My husband has been type 1 for over 40 years and now does not feel a low coming on. He has gone into severe insulin shock and loss of consciousness and 911 has had to be called. If I am with him I can give him a glucogon injection, but I can't always be with him and now I am fearful about leaving him alone. We are just 66 years old and he doesn't appreciate being "mothered!"
My husband had that happen a few days ago. It made me nervous because he had passed out the week before. I would like him to get the CGM, but he doesn't think he needs it.
My husband does have the CGM but it is not as helpful as we had hoped. Sometimes it's accurate and sometimes it's not. He wears it when we are making a trip in the car ( a trip of 4 hours or more) When it goes off he does stop and check. Sometimes when he is high, it sounds the alert, he then takes a blood sugar count and boluses, but since it takes awhile for the bolus to get to the interstitial tissues the alarm keeps going off. The same goes for a low blood sugar---it alarms him, he tests, takes a few glucose tablets but that also takes awhile to get to the is. tissues. But it is better than nothing and he still recommends it to folks. Also the chiming sound it makes, he can't hear, though he does feel the buzzing! These sudden drops that he doesn't feel coming on began in 2006. We were driving in the rain on I-81 in VA and he began swerving. I asked him if he was o.k. and he looked at me and I realized "nobody was home"---his doctor calls it " the twilight zone." He refused to get off the road, but finally with his mother, his sister, and I all begging he did pull over. He had no memory of it. Just a f ew weeks before that he had pulled the same trick while he and I were hiking alone in Washington state. We then asked the doctor to put him on the CGM hoping that it would be the cure-all. The doctor has given us a glucogan (sp?) kit and I have had to use that a few times when he has lost consciousness during the night. But I do hope your husband will give the CGM a try. We can use all the help we can get----and all the moral support!
Wow, lows in the car must be scary! When my husband passed out it was 4am. He got up had a juice, candy and was eating chips. I got up to make sure all was ok and he was trembling. I was so nervous he was going to choke on the chips he was eating. Luckily he swallowed them before he was completly out of it. I went out that day and got the sqeezable glucose, so when he feels really low he doesn't start chewing food. He isn't on the pump yet, it took him ten years to finally agree to give it a try. I think he will be set up in June with it. I am guessing he will take another ten years before agreeing to the CGM, he's very stubborn. LOL. Unless they come out with a pump / cgm all in one....
Stubborn????!!!--amen! especially when they are heading into a low! The pump and CGM do work together in that they "talk " to each other. When my husband has the CGM on, he can press a button on his pump and it will tell him what his bg is. Our only problem has been the accuracy of that reading. He has been a diabetic so long (diagnosed on physical on return from Viet Nam in '68) that he no longer feels the low coming on. At first it was the lows during the night and I would wake up and find him unconscious and that is where the glucogon kit has been wonderful saving me a call to 911. Now that it is happening during the day, it's more complicated if I'm not with him. If I'm with him, I can see it coming on and he can take measures to stop it. However even though we are retired, we can't be together 23/7--nor do we want to be! I'm praying that during our lifetime they can find a cure. His doctor says research is being done on a combined GCM/pump and it would be a complete loop independent of the patient. Now that would be great! I hope I haven't scared you about the future. My strongest recommendation is to get one of the kits if you don't already have one. I saw this website in a magazine and thought it would be interesting to compare notes with others. I especially wanted to find spouses who deal with this.
It must be frustrating for your husband not to feel the lows coming on. i wonder if it is common after all those years to lose the ability to feel a low. When the pump and CGM are a complete loop my husband will most likely get it. As far as the glucagon kit goes, we have to get anything ordered more than twice though the mail. So I sent in the order for it, and it was delivered the afternoon of the day he passed out. I had to call an EMT since I didn't have it. To be honest though he was thrashing around so much I may have needed help anyway. His doctor said if it happens again to flip him over, so he can't fight it. Now we have two kits, and he agreed that he won't go downstairs at night when he is low that he will wake me up instead. The funny thing that I guess didn't register with him is since we've lived together, I get up with him during the night anytime I see him go downstairs. Thank goodness I do he was sitting in a dining room chair could have hurt himself. I also have been interested in talking to spouses also dealing with these issues. My husband has no interest in joining, he said I am his support, that stubborn trait coming into play again.
