diabetes question

[popsocks]

my dh has been a type 1 diabetic for about 5 years now and has very poor control. he eats what he wants and dosent really take care of himself like he should, despite all of us trying to help and support him. he has been having leg, groin and bowel pain for a long time now and has only just been persuaded to see the g.p. the g.p basically said if he carried on the way he was he would be dead soon. my dh now has an emergancy appointment at the diabeties clinic on wed. he has said he does not want anyone going with him even though i want to as i have questions to ask and also want to be there for him if there is bad news. he is getting quite angry with me for saying i want to go.ive been looking on the net and there is lots on there about vascular surgery and amputation. he has read these too and i know he is worried about it. my question is does anyone know what they will say or do at the clinic because im worried if i dont go, he wont tell me everything. thankyou if you read all of this and thankyou in advance of any replys.

he needs to go because the one thing he needs to have checked is his eyesight. Diabetes can really affect your retina ( retinopathy) and untreated can lead to blindness

It sounds like your DH has realised what a numpty he's been and doesn't want an audience when he's told that by the diabetic team!

I think you have to respect his right to a confidential appointment and just be there for him when he comes home. He should have a load of bumf to read and forms for blood tests, urine tests and maybe some cardiovascular tests. He may have been advised to see the dietitian, as well as having a full eye exam including retinal photography. They should check his foot pulses, as well as doing his height and weight and possibly a random blood sugar. They will want to know his current insulin regimen and how compliant he honestly is. It's really important that he's honest with them, as otherwise he won't get the proper advice. And anyway the blood results usually tell the truth!

Remind him that the risks to his health from uncontrolled diabetes are many, and also include impotence as well as kidney damage, eye damage, heart disease, nerve damage and vascular (blood vessel) problems. I hope he gets some good information from his diabetic team and takes it on board.

Check out Diabetes UK as well

Apart from doing the medical tests, they'll tell him what he already knows tbh, he knows what he has to do but have you talked to him about why he's doing what he's doing?
Some people find it hard when they are diagnosed and carry on like before so they don't have to face up to the fact that they have something 'wrong' with them.

It may take this scare to make him do what he needs to do and control his diabetes.

Does he take his insulin?

thank you everyone that answered me. he dosent take it regularly he has only just started since hes seen the doc. he has been complaining of blurriness so he def does need retinal screening. its eased my mind a bit about what they will do, im still hoping he will change his mind and let me come, but realise i have to respect his wishes and just hope he tells me everything afterwards x

I'm a type one diabetic. The whole thing is pretty crap alot of the time: especially the people telling you what to do, criticising you when your blood sugar is not perfect and (it feels like) just generally getting at you all the time. (Everytime my DH asks "how's your sugar?" I have to swallow a desire to respond "none of your business leave me alone"; which I know is a completely unreasonable response to a genuinely concerned query on his behalf).

Now, I am not saying that you are getting at him or criticising him... but he may well feel like you are. Plus as Sidge commented, he may have only just got quite how silly he has been and doesn't want you to know as well.

Also, it sounds a little like he is having difficulty coming terms with the fact that his life has changed for ever. In fact I would suggest it sounds like he has been in denial about it (ignoring the problem by not taking the insulin or following the diet sheet rather that trying to work through it). Hopefully at the clinic they will be able to help him with this.

Five years of terrible control is unlikely to have caused long lasting and irreversible damage to him... If he gets his sugar under control in the next couple of months, that is. In fact, any related problems may well clear up by themselves (mine did). Of course, if he doesn't take responsability for his own health he is on the road to an early death (although I suspect the GP was trying to freak him out and get him to face up to reality rather than talking about the very near future)

In terms of the medicine: high blod sugar makes your blod thicker than normal whiih puts your blood vessels (especially the tiny ones in your eyes and kidneys) under a lot of pressure. They can burst leading to problems with eye sight and with kidney funtion. Equally high blood sugar can hhave negative consequences for nerve functions. One symptom for example is numbness , especially in the feet which can lead you to hurt them without realsiing it. A problem made worse by the fact that thick blood is sluggish in its movements and so, wounds don't heal very quickly. Additionally high blood sugar leaves you more prone to infections in wounds and generally to bugs and illnesses. All these things expalin why diabetic patients with longterm poor control can end up with amputations (but I emphasise long term here, 10-15 years).
In some cases it can cause nerve pain as well.(in my case my feet hurt constantly for a year).

Best wishes with it all.