Worried About My Boyfriend's Health?

I'm worried about my boyfriend's health. He is in his early thirties and has been an insulin dependent diabetic since he was five. He is about 40 or 50 lbs overweight. His blood sugar has been consistently high in the mornings (around 250.) He just had a scare with a foot wound and his eye doctor has found the first signs of diabetic retinopathy.

He's a quiet guy and doesn't discuss all of this openly with me. I know what is going on as far as all the medical issues because I ask him pointedly about it. I just don't know what he is personally feeling. I've told him that I think he should find a better doctor and start eating better. I've actually begged and implored him to do so. I think the biggest problem is his diet. He eats a large volume of food daily. I think he needs a daily caloric limit set. I am currently seeing a dietician myself and think at least a session or two would be so great for him to set a diet. How do I get him to work on his health?

You can't really get him to do it, he has to want to do it. I know as a diabetic, it can all be very overwhelming and you just get very fed up with always watching what you eat so closely and you just want to be normal and eat what you want. I would think that with the foot scare and the eye problem that he would be sufficiently motivated to take better care of his health but he is probably in denial about his condition and does'nt believe anything bad will happen. All you can do is be there for him and be a support if he needs it. The more you nag , the more he will do what he wants, endangering his health. Tell him that your leaving his health issues up to him as they are his but you love him and hope he will make the right decision. Then sit back and pray.

It's very hard to watch someone you care about heading for a train wreck. Unfortunately, you can lead a horse to water but.....well, you know. Did you know there are food addicts that can't stop eating? They get a euphoric feeling when they get their fix. I am one of them. I stopped smoking 20 years ago. I just didn't buy them! I stopped drinking about the same time. I just didn't go to bars. It's hard to stop eating! You HAVE to buy food. I have finally got a hold on my terrible eating habits. For about a month, I've stopped eating pasta (I LOVE pasta) stopped eating bread, cake, pie, candy, etc. The only reason is because I have reflux really bad and I load up with meds and none of them are helping anymore. I'm not a lot overweight but my addiction is causing me to have borderline diabetes, high blood pressure and this terrible reflux. He will not cut back on his eating until HE wants to or until he is sick or in so much pain. If you hound him about it, he will probably eat behind closed doors and not tell you. The only way you'll be able to control SOME of it is if you live with him and do his shopping and cook healthy food for him. Even then, you'd have to cook only enough for one meal (and that;s hard to do) so that he doesn't overeat. He needs to have lots of fresh vegatables on hand to snack on. I wish I could give you better news but he is ultimately the keeper of his own body.

All I can say is, good luck. There is no easy answer to the missing bridge between diabetics and their partners. While I realize it is an incredible burden and a great deal of work trying to maintain your sugar levels all day long everyday, it is still incredibly selfish the way they treat their spouses over the matter. They ignore your concerns and disregard any feelings you have on the matter. It's all about them. If they have something going wrong, or should be doing something about it, or are doing something they shouldn't, well they'll take care of it when they take care of it. Isn't any use trying to tell them, pester them, or even ask.
Good luck moving that stubborn selfish mountain.

My bf is also diabetic type 1 for 20 yrs. He has been really good at it and not have much trouble with it till these few years. He was used to feel it and catch it before his sugar went down below 60. Now, he just got confuse and quiet, he needed someone there to tell him. ( he is good at it when people tell him that he needs some juice or some to eat) It is definitely a frustrated disease, sugar level is just hard to maintains sometime even with a health diet.

The other night his sugar was 50 at mid-night, he ate a pear and a sugar free muffin. His sugar was 205 in the morning, it just insane sometimes.

I was with him past three days, and his sugar went low everyday ( crush). I have to give him the juice and bring him back. I worry to death.

The comment on nagging is correct. It can make the problem worse. Thirty years is a long time to be on a diet.

You can
1. Learn what a diabetic diet is and only prepare just enough food so he can't overeat. Don't have bad foods(sugar rich)in the house. Diet with him.
2. Try to go to the doctor with him. If he lets you have your own questions for the doctor and nurses. Take him with you to see your dietitian.
3. Locate a nursing home nearby where a young diabetic amputee lives and take your boyfriend with you to visit him/her. You may also find someone there who is blind from diabetic retinopathy.
4. Begging and imploring is as bad as nagging. Show concern for his health but don't push to hard especially if he pushes back or clams up.

good luck

Diabetes is one of the diseases that can be controlled with what he eats. Your boyfriend sound as though he has a problem with rebellion first, and diabetes next. He knows what to do and he knows how to go about doing it.

Girlfriend, you can't want more for him, than he wants for himself. Think about it.

We diabetics are an obstinate breed. If you try to tell us what you think we just might rebel and go the opposite direction. If he has been diabetic so long he knows what he needs to do, he just isn't doing it. It really isn't fun, it's a curse to have this stuff. Now if you really want to help him, ask him what you can do to help him bring it under control. Then go along with what he says as long as it makes sense. If he says make a recipe of chocolate fudge for him, that doesn't make sense. He KNOWS what needs to happen. All of us diabetics except for the newly diagnosed know what we have to do.

Hi friend
I suggest you to visit

http://www.healthsinfo.com

and get more info on diabetes. This will keep u cool and u can help ur boy friend.