Stubborn?!!! I can't imagine! Is that a male trait or just a diabetic male trait? 10-12 years ago my husband started putting small cans of pineapple juice ( it works the fastest for him) in his bedside table. I too would follow him downstairs and was afraid he would stumble. I truly don't think they realize the stress this puts on us--this watching them and being constantly on guard for any change in behavior. Just yesterday afternoon we were beginning to eat, and I realized he wasn't talking to me and had slipped into the twilight zone. Quickly got out juice and trying to get it down him. I tried to turn off his pump and he wouldn't let me---very strong when in the twilight zone. At last the juice took affect and he finally came around and I didn't have to use the glucagon and as usual he was so sorry--Dr. Jeckle and Mr. Hyde? His doctor has told me that if he is semi-conscious not to try to get juice down him because of the danger of choking but to just go ahead and give the glucagon. Sometimes I have been awakened at night because he is thrashing around so much. This has usually turned out to be a bad low he's heading into. Sometimes at this point I can intervene with juice, but others it's easier to give him the injection if he's too far gone and I don't want him to choke. Even though I'm no nurse, I haven't had any problem giving him the injection, though I must admit the first time I was shaking and trying to read the directions and load the syringe. Within 10-12 minutes he was back with me so now I do know it works and how much time to allow. One thing we have done is to set up a code word for him to tell me. Once he can give me the code word, I know we're out of the woods. He's a Marine and the code word he gives me is "Sempre Fi!"
I think the stubborn gene is worse in a Diabetic:) I don't think they realize the stress either. There are times I will call him during work with a quick question, and he doesn't call me back for hours. Well that just gets my mind racing. He repairs heating and air conditioning, so he is always on the road. I think if he had a desk job, his numbers would be more stable. Sometimes he doesn't know until after he's taken a lunch shot how active he is going to be. So he always ends up high or low. Hopefully the pump can help with some of those problems.
After all these years with your husband do you panic when he has a severe low or are you calm when it happens? I paniced a little when my husband passed out, but I really tried to stay focused on getting him to the floor safley so I could call for help. He hadn't had an incident for eight years so this was really a set back. He finally got over the fear and wanted to stop running high, and then this happened. He is still trying but his numbers are high again, I hope he isn't doing it so he feels safe. His doctor did lower his Lantus he might just have some adjustments to make, but it's been two weeks now. I like the code word idea!
I really think that men have a harder time with this than women. They don't want to appear to be "handicapped." Last month he was teaching our Sunday School class and began to slip into a bad low. I was tired that morning and said I was going to skip Sunday School and would just meet him at church. If I had been there I would have seen it happening and could have intervened, but only one person in that class understood what was probably happening. Anyway by the time I got there 911 had been called and arrived about the same time I did. The folks in the class were all upset but I was pretty calm as I knew he would be o.k. once the paramedics got the glucose intravenous going. They did insist on taking him on to the hospital in the ambulance to have some questions about heart irregularity checked out and that turned out o.k. Two times in the past year, he has passed out while walking/running in our neighborhood, which is a huge one of 800 homes and we don't know everybody by any means. Police have been called ,plus 911 and me finally. He has come around enough to sign a release that he doesn't need to go to the hospital. But this time at church was harder for him because so many folks witnessed it and our minister gave an update in church. This was hard on him because a lot of folks called and many said they didn't know he was diabetic and many keep asking if he is o.k. They said he looks so healthy! Well yes, he does look great for a 66 yr old guy and that's because he has tried so hard all these years to keep close control and not get overweight.
You asked if I panic. No, I don't. However the first time I found him unconscious at night I had to go get his kit and I realized I was shaking and so frightened. I just had to stop and pray. " Please Lord, give me calmness that I need to do what I have to do." I gave him the injection and waited for it to take effect and it did after about 12 long minutes. That is what I do now when this happens.
Once your husband gets on the pump it's going to take awhile to get regulated. It takes a lot of patience. One advantage is that you can wait until you eat (and see what your are going to eat) to take a bolus, you can suspend if other things intervene. It helps when meals get delayed and has helped us a lot when we travel. The pump gives you a lot more control but it isn't easy. My husband tries so hard for tight control and that results in too many lows as far as I'm concerned. He says he doesn't want to risk kidney damage etc. but on the other had we have these lows that are so scary and I think dangerous. One thing we have done recently is keep in close contact via cell phone. He now knows it is important--especially so I won't worry so much. When he goes out for a run now he checks his BG, turns off his pump, takes glucose tabs if needed. Then he calls me half way through his run, checks his BG and then continues with his excercise. Several days ago, he called me that he had checked and he was in the 50's so I drove out and picked him up even though he had taken his glucose tabs. This increased security of the cell phones helps.
