DH newly dx'ed Type 1

[m57lyra]

We got home from the hospital yesterday. What questions should I be asking about extent of damage done by being untreated for however long he was?

Any advice about where to start with all this most welcome.

[Momof4gr8kids]

Has he been diagnosed, or had any problems that would lead you to believe there was damage done from the highs before he was diagnosed?
Most people don't have any damage that is lasting at first. It comes later. He can best avoid damage by following his doctors orders in regaurds to keeping his b/g in target the best he can.
One thing that has helped me is meeting with a diatician with him. I do the carb counts for the meals I prepare. Sometimes I tell him, but I usually write it down in case he ends up having more, or less then a serving of something. Our daughter has type 1 as well, so our whole family just uses measuring spoons, and measuring cups instead of serving spoons. I found some that have a few different marks so that they measure 1c or 1/2 c. Also a scale is helpful.
It is good to be helpful, and supportive, but try not to over do it. You husband is an adult, and can choose his food, and serving sizes on his own as he should. It is great that you are here getting info for him, and I know this is stressful for the whole family. Welcome, and good luck. Jamie

[EmmasMom]

Hello and Welcome,

My suggestion is to attend any training that is offered. When my husband was dx'd several years ago I went to all of the D education meetings and read as much as I could. It was very scary when we were sent home with a vial of insulin and a "good luck".:rolleyes: His care was seriously lacking in the beginning and it took months to get in to see a good endo and get his blood sugars under control. It was a very difficult time for us!
He had been running very high blood sugars for a while when he was dx'd, and luckily he had no signs of damage. He is very healthy and active, and so far he has no problems at all related to D. Thank God!!! Your husbands doctors will probably want him to have a thorough physical, lab work and an eye exam just to make sure every thing's OK, and then the goal will be to keep his blood sugar as stable as possible to prevent any long term problems.
One thing that is very important is to know how to treat a low, and when to give glucagon or call 911. In the early days on insulin his numbers may be very erratic and hard to control and lows can hit very fast. It's very important to have fast acting sugar available at all times. If you don't have a glucagon kit call his doctor and ask for one. (we weren't given one for over a year!!:eek:) If a severe low hits and he can't swallow he will need an injection of glucagon to raise his blood sugar, and potentially save his life. If you don't have glucagon put something sugary inside his mouth, like icing that he won't choke on and call 911.
The good news... my husband has never had a low that required either glucagon or 911, but you can never be too safe.

The other thing that is very important is testing for ketones. Anytime his numbers are running high, (250+), and anytime he can't take insulin, (stomach bug, even with low BG), anytime he's sick, he should test for ketones. If you don't have ketones strips make sure you get some. DKA is very serious and can happen to anyone with type 1 diabetes, so always test ketones.

Please feel free to ask questions as they arise. There are several women on this board that have husbands with type 1, so I'm sure they have a lot of answers and advice.

Please let us know how things are going! Best of Luck!

[LantusFiend]

Adults are far more likely to have had a longer onset and therefore more likely to have complications or the beginnings of complications at diagnosis. This is approximately what I was told when I was diagnosed, two months short of 18.

Your husband's urine should have been checked for protein, and probably was. Assuming it was negative, that correlates with a lower chance that kidney damage has occurred.

He should see an opthamologist or a really good optometrist to look at his retinas and see if any retinopathy has occurred, and to check for glaucoma.

And one of the doctors will most likely have looked at his feet and hands to check for any obvious damage there.

It might also be a good idea to have the antibody preliminary checks for celiac sprue, which is not a diabetes complication but is often comorbid with type 1.