I could use some support.

[ShazzieB]

My husband woke me up very early this morning to tell me he needed to go to the hospital. He is diabetic, and his blood sugar was getting dangerously high in spite of giving himself some insulin. Since then, he has been admitted to the hospital. They're taking good care of him, and I have every reason to believe he's going to be okay, but I'm all tied up in knots in spite of that. This is the third time in (I think?) 6 years that he's had to be hospitalized due to his blood sugar going through the roof, and he has come through fine in the past, but it's very worrisome that it keeps happening,

Obviously, he is not managing his diabetes as well as he needs to, and I am going to have to get more actively involved. He's very independent and hardly ever asks for help with anything. For a long time after the diagnosis he seemed to be managing fine, and I was happy to let him do so. The first time he had this kind of problem, he was getting over the flu, and the second time it happened, he was recovering from having a lot of teeth removed. Both times, he wasn't eating right, and also got dehydrated, and things kind of spiraled out of control before we knew it. We figured, okay, we will just have to remember to keep an extra close eye on his blood sugar any time he's under the weather.This time, there wasn't any precipitating factor like an illness, which is even more scary. So like I said, I am just going to have to stick my nose into things after this, and try to help him figure out how to keep this from happening again.

Later today, I will call my daughter and ask her to go with me to see him. In the meantime, I need to get some sleep. I was up really last last night (as is my habit), so I had only had about 3 hours of sleep when he shook ms awake to tell me what was going on. I know that if I don't get some sleep soon, I'm going to crash hard at some point. I was too keyed up to feel like sleeping for a while there, but fortunately, writing this has helped me calm down.

That's it for now. Will post again when I have an update.

[GPV]

1. I hope he will accept your help, and that you both

will be well.

[spooky3]

2. Very sorry to hear this. I hope he will be ok.

[sheshe2]

3. I am sorry to hear that, Shazzie.

Love to you both.

[XanaDUer2]

4. I hope things will be ok

Best of luck and good wishes

[LakeArenal]

5. Sending you both good vibes and thoughts

🙏🏻

[Phoenix61]

6. I'm so sorry for both of you. Managing a chronic disease

is difficult. I had a neighbor some years ago who was having a hard time managing his diabetes. He learned the local hospital offered a series of classes on how to live with diabetes. They were a life saver for him. Maybe the hospital your husband is in has something similar and you could take them together?

[Faux pas]

7. Kickin'

All the best vibes!

[ProudMNDemocrat]

8. I feel your concerns.

My husband is a Type II Diabetic as well. I make sure through my cooking that I keep meals nutritious as well as low carb.

He uses an Insulin pump system as well as a Dexcon Glucose monitor system. He sees his Diabetes Educator every other month to get the latest updates, etc.

Attend appointments with your husband with a Diabetes Educator. You will learn different ways of cooking as well as what foods, fruits, and vegetables are higher in carbohydrates in order to keep blood sugar levels consistent. When Blood Sugar levels spike too high or too low, that could signal DANGER.

The ramifications of uncontrolled Blood sugar levels can result in Heart problems, blood flow problems, Nerve pain, wounds that do not heal properly, eye and vision problems, stroke, Kidney disease, Pancreatic cancers and disorders, as well as clots. Insulin is needed to aid the Pancreas to aid in Insulin production. Diabetes is a disease that can be controlled through diet, lifestyle changes, and EDUCATION.

My husband's health issues started with his heart 40 years ago. Over that time since 1991, he has developed Congestive Heart Failure, Gout, High Blood Pressure. While maintaining an active lifestyle with a healthy diet, exercise, Golf, and his barrage of medications, he lives a good quality of life at 78. Yours can too.

[sinkingfeeling]

9. Does he have an insulin pump?

[Fla Dem]

10. Sounds like your daughter is nearby. That's good you have someone close you can lean on.

I hope this is a situation that can be resolved relatively quickly, and your husband will be able to come home shortly.

Good wishes sent your way.