I'm supposed to go on a women's retreat with my daughter in mid April. I am worried about leaving him alone for the weekend. His doctor said for me to go and for him to keep his BG about 200 plus the time I'm gone. I'm still thinking about it but I know if I don't go, he will feel bad! I told him I've found a friend online that is on my same journey----not something that he would do!
I agree, my husband does seem to have a difficult time. I think part of it may also be that he was diagnosed at 21. With in the first year he experienced a lot of negativity. He was training for his job at the time, and one of the guys he usually had to ride to service calls with made him take his shots and sugar readings outside the van. They worked in bad areas, so people used to think he was using drug needles and they would try to find out what he had. One day he was working outside on a roof and had a low. Instead if the guy catching him, he let him fall he said he thought he was being electricuted. I am so glad he doesn't work with that guy anymore. He won't even tell our neighbors, and I think the reason might stem from the early days.
That is great he calls you during his runs! You should definately go on the retreat. Will your husband listen to his doctor and keep his readings up while you are gone? If he will that should ease your mind some.
I think we are still on track for my husband to get the pump. We have been writing down everything he eats and all his injections for about two months now. I think his doctor wants him to do all this to make sure he will continue to do the work when he has the pump. We might have to talk to the doctor before his next appointment because his readings seem to be staying high. I don't want him to get discouraged. He has made so many good changes in the last year. He used to forget to check his sugar before bed, and then skip breakfast and not check until lunch. Now he makes sure he checks before bed, and always has breakfast. I have to make his breakfast and make and pack his lunch, but I don't mind since he's been doing his part.
My gosh, I can't imagine what a complete and utter idiot that co-worker of your husband was--and probably still is. I have found that most people have no idea what we deal with. When my husband got on the pump some folks were surprised that he was still checking his BG all the time. They thought you just hooked it up and that was it---wouldn't that be great? I have made sure that our neighbors on the street know now what is going on. We've always done our best to explain without going into all the details. Some folks wondered how he could stand to poke himself in the stomach and his answer was poking yourself in the stomach once every 3 days sure beats 5 injections a day!
I'm a retired elementary school teacher and I always told my principal to steer any diabetic kids my way. I've had parents tell me it's so hard getting the school staff to understand and to be able to head off the lows. My daughter, also a teacher, has had kids in her 4th grade classroom that were on the pump and the parents were so glad their child was in a class with someone who so well understood the situation. When I think of how nervous I get when my husband is alone, I can imagine what it must be like to be a parent of a diabetic child and have the courage to send them off to school.
You were wondering if this unawareness of lows was common in people that have been diabetic many years. Our doctor said it is not unusual for this to happen, but it certainly doesn't happen to everyone. How long has your husband been diabetic? You know I don't worry so much about the loss of consciousness as I do with that in between "twilight zone." And this is something we've only had to deal with in the last year to year and a half. During that phase of the low, they appear drunk and belligerent and difficult to deal with and after it's all over, they have no memory of it. That is another good reason for someone to have good identification on them at all times. My husband wears a bracelet and he has info in his pocket about insulin etc.----and my phone numbers. The first time when he went down in the neighborhood the police were able to get all that info and called me at the same time as the ambulance.
At first the pump is a bit intimidating, having to count carbs and enter all that info. It's like a little computer. But it really takes off the pressure of having to have meals at exact times, and you can go out to eat and not have to get up from the table to go to the rest room to take an injection. Sometimes when we're traveling I have to remind my husband to be a little more discreet about the blood testing--some folks get a little edgy about blood!
And yes, I am going on the retreat. He has promised to keep his bg high and our son-in-law, who lives close by will keep a check on him. And I will be "nagging" him by phone!
I have a friend who was asking me diabetes questions about a co-worker of hers. She was commenting on his eating habits, etc. So I asked her what type he was, and she said oh he's the really bad kind he has tubes coming out of his stomach. So people really don't know much about diabetes or the pump.
Parents with diabetic children must have really felt better with you as their teacher! What grade did you teach? I have been nervous to have kids, I worry so much about my husband, I don't know what I would do if I had a child that was also diabetic. I know the increase in chances is small, it just makes me nervous.
