DevilChanel

Hi all--

My name is Michelle I am a 25 year old seeking ways to help my boyfriend with his type 1 diabetes. My boyfriend has had diabetes for over 17 years now and he does not take care of himself very well. I've had numerous hospital visits from him being unable to stop throwing up from his blood sugar being so high.

We met at the age of 21, he was drinking a lot back then and I didn't know much about diabetes. It took me two years to finally get it into his head that his binge drinking with the friends he was hanging out with him was not in his best interest. It cost us our first engagement. But still I've kept plugging away trying to find the best ways to communicate with him that he needs to get his diabetes under control.

We just got back from another hospital visit yesterday because he's been forgetting his evening shots. It had been a while since we had any hospital visits over him missing his shots but I can't help but notice that each visit gets increasingly longer. More and more medications needed to help stop nausea and he'll throw up blood.. I'm very worried for his health. So this is why I decided to join the forum. I hope hearing everyone's advice and insight will help me find the right way to communicate with him about his condition. I look forward to learning through your own experiences I hope you all have a wonderful Friday!

Richard157

Hello Michelle, welcome to Diabetes Forum. I have read of so many young diabetics who ignored their conditions and ended uo with terrible complications. I have a friend in England who was diagnosed when she was in her teens. She refused to stop eating candy and other things she loved and she would not cooperate with taking her insulin. Her father took her to a diabetes ward at the local hospital. She saw diabetics there who were on dialysis due to kidney failure. There were also diabetics who were blind or almost blind due to eye damage caused by their diabetes. Some of the patients had amputations due to their diabetes. All of these problems were caused by the patients not taking care of their diabetes. My friend was so frightened by what she saw and she immediately started taking good care of herself. She has now lived 50 years with her diabetes and she has never had any complications.

I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in 1945 when I was 6. My mother took good care of me and I continued that care in my later life. Now I am 69 and I have lived with my diabetes for 63 years. I have no complications at this time. I hope your friend reads this message and realizes he can have a long, healthy life but ONLY if he takes very good care of himself and visits his endocrinologist on a regular basis. Good luck to both of you!

Richard

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I have been Type 1 for 64 years. I have no complications. My A1c is 5.4. I pump with the MM 522 and use a Dexcom CGM.

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johnleveritt

As another person (Terri) on this board always says, your boyfriend seems in "denial" of his condition. But please stay with it, if you love your boyfriend, and I think that you do, it will be worth it in the long run for both of you. And he will thank you for your persistence in staying with him, and helping him to a better life. Diabetes isn't a death sentence, he just has to make a few changes, and with your help, he will.

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See Ya,
John