What a difference.....

He was gone 10 days. He's been back since Thursday evening. I know...just 48 hours. But he is well. His feet still have the nodules on them, but no open sores. He is in a good mood. I don't think we've had a high or a low. I am actually enjoying being with him! He says he's feeling great. He's walking. We ran a ton of errands this morning with no complaints.

I wonder if his drugs are all kicking in finally. Or was it just being gone so long. Or the low altitude and he reacted positively to it. I wonder how long this will last. Was it foreign cooking? So many possiblities. Whatever the reason, I am so enjoying the man who is here now! I hope he stays for awhile! I figure I need to blog (remember) the good moments right along with all the bad.

We're planning on taking the ATV out tomorrow for a full day ride. Should be fun!

DW

On being a smartass......

There's an interesting thread going on here about husbands who don't take care of themselves:

http://www.everydayhealth.com/cs/forums/1/108435/ShowThread.aspx

And this response caught my eye in particular:

I'm sorry to hear about your husband! you know a positive and healthful approach will do the trick. Maybe something he should look into if your willing to guide him with thise simple apprach is checking out Dr. Weil's Vitamin Advisor for Diabetes. You can find everything and more on his webiste, DrWeil.com. He basically will give you a recommendation on supplementss that he should take to help him manage the symptoms and maybe give you a little stress off your back! :) he offers a lot on his website with his Vitamin Advisor and Healthy Aging as well that you should take a look at.

Let me know if anything helps and if anything gets better!!

Junebug

I so want to be a smartass and ask this writer if they are a professional trying to get people to buy Dr. Well's book or something? Seriously, I think the original poster titled this thread very clearly....the husband REFUSES to take care of himself. So this writer is suggesting that the spouse try to change the husband?

I'm thinking, "like are you wanting a murder on your hands here?" LOLOL!

It just does not matter how positive or healthful my approach to this disease is....I CANNOT CHANGE HIM!!! I CANNOT FIX HIM! I CANNOT MAKE HIM TAKE CARE OF HIMSELF!!!

When is anyone out there going to get that? When are the professionals, the book authors, the nutritionists.....anyone and everyone going to comprehend that I CANNOT CHANGE HIM???

I get that I must have a postive and healthful approach to my own life so that when he starts to die I can have the strength to get through it. I need to have the energy to be here for him. But I am NOT his caregiver. I AM his wife, his friend, his companion. I am NOT a nurse! I am not a nurse's aid. I'm not going to change bedpans....I will hire a home nurse if/when we get to that point.

And there are NO TRICKS! I almost think that is hilarious!!! TRICKS? You want me to trick a 53 year old man into taking care of himself? What planet do you live on? YIKES!!!

So yes, I can be a smartass, and I can have a great sense of humor about all of this. After all, he has been gone for 10 days, I'm well rested, quite ready for him to come home and I will go about "tricking" him into taking care of himself!

well, at least the post gave me a good laugh!

DW - still chuckling!!!

Does altitude have an impact on diabetics?

Hubby and I are in the middle of a very interesting "self-study". We took a recent trip and were at sea level and he felt wonderful. His feet were well. Came back to the mountains....he had the worst flare up ever and was on crutches.

For the past 10 days, he has been back at sea level and says that he feels fantastic. He's been out walking all over the place. He even walks 1/2 mile each way to and from the office site.

We plan to watch what happens when he returns home. And then we have discussed taking a trip to sea level next month just to see if there is a pattern here.

When I tried to do some research online, I don't find much other than 14,000 feet....far higher than where we are! I have a firiend who had a baby born here with heart problems. They made her move to sea level for the child's heart. I've read articles about diabetics coming to a high altitude to ski and having problems, but not anything about a diabetic living at a high altitude feeling better or improving when they move to sea level.

But I think our experiment is worth a try. And if he continues to feel better at sea level...that might well determine where we retire.

There is comfort in sharing.

Jean wrote in the last post:

I don't have to continue my protector-in-chief role where the kids are concerned, as now that I've talked with one, it will be easier to share things with the others.

And I have to agree. My comfort comes in blogging. By keeping a record of his ups and downs, his happiness, his anger, the dramatic sudden character changes, and the eating patterns....I have found relief. I know that I have a record that I can go back to when I want to see if there is a certain pattern. I have a place where I can get my frustrations out and not have to keep them bottled inside. I can share my blog with my sister so that she more fully understands what it is that I'm dealing with. And I have a record of the progression of this disease for his children, should something happen to him, and should they ask questions.

So, yes, there is comfort in sharing what I, as a spouse, am dealing with. And whether it be by blogging, by telling my sister or my best friend, or by sharing with a complete stranger.....at least someone else out there knows what I am going through.

Thanks Jean!

DW