My husband has been diabetic for about 11 years. I actually met him almost two years before he was diagnosed. I had no clue what any of this meant back then. For about eight years now he has me go to all his appointments with him, which has helped me learn a lot. It sounds like the pump is going to be another learning experience. I mentioned to him about disconnecting when he has a low, so he starts to think about that now. I figure if he implants in his mind now he will remember to disconnect when needed. He can be a little spacey.
I'm glad you are going on the retreat! Since he agreed to the plan, everything should be fine.
My husbands readings are still high today. Not sure but it could be stress. Our dog is sick, and he is really worried about her.
I'd hate to see you not have children because of diabetes fears. I think your husband and mine were diagnosed at about the same age, and by that time we already had one daughter. This didn't keep us from having another daughter four years later. The doctors said the hereditary factor was not very significant. Our daughters are now 39 and 43 and way past the time their dad was diagnosed. We did have some concern but didn't dwell on it and of course kept a close check on them and with the pediatricians. I just don't think it's that big a risk . Now we do have a history of *** cancer on my side, my mother, myself in 2008 and my older daughter last year. My daughter had it the worst as hers was invasive. She had double mastectomy, and chemo. Now that's heredity to worry about!!
It's great that you go with him to his doctor's appointments. I didn't start going regularly until these past two years. I remember when we were both working I would pack lunches for my daughter, my husband and myself. This definitely was a family issue.
I did want to clear up something. You don't disconnect on the pump when you have a low, you just "suspend" it. You disconnect for the "three S's"---showering, swimming, and well, ahem you can figure out the rest! When you disconnect, there is a cover to place over the port. It took us awhile to figure out where to clip the pump. During the day it's clipped to his belt and at night to his boxer shorts. Hmmmm, he might think that is TMI!
You asked what grade I taught. Had experience with all the elementary grades, but the last 13 were with 3rd grade. I loved that age and asked my principal not to promote me. They can read and follow directions and they still like to please the teacher--not too mouthy yet. I remember the day my 15 year old cocker spaniel died, they hugged me and wrote notes---not a dry eye that day. Hope your doggie is doing better. Our family has always had a real menagerie of dogs, cats, fish etc. Our older daughter is a veterinarian---claims it was our fault for always having critters around!
I tried to reply in a conversation, but I don't think it worked. Anyway, I need to get over my diabetic child fears. I always thought I would have kids much younger, as I got married when I was 23. Cancer can be worse than diabetes. My mother had cancer, it was an awful time. Is your daughter ok now?
I felt silly going to the appointments at first, but I got over it. Now my husband will ask me what I think his ratio should be when he takes his shots. I think he likes having someone to talk to that understands (usually).
Oh my! He might think thats is TMI, but thats ok. Haha. How long has he been on the pump? My husband is really going to have to pay attention to what he is doing. It will be better though, I hope.
Now a quick recap about our dog. The vet thought she had advanced gum disease, when they put her out to clean them they said her gums were bleeding too much for gum disease to be the problem. They saw bruises on the underside of her tongue and shaved a shot on her and saw more bruising. They ruled out Von Willebrands (similar to Hemophelia). Her platelets should be 170 and above, hers are only 11. She is going to a hospital with specialists on Saturday, hopfully they can figure this out. She will be nine this summer, until last month her only problem was arthritis in the knee she had replaced.
I don't know how conversation works on this site.-----I've just about got a handle on Facebook, but only on the simple parts. Teenage grandchildren have patiently tutored Grandma on the works of a cell phone, texting (though they tease me about being so slow) and all their other tech-toys.
My husband has been on the pump for two years and he says he will never go back to injections. I had not realized how much calculations figure in on getting on board with the pump but it sounds like "ya'll" ( that's Georgia talk) are doing a lot of preparation to get ready.
Our daughter is recovering well since her chemo is over. I noticed that this site xxxed out the kind of cancer she and the rest of us had but I'm sure you could figure it out. She is considered in remission and our prayer is that she will stay that way. She will be arriving with family tonight on the way to Florida for spring break. Now she just wants to grow some hair and ditch the wig. She is a veterinarian and would completely understand what you are going through with your dog. Let me know how it all turns out. Our whole family treats our dogs and cats like children!
Sunday we'll be leaving for a week so I'll be in touch with you when we get back. My husband will wear his CGM for our peace of mind.