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?

A lot of people are really dumb. That’s okay, as long as they don’t try to advise others on medical emergencies.

God it’s tedioùs.

*potential medical emergencies, that is (just in case any of the aforementioned misunderstand and try to claim that I’m being a ‘drama queen’ about this).

It's tough OP. My DH also has health anxiety. He won't go to GP or dentist and I can't make him. He's late 40s and seems healthy now but I worry about the future and him getting ill and refusing to get help.

@Ninkanink

A lot of people are really dumb. That’s okay, as long as they don’t try to advise others on medical emergencies.

God it’s tedioùs.

how rude you are this is a chat forum, mumsnet is not a place for medical emergencies

Good luck seeing a GP! You'd be lucky to get a phone call here in Sussex - and that's after a half wait in the queuing system and a request filled in in triplicate.

We have it so drummed into us that the NHS is overwhelmed, and not to ring an ambulance, that many people seek help in line before ringing 111 or 999. I know of at least one person whose live was saved due to posting on here and plenty of others who did seek help after posting. Sometimes people need that permission due to what I said earlier.

It might not be the place but it has its place.

@QuickNC789 I really hope he gets help today. I'm not sure I could forgive my husband for putting me through all this when a phone call is all it needs to start the care process.

@mynameisbiggles

Good luck seeing a GP! You'd be lucky to get a phone call here in Sussex - and that's after a half wait in the queuing system and a request filled in in triplicate.

Sounds terrible but not my experience at all, having recently been diagnosed with prediabetes and a more serious unrelated condition. Yes it took a while waiting on the phone but I was offered a same day triage with a nurse who then made an appointment with the dr both over the telephone and then within a week I’d been seen by him face to face and have had 7 different diagnostic face to face tests from blood tests to ultrasounds. I’m worried that some people think you can’t get appointments at all at the moment and so don’t even try. Yes, I had to be up early and wait half an hour on the phone, but in the end I got there. I also had a kidney infection over a weekend and was seen face to face at our local hospital in a mobile unit in the car park after calling 111 back at the end of last year. DKA is serious and 111 wouldn’t ignore or refuse to give the OPs husband any medical attention. But either of the two of them have to pick up the bloody phone in the first place rather than sit there doing nothing.

My dad had similar symptoms as your DH, my mum just happened to have read a health article in Woman's Own magazine (this was in the mid 80s so no Internet back then ) and it said these could be signs of Type 2 diabetes, she told my dad and initially he reacted the same way as your DH. Eventually after a couple of weeks my mum managed to convince my dad to go to the doctors (albeit reluctantly, she practically had to drag him to the car kicking and screaming!). He was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure (the 2 often go hand in hand) and our family doctor told my mum she should come and work for him because my dad was just hours away from a major heart attack! My dad was 55 then, he passed away last year at the age of 88, but had he not gone to the doctors when he had, he probably wouldn't have lived that long. Please try and do everything you can to get your DH to the doctors, even if you have to keep on at him to the point he only goes just to shut you up! Good luck x

@QuickNC789

Read this thread

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/general_health/4226221-really-not-feeling-like-myself-and-feeling-very-ill

As @Gullible2021 says- My GP are fine and I think most operate the same way TBH, people just don't realize they can do it.

You call at the time you're supposed to call to arrange a phone call from the GP (at mine I think it's 8.30am or 1pm, but you could ask the receptionist when you need to call. Ask for an urgent call. If you've started ringing early enough (maybe just before the lines open) you will get a call the same day and the GP will decide what needs doing from then. I think ever GP service does this, people just somehow don't realize and just call at anytime and/or ask for an appointment when a normal one is available, maybe even with only one particular doctor, in which case they'll get a slot in a few days/week or whenever they're free for that type of appointment.

I was diagnosed type 1 age 33 (3 years ago). Was told if it's left it another 24 hours I could've died. Sunny let him wait. Ketoacidosis is scary and dangerous.

He 'won't have the space' for losing limbs, extremities or his penis either but this can happen with untreated diabetes

He MUST sort it out (note the he, not you)

[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 explaining the origin of the abbreviation.
i asked numerous nurses etc, when with patients in hosp for complex medical needs, on different occasions, and none could tell me.

Thank you for the continued supportive posts.

He still is adamant that he does not want to see his GP or do any tests either with home kits or through the hospital.

He has decided to go cold turkey on all the sweet food. He says he is going to re-start his exercise too.

There is only so much I can do. We were ‘discussing’ it until 2am last night. He is not a 4 year old I can pick up and take to the hospital.

Of course I am trying to do my best to get him to book an appointment or even go to the pharmacy but I literally cannot force him.

@iklboo

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.

I don’t have a medical degree, or a degree of sarky rudeness like you. If you think a layman can diagnose diabetes with a £20 machine from Argos then you need to give your head a wobble. Just go and see a medical professional.

