November is Diabetes Awareness Month: Living with Diabetes

Throughout my first 27 years, my knowledge of diabetes came mostly from The Babysitters Club and the character Stacey McGill who had Type 1 diabetes. I sort of understood it, but I didn’t have a reason to think much about it. A few days after meeting my husband, he pulled out a small black bag and glucometer to discreetly check his blood sugar level. He casually explained that he had diabetes and needed to check his levels before deciding whether to have another drink (romantically, we were in a bar). I’d had a few cocktails at this point and was trying to play it cool in front him, so I think I said something really insightful such as, “Oh, cool.” This happened a long time ago, back when you couldn’t just take a moment to ask Siri or Google for more information, so I racked my brain that night trying to remember what I could about diabetes. Did this mean he could never eat dessert?  Was he sick? Did he have to give himself shots?  

Well, I ended up marrying that cute guy, and I now know more about diabetes than I ever thought I would. Since he was 13, Trevor has been living with Type 1 diabetes, also known as juvenile diabetes, because it is often diagnosed in children and young adults. With Type 1 diabetes, the body does not produce insulin, the hormone needed to get glucose (sugar) from the bloodstream into the cells of the body. Type 1 cannot be prevented or cured; it must be managed with medicine — either shots or a full-time pump. Type 2 diabetes, also known as adult onset, is the most common type, and it can be prevented and managed simply by making a few lifestyle changes. Gestational diabetes, which most of us are probably familiar with thanks to that dreaded prenatal test, involves high blood sugar levels during pregnancy.

Just before Trevor and I married, a well-meaning friend asked if I was worried about marrying someone with a disease like diabetes. I was genuinely surprised. No, I wasn’t worried about it, I wasn’t even sure what she meant. He was diligent with his medicine, and it was just part of his routine and who he was. It didn’t feel like a big deal. Flash forward 10 years and two kids later, and diabetes has shaped our family dynamics in ways I never predicted.

One of the main symptoms and concerns with Type 1 diabetes are episodes of low blood sugar, called hypoglycemia. Thankfully for Trevor, it doesn’t look like the Julia Roberts’ unforgettable diabetic seizure in Steel Magnolias — “Drink your juice, Shelby! Drink your juice!” Depending on how low it gets and how quickly it comes on, his reactions include disorientation, confusion, shaky hands, and often times getting really, really sweaty.

Most of the time, he is able to recognize what is happening and handle it on his own, but sometimes he needs someone else to be fully aware and help out. Once he is able to sit and have a drink and/or snack, he becomes more focused and returns to reality, but he often suffers from a debilitating headache and exhaustion. When this happened prior to having kids, it was scary, but manageable. We both realized once we had children, that he needed to be extremely careful when home alone with the kids, because having a low blood sugar incident when caring for an infant and a toddler is bad news. What if it was really bad and he needed medical attention? Or what if he became confused and one of the kids hurt themselves and he couldn’t respond properly? And taking an hour to recover from the incident doesn’t really work when the kids are climbing the walls and painting the dog.    

Thankfully, he has been dealing with this disease for more than 20 years is very good at taking care of himself. But sometimes life gets crazy with two small people and all of their needs that he forgets to have a snack or realize that it is p.m., and he still hasn’t had lunch. We’ve all been there, but he has to be extra careful, especially when on his own with the kids. For our family, this means we eat meals and snacks at pretty regular times, which works well for kids who like structure. At ages 3 and 5, our kids know that when Daddy needs to have a snack, they need to give him a moment to actually sit and eat it. Unfortunately, this often does not apply to Mommy.  

Something else I had not really considered before having kids was how we would explain diabetes to them. It has always been a part of their lives, so it is completely normal that Daddy takes a shot four times a day. They know all about checking blood sugar levels and are always curious about what number it is, even if they don’t understand what it means. They learned at an early age never to touch Daddy’s diabetes stuff. Trevor learned quickly that he could no longer leave syringes lying on the bathroom counter and breakable medicine vials had to be put away out of reach of little hands.  

I also think it has helped them better understand other illnesses that we encounter. If we see someone with oxygen or in a wheelchair, I explain that just like Daddy, some people need special medicine or machines to stay healthy. But sometimes, I am surprised how they process it. I once scolded them for poking each other in the stomach with sticks and they defiantly told me they were giving each other shots like Daddy. And my 3-year-old announced at the park recently that his Daddy has to have a snack or he will die. Yikes! Not quite how we explained it at home.

One of my biggest concerns is whether our children will develop diabetes. Due to genetics, they have a significantly higher risk. According to the American Diabetes Association, if the father has Type 1, the odds of the child developing it are 1 in 17. Some of the warning signs include extreme thirst, frequent urination, increased appetite with sudden weight loss and vision changes. My kids are still a bit young, although the disease can develop at any age. When my five-year-old wants to eat nothing but candy, carbs, and cake, I have an extra layer of worry for her affinity for sugar. And my three-year-old son, who appears to be an exact replica of my husband, seems to eat and drink nonstop, yet remains a bean pole, and I still worry.

November is Diabetes Awareness Month, and as a family living with Type 1, we are thankful for our support system, the amazing care he receives at Mayo Clinic, and organizations such as JDRF (Juvenille Diabetes Research Foundation) and the American Diabetes Association who are working on improved treatments, and hopefully one day, a cure. This disease may have ended up being a bigger part of my life than I realized, but like most challenges in life, it has made our relationship and family that much stronger.