DH has sweet smelling breath, and bedroom smells

[QuickNC789]

I noticed last night when I got home from work that DH’s breath smells very sweet. I also noticed it again this morning when he kissed me before going to work.

This morning our bedroom smells exactly like when you’ve been drinking the night before and wake up and you can smell the alcohol in the room.

I’ve read before that a pear drops smell could be a sign of diabetes. BUT he doesn’t have any other symptoms. In fact, over the last six months he’s been putting weight on as he’s had a really stressful time at work, gave up exercising and has been eating a load of chocolate and biscuits etc.

So I would definitely say he hasn’t got low blood sugar!

Can anyone think of what it might be instead please?

@AbsolutelyPatsy keto diets do not cause life-threatening ketoacidosis. Why are you on this thread? You’re not helping.

Not everyone can reverse type 2 with diet - I really tried, on a diet of no carbs and under 600cal a day and it was HELL and i was still high for large parts of each day.

OP - get a bg meter and strips from wherever you can, argos, boots, big supermarkets with pharmacy, amazon - whatever.

Ask him to test immediately before a meal and 2 hours after for a couple of days (you'll need extra strips as the meters won't come with enough for that, but one or two tests in a day will not give him a clear picture).

Then leave it up to him to do and try not to nag him (difficult!) - doing the tests is hardly difficult, its not taking up time or taking him out of work and hopefully when he sees that his BG is massively elevated across a couple of days, he will see sense himself and speak to his GP.

I was in a similar position, was at work at the time and was close to total exhaustion, drinking loads of coke, peeing every 10 minutes, good job someone noticed....went to chemist blood very high, so was put on metformin, but hasn't worked, so am now on insulin. Was told I was close to death at least once and probably twice.

Hi @QuickNC789 I just wanted to signpost you to a fantastic book ‘The Obesity Code’ by Dr Jason Fung. Contrary to some of the advice you’ve received here, if your DH is diagnosed with pre-DT2 or DT2, it is absolutely reversible with diet & exercise, if he adopts lifestyle changes, he can reverse it completely. Don’t let the title put you off, it’s not a book exclusively for the obese! Jason Fung has helped thousands of people to reverse DT2 & not need medication.

OP I really don't want to scare you but...

I knew deep deep down that I was probably diabetic for probably a year before I dared to get tested. I had dizzy spells, thirst, getting up in the night for the loo, feeling weak and unsteady. However I have health anxiety so I kept ignoring it and pretending there was nothing wrong.

Eventually I lost the feeling in my lower legs and feet which my neurologist thinks is because of uncontrolled blood sugars. I wouldn't wish what I am going through on my worst enemy.

The consequences of uncontrolled diabetes are deadly serious. You need a way of addressing this with him that doesn't trigger his anxieties though which is easier said than done.

OP, I'm in a similar position to you. My husband is always tired recently. But gets up a lot during the night. Usually goes to the GP for the slightest thing but whenever I mention testing for diabetes he just laughs. I have now given up as he's a grown man who is ultimately responsible for himself. As hard as it is, you've tried to help and there's not much else you can do apart from lessening the high sugar things that come into the house like you said. Mine went out and bought cake today! A close friend of mine was recently diagnosed and one of the symptoms was an itchy groin similar to your husbands situation. Hopefully he'll agree to go for a test. I think you've done all you can. I really sympathise. It's a tricky one

Is this a wind up? he’s a grown ass man you don’t need to force him to call a doctor or pee in a pot. He works for NHS as well? he should know better instead of being more concerned about a weekend than his health.

You can’t always reverse T2 with diet, though the right diet usually massively helps.

Keep talking to him OP. Keep trying to persuade him to get checked by medical professionals. There’s nothing else to say really is there

People giving numbers for fastimg and after food BM need to be careful as at least 3 on here are incorrect. I'm not getting at anyone, just want to share important information.

A non-diabetic person's BM (blood monitoring = blood sugar reading) is not (necessarily) too high at 7 after eating or over 5 first thing in a morning.

There are many reasons why BM numbers differ between non-diabetic and diabetic patients so giving out sample numbers is unhelpful at best and could be dangerous. For example, if my early morning fasting BM was 6.5mmol/L I would be happy with that, not calling for help because 'over 5 is too high and needs to speak to a GP'.

I have a type of non-diabetic hypoglycemia (not fasting or reactive hypoglycemia) with regular sudden drops in BM figures - not one of the doctors I have seen (20+ as have been an inpatient many times for repeated crisis) has any understanding of why this is happening. One group of doctors insisted my blood sugar was not low because my libre freestyle measure doesn't measure under 2mmol/L it displays "LO"and kept insisting it was a low battery - - - until I collapsed and went into a coma. I added the last bit to show how poor understanding of blood sugar readings can be, even dangerously misunderstood by endocrinology and diabetic consultants too.

OP I can sense your fear and frustration. He is an adult who has capacity to make his own decisions, whether some posters agree with this or not is their prerogative and they shouldn't be pushing you.

Good luck, I hope he does the right thing.

I really think it is fare to say that the op has had enough advice....she is obviously tired .💕

I don't recommend clicking that link.

OP any updates? Hope everything's OK.

Advise him he should see his GP. All the drama queens suggesting you run out and spend £20 On a blood test machine, or you visit A&E. Don’t waste your money, just see the GP. He is not going to drop dead from Diabetes between now and Monday.

@AbsolutelyPatsy

dont low carb diets cause this? is he secretly low carbing?

No they don't, try checking facts before giving advice. The opposite is true

Hi there,
I got diagnosed with type 2 last year and weight gain around the abdomen can be a sign of it as the body stores the sugar as fat as can the sweet smelling breath thing .
Other signs can be :
Urinating a lot or more frequently particularly at night
Being really tired despite getting adequate sleep
Getting thrush a lot (including oral thrush )
Blurred vision

Feeling thirsty all the time
Losing weight without trying or putting it on
Slow healing wounds
Tingling or numbness in the feet
Irritability and sometimes confusion

Excessive hunger
Diabetes UK is a really good source of information and is a charity if you want to know more.
It could be nothing but all he needs is a blood test really.

Ps I know that low carb diets are actually highly recommended for diabetes as the body converts the carbs into sugar. I haven't rtwt sorry .

Google sweet smelling breath and Keaton acidosis lol

Ketoneacidosis* damn my phone

@Nipy fascinating fact (totally unrelated to this post, sorry op) the use of BM for blood glucose finger prick test is actually short for Boehringer Mannheim, the company that made the test strips used originally.

Hope you get your DH to see his GP op, you must be very worried.

Your best bet is just go to a and e. It may be a bit of a wait but he’ll find out what’s going on there and then. Good luck

Hope everything is ok.

[quote Crazycatstory]@Nipy fascinating fact (totally unrelated to this post, sorry op) the use of BM for blood glucose finger prick test is actually short for Boehringer Mannheim, the company that made the test strips used originally.

Hope you get your DH to see his GP op, you must be very worried.[/quote]
Thank you for this, I appreciate it, especially as it was a diabetes consultant explained what BM meant to a bunch of student Doctors who were round my bed

Advise him he should see his GP. All the drama queens suggesting you run out and spend £20 On a blood test machine, or you visit A&E. Don’t waste your money, just see the GP. He is not going to drop dead from Diabetes between now and Monday.

I don't know where you got your medical degree but I'd ask for my money back if I were you.