Completely agree @QuickNC789.
You have done all you can. It is for him to sort out now unless he passes out of course.

Makes me laugh those saying you should do this or that (A&E, 111, call his doctor) he is an adult. There is only so much you can do!
If he is determined to not engage with medical care then what else could you do? Nothing. His problem to sort when he is ready.

I got our blood glucose kit from Amazon.

Works great. Was under £20.

Learning I had pre-diabetic blood sugar levels shocked me into losing 4 stone. (Through fasting and low carb)

If you can watch Fat Fiction on Amazon Prime.

@QuickNC789

Thank you for the continued supportive posts.

He still is adamant that he does not want to see his GP or do any tests either with home kits or through the hospital.

He has decided to go cold turkey on all the sweet food. He says he is going to re-start his exercise too.

There is only so much I can do. We were ‘discussing’ it until 2am last night. He is not a 4 year old I can pick up and take to the hospital.

Of course I am trying to do my best to get him to book an appointment or even go to the pharmacy but I literally cannot force him.

Well him ignoring it and not flagging up anywhere is good news for life insurance policy if you've not done it organise a policy next week tell him he's banned from seeking medical assistance until the ink is dry on the policy. I am serious

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.

@Garyunicorn I ask genuinely, have you experience of Type 1 diabetes?

My DD has had type 1 for 11 years now and any delay in treatment, if blood sugars are at a critical point, can indeed result in 'dropping dead' in a relatively short period of time (i.e. 24/48 hours). A BG meter from a pharmacy could alert the OPs husband of his blood sugars were very high/low/volatile. We've had to rely on a pharmacy meter when Dd's broke on a Friday night and it was identical to the Bayer one we had from the NHS. Type 1 diabetes is a serious condition and delays in diagnosis and treatment costs lives every year. I'm not saying that this is the case for the OPs husband but diabetes is often downplayed as not that serious and it absolutely is.

@lubeybooby

He 'won't have the space' for losing limbs, extremities or his penis either but this can happen with untreated diabetes

He MUST sort it out (note the he, not you)

Or losing his sight, totally agree it shouldn't be left.

@QuickNC789

Thank you for the continued supportive posts.

He still is adamant that he does not want to see his GP or do any tests either with home kits or through the hospital.

He has decided to go cold turkey on all the sweet food. He says he is going to re-start his exercise too.

There is only so much I can do. We were ‘discussing’ it until 2am last night. He is not a 4 year old I can pick up and take to the hospital.

Of course I am trying to do my best to get him to book an appointment or even go to the pharmacy but I literally cannot force him.

You can't force him, but what you can do is keep badgering him until he gives in. My mum did just that and it literally saved my dad's life.

*@TheGoodEnoughWifeMakes me laugh those saying you should do this or that (A&E, 111, call his doctor) he is an adult. There is only so much you can do!
If he is determined to not engage with medical care then what else could you do? Nothing. His problem to sort when he is ready.

It might make you laugh but the reason a lot of posters are urging the OP to ring 111 and talk thorough this particular symptom is because they (me included) have first hand experience of how this can escalate and by the time it gets to that stage it can be too late. No, I'm not being dramatic or a drama queen I've experienced a family member being rushed into intensive care where he stayed for weeks, there was then a longer stay in hospital. The outcome was very sad.

My family member also totally refused to go to the GP, get advice from 111 - he was being incredibly stubborn and we were all overreacting etc. It is all very well saying, well if he doesn't want to go to the GP that is his choice and obviously, in other circumstances, I totally agree but with this condition we were told the diabetes had thrown his whole body out and, therefore, he wasn't thinking rationally and that was why he was being so stubborn and had his head stuck in the sand.

Honestly, after going through what we all did, if any member of my family had that sweet smelling breath and they wouldn't get it checked out I would ring 111/GP for advice. Of course, it could be something else that isn't serious but, it really would be better to get this checked out asap. If it is something else then at least you know.

Also, if the sweet smelling breath is diabetes I think the very fact you have that symptom means you need some medical intervention. At this point I don't think changing diet and exercise will sort this out. It really can be a very serious condition that can escalate quickly.

I understand the very difficult situation you are in OP but I would urge you to rethink and maybe think about talking to a medical professional for some advice. I really do hope you and your DH are okay. Take care.

@QuickNC789 Are you aware that you can call 111 on another person’s behalf?

@Thiscantreallybehappening I get that this can be serious but the OP is unable to force another adult who is perfectly in control of their own mind (and he is going to work and expressing himself clearly so he is) to have medical intervention.

This has just turned into bullying and scaring of the OP to do something when she has done all she can.

He is a twat for not doing anything and for the stress he is causing the OP but that is on him.

I am laughing (I mean not actually but you know) people suggesting particularly A&E when how exactly is she supposed to get a grown man in the car and up to the hospital when he is clearly saying no?
Do you see many paramedics forcing people into ambulances?