When I first started to date Sam, I knew nothing about diabetes. We needed to be somewhere early one morning. When I went to pick him up, he was still in bed. I got kind of frustrated, awoke him up and told him to get ready in 3 minutes while I waited in the car. Lo and behold, some time later, when I went back in, he was still in bed. When he finally got up, he wobbled to the bathroom and slammed the door. I thought, ok, I'm going without him. I was very mad, thinking that he was very inconsiderate for not being ready when we had these plans. As I was driving away, the thought occurred to me that I should go back. He turned out to be very seriously low and couldn't get any food because he was too weak to say anything or go downstairs. I felt like such an idiot, got him some orange juice, and within 20 minutes he was ok, apologizing profusely for being low. AAAHHHH!! What a nightmare!
When people with diabetes get high, which is usually at least 2-3 times per week, they feel really sick, nauseous etc. In a lot of cases, they get GRUMPY!! It is not because of you, it is because they don't feel well. So don't take it personally! When they are low, they also don't quite feel like themselves, and in a lot of cases, they're a little disoriented etc. They simply need some food; the solution is not hard. And, when they say they need food, don't go to a restaurant with a wait, or start to cook a gourmet meal, just get them some food and get it quickly!
LESSON: Learn what happens when they are low and what happens when they have high blood sugars; it will make dating much easier! ! ! Have THEM tell you, they know their bodies better than any doctor.
You are not in charge of their diabetes supplies; they know what supplies they need and should be responsible for them. HOWEVER, they really, really appreciate it when you have things on hand when they've forgotten them. Basically, always have your own secret stash of their diabetes supplies for emergencies. (snack goodies, test strips, needles etc.)
Go to appointments with them. It’s interesting to see how they’re doing. Find out when all their eye appointments or overnight urines are needed and just remind them about it every so often.
Don't be scared to fall in love with someone with diabetes. Dating or marrying someone with diabetes will not change your life; you just need some extra supplies, and have to go to a few more doctor appointments. Other than that, you lead a very normal life. People with diabetes can do anything anyone else can do; they just need to carry more food and insulin.
Having someone who takes good care of his or her diabetes makes life a lot easier. Ask them to let you know how you can help them to stay in good control.
Find joy in exercising with them. Exercising is great for everyone, especially people with diabetes. And it will help them stay healthier, so learn to do it with them when possible. For example, my husband loves to mountain bike, which is also great exercise. I, also, now love to mountain bike. It's an activity we both love to do together, and it keeps us both in great shape.
At times, my husband gets tired of people asking him why he needs shots etc. Sometimes my husband answers very abruptly. When I ask him why he doesn't answer their questions, he simply said, "Sometimes I get sick of explaining it over and over again". When you sense that, simply take over and just answer the question yourself.
We have really enjoyed the insulin pump. I say we, instead he, because both of us deal with less lows. My husband's morning lows, which were usually the worst, hardly ever happen anymore. I don't worry about figuring out if he's just tired in the morning, or if he's low. For us it has been much more convenient, no more needles or insulin bottles to carry around all the time.
Have a diabetes powwow session with their mothers. The have lived with them for years and have some good information and suggestions.