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The Question
02/26/10 04:46 PM

"How can I get my boyfriend to begin to accept his diabetes?"
Asked By: hughesm  
Category: Type 1

Background Info Hide
he was diagnosed about 5 years ago and he manages it okay i suppose. but we all know he could do better, as anyone can. he sometimes gets depressed over it, which i completely understand. and he altogether resents the disease. he gets so mad over it and worked up and all. heres a quote from a conversation we had about it today: i asked him what he was thinking because i get concerned when he goes quiet for long periods of time, this was his response "that no matter what i do it wont ever go away and that theres nothing i can do, i wont ever win" so i told him that theres more than one way to win, sure you cant make it go away, but getting better control of it and feeling better is winning and he said that the only win he wanted was making it go away forever. are there any steps or guide to helping him accept his disease. when he was first diagnosed, his A1C was so high it didnt even register.right now its at 8.7-HUGE improvement. and i tell him im proud but what else can i do?

Expert Answers (1)

04/19/10 09:53 PM

I completely understand your concern for your boyfriend. The carbohydrate counting, blood sugar testing, checking your feet, etc.- it can get to be quite overwhelming. However, the nice thing about diabetes is that it can be controlled through diet, blood sugar monitoring, lifestyle changes, and exercise. There are not many diseases out there where a person has that much control over the outcome. I think the best thing that you can do as his girlfriend is allow him to express his frustrations and encourage him to make small changes to help improve his A1C. I would also recommend encouraging him to join a diabetes support group in his area. Sometimes just talking to other people that are going through the same situation helps.
Answered By: Tracey Singh
Accreditations: RD, LD, CDE
Sources Show

Community Answers (1)

04/20/10 05:43 PM

I know what he's going through, cause I was diagnosed with type1 at the age of 19, and am now almost 45 years old. I like what the expert said about joining a support group. It would help you both. You can let him know that he's not alone. And that their are some people out there who are worse off. That's what helps me on some of my worse then ever pain days...Aside from having severe neuropaphy from my type1 diabetes, I also have severe Charcot Marie Tooth (a form of muscular Dystrophy), I got partial tears in both my rotator cuffs from walking with forearm crutches for so long, and am now in a wheelchair. I also have Celiac Disease (that really makes eating a challange) thank goodness I love eating healthy! I also have Fibromyalgia, ulcers, cataracts, psoriasis, Tendonitis, etc. Pain is something I deal with daily, but what helps me more than anything is Meditation & Positive thinking. I hope you two can practice these together. They will only inrich your way of life. My very first doctor (when I was diagnosed) told me that "a person with diabetes will die at least 10 years earlier than a person w/o the disease, but because we have the knowledge earlier on & HAVE to eat better then the average person, that we can actually live up to 10 years longer then the person w/o diabetes." So I hope he can accept it as soon as possible, and get that head start. I had a hard time too when I was first diagnosed. Not at accepting it, but with controlling it. I took 5 shots a day for the first 2 years, and my a1c finally started to work it's way down from 13, 11, 9...after that, I got better & better control. Now with my pain, I do have a hard time keeping my a1c below 9, but I never give up. It's a battle I plan to win someday. God Bless you both. He's lucky to have you. Sincerely, Kristy
Answered By: kristy40
FLAG
SourcesShow



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