[Marthe48]

11. Sending healing vibes

If your husband isn't in touch with a renal dietitian, I hope he considers speaking to an expert about his food choices. Illness can make your sugar go up, as can other stresses.

My daughter is a renal dietitian, and has spent 25 years counseling people on dialysis about healthy food choices. With the cost of food, it isn't easy to get the healthiest choices. The ADA site has food advice too.

Hope he gets better and you get some rest!

[LostOne4Ever]

12. My thought are with you

I sincerely hope he listens and understands.

[LoisB]

13. Goodness. Sending positive vibes to you both. I hope your husband's blood sugar gets

under control (and stays there) and you get some sleep.

[ancianita]

14. Love and good vibes for you both, Shazzie!

[people]

15. Your Husband Needs a DEXCOM

This is a small device - about 1 inch by 1/2 inch that he attaches to his skin. It comes with a "receiver" which is about 3 x 2.5 x .5 inches that he carries in his pocket (or set on a nightstand at night). You set the device so that it sounds an alarm both when his blood sugar is below a certain point and also when it goes above a certain point. I am a Type 1 diabetic and it has been enormously helpful to me. He will need a prescription from his doctor to get it. If he's hospitalized now (and especially if he has been before) due to his blood sugar, he should be able to get this prescription. The best thing about having the device is that if your blood sugar goes too high or too low while he is asleep it wakes him (and you) up. The DEXCOM can be used both for Type 1 and Type 2 diabetics.

It sounds like your husband needs to work with a diabetic educator in person to really learn about his condition and why he needs to control it and how to control it better.

DEXCOM will help him enormously.

[Karadeniz]

16. Convince him that you love and need him, so he must do this on his own or accept your help.

[forgotmylogin]

17. Hang in there! And take care of blood sugar!

My dad is an elderly diabetic and didn't take care of it and due to that he has developed a neurogenic bladder:

Neurogenic bladder is the name given to a number of urinary conditions in people who lack bladder control due to a brain, spinal cord or nerve problem. This nerve damage can be the result of diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS), Parkinson's disease or diabetes.

Dad did the same thing - he says he feels "more comfortable" at a high blood sugar rate like 180-200 which is way too high, but that's what he's become accustomed to living with after eating way too many carbs for years and his insulin mechanism just wore out.

Early in his diabetic diagnosis he was "sciencing the shit" out of it experimentally, figuring exactly what he could eat and trying to "scrimp" on insulin (back when it was really high, it's capped at $35/month now I believe) He was taking his insulin either not often enough, or we'd catch him not taking it and he'd inject it saying 'I'm gonna have to keep eating all night so my sugar doesn't crash" well...that's why you take the long-acting insulin in the morning instead of at 4pm when we go "oh my god your sugar is 250". And he basically became lax about it living on his own as his health declined.

So basically due to inattention (some of this is stubborn, some of this is just memory issues as he's had strokes) dad cannot control the signal to urinate and his bladder will fill up and he's pretty much permanently catheterized. If you can use that as encouragement/warning for your loved one to mind their blood sugar and take care of themself to avoid other more annoying complications, please do!

(Dad is actually now in assisted living so they are monitoring his sugar and making sure he takes his meds correctly - that's another "If you don't take care of yourself someone else will have to help" caution.)

The other posters' suggestions about a wearable blood sugar monitor that will beep or alert on his phone if he's high is an awesome idea. Dad could have used this because we'd ask him what his last sugar level was and he'd be like "oh, the monitor's battery is dead" (it wasn't) "Oh, my lancet pen is broken/I don't have lancets for it" (We'd invariably find another pen and an entire box of lances that he overlooked.)

[LuckyCharms]

18. ShazzieB, I've been Type 1 for decades.

1) Don't worry, they will normalize his glucose.

2) High glucose itself, in the short term, will not cause him permanent damage unless it is super high.

3) They will monitor him for Diabetic Ketoacidosis, which he is probably at risk for. The hospital will be able to manage that.

4) If he is not already on a continuous glucose monitor, such as Dexcom, ask the doctor to prescribe one. They are a game changer.

