance.
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