5) You're going to have to be a hard ass with him. Do not keep any shit food in the house.

6) Make sure he sets himself up with a retina specialist and a podiatrist. Make sure he sees them on a scheduled basis.

7) Even with a glucose monitor, you are both going to be losing sleep because of the high and low alarms that go off in the middle of the night.

8) After about a year of having the glucose monitor, you both will learn intuitively what foods and activities trigger his highs and lows.

9) You can't take care of him unless you take care of yourself first.

I hope he is feeling better soon, and I hope you can get some rest soon. Hang in there. It's a nasty disease, but it can be managed. But no lie, it's a huge pain in the ass and you have to develop a sense of humor to get through it.

Edit to add:

10) Blood tests from a diabetes doc every three months.

11) Lots of water if his kidneys are OK.

12) See a nutritionist.

[pandr32]

19. How worrisome. Please update us.

Also, please look after yourself and get some sleep.
Once this crisis is over both you and your husband need to agree to take better care of yourselves for yourselves, for each other, and for your daughter and family. All of your well being is far from "stick[ing] your nose into things".

[murielm99]

20. We are here for both of you, Shazzie.

This is hard. I know what it is like to have to help out diabetic loved one.

Take care of yourself so that you can take care of him.

We love you.

[AmBlue]

21. I hope he recovers quickly

And will take a new look at better managing his diabetes. Wishing the best for both of you.

[onecaliberal]

22. My husband is Type II. Had a massive stroke after the orange cancer was elected.

He is completely managed with food. Now has a normal A1c, and keeps a close eye on his glucose level. He does have the occasional dietary excursion where he needs Insulin. He will never work again though.

[Bluethroughu]

23. I hope all goes well and they get to the bottom of the high blood sugar cause.

Maybe together you can focus on a partnership in healthy living. A regular schedule of food, exercise, fun, and planning.

I know, although I don't suffer from diabetes, I could use a partnership in health with my spouse. This coming after devoring a bag of sour cream and onion chips before 11am.

Thank you for sharing, and I sincerely hope he recovers quickly and the two of you can work together on this.

[LuckyCharms]

24. One other comment:

I use a Dexcom monitor, but not a pump. I still use pen needles with both long acting and short acting insulin.

Sometimes, when the insulin doesn't work, it is because you have injected into the same site too many times. Have him vary his injection sites so scar tissue does not form in one spot.

If you shoot into scar tissue, the insulin may not work because it just kind of splays out into the scar tissue instead of getting into your cells where it needs to be.

[greatauntoftriplets]

25. Massive vibes coming your way.

He's in the right place and they will be able to get it under control. I'm happy that your daughter is close and can support you.

Take care of yourself as well!

[FirstLight]

26. Rest, and know we are holding your in our hearts...

Diabetes is definitely a scary and insidious disease. Had some older generation family members who had it, and I think it definitely compllicated things once they hit the elderly years.

Good for you deciding to get more involved and being proactive though. Your husband might grumble about it, but I am sure he will understand it's a labor of love.

I am also a night owl, and these middle of the night emergencies can really throw us for a loop - not just mentally/emotionally, but physically due to the interruption of our natural rythyms. So stay hydrated and rested yourself! :hugs:

[milestogo]

27. Shazzie

I know someone up thread has mentioned the Dexcom.

There is also a device called FreeStyle Libre. You can keep it attached to the skin for a couple of weeks. Wave a smartphone over it and it gives you a reading.

A few years ago I had a dog with cancer of the pancreas. Once it was removed he became diabetic. So, I used the FreeStyle libre to monitor his blood sugar. I also counted his calories pretty carefully.

My dad was a type 1 diabetic from the time he was 13. He lived a long life and never had major complications. He was very disciplined about eating and very consistent in his habits. My mother managed his diet. Those things count for a lot when you're diabetic.

Don't be afraid to ask questions and ask for help. There are lots of people, here and elsewhere, living with this disease. And yes, sometimes things go haywire for no apparent reason.

Take care of yourself. We're here for you.

[Phentex]

28. sending good vibes...

Take care!