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Life expectancy with untreated type 2 diabetes
My husband has type 2 diabetes and refuses to get treatment. He also has hypertension, sleep apnea and you can feel his heart beat through his chest. Does anyone have a guess on what his life expectancy would be if I can't get him to the doctors.
Best Answer
With blindness, amputated legs and kidney failure, how long would he actually want to live? I'm assuming the hypertension is also untreated? What is your husband's issue with doctors? Why doesn't he want to take care of his health? Do you have children? You might want to ask him why he wants to leave his children without a father? I can't quote stats, though I'm sure you can find them if you do a search. But your husband is looking at a foreshortened and miserable life.
Btw, just fyi you are posting in the type 1 forum, not the type 2 forum.
I'm so sorry, mamarou, and unfortunately don't have any suggestions. Denial is a very powerful thing and people use all their "logic" to maintain it. All you can do is tell him how much his behavior hurts and scares you. He will probably see any efforts to change his thinking as "nagging or overreacting". He is the one that needs to make the decision to change. All you can do is perhaps leave him some information around the house without comment. If you are unwilling to live like this and are thinking of leaving that may knock some sense into him, but ultimatums are not meaningful unless you really feel that way. I personally would not want to stay and watch someone kill themselves by neglecting their health any more than if they were doing it with drugs or alcohol. But I don't have a history and love for such a person, so I can't walk in your shoes. Another option is to say you need the two of you to have counseling so you have support in talking about these issues. IMHO people who are in that kind of denial are usually terrified underneath and react by pretending their is no problem. Unfortunately it won't go away but they will just dig their heels in deeper to anyone who tries to take away their "protection". The sad part of it? Diabetes is a manageable condition and complications are only inevitable if you ignore it.
With numbers like 368 and 670 he most likely has ketones in his urine which can produce a condition called DKA which is life-threatening. DKA is less common in Type 2's than Type 1's but not unheard of. If he begins to vomit and experience flu-like symptoms he needs to go to the ER right away. At 10 years it is possible that he is now a type 2 that no longer produces enough insulin and we need insulin to live.That might be a good thing because it would bring him to his senses.
Best of luck to you, you are indeed in a rough situation and it's sad because it is so unnecesary!
I'm so sorry, mamarou, and unfortunately don't have any suggestions. Denial is a very powerful thing and people use all their "logic" to maintain it. All you can do is tell him how much his behavior hurts and scares you. He will probably see any efforts to change his thinking as "nagging or overreacting". He is the one that needs to make the decision to change. All you can do is perhaps leave him some information around the house without comment. If you are unwilling to live like this and are thinking of leaving that may knock some sense into him, but ultimatums are not meaningful unless you really feel that way. I personally would not want to stay and watch someone kill themselves by neglecting their health any more than if they were doing it with drugs or alcohol. But I don't have a history and love for such a person, so I can't walk in your shoes. Another option is to say you need the two of you to have counseling so you have support in talking about these issues. IMHO people who are in that kind of denial are usually terrified underneath and react by pretending their is no problem. Unfortunately it won't go away but they will just dig their heels in deeper to anyone who tries to take away their "protection". The sad part of it? Diabetes is a manageable condition and complications are only inevitable if you ignore it.
With numbers like 368 and 670 he most likely has ketones in his urine which can produce a condition called DKA which is life-threatening. DKA is less common in Type 2's than Type 1's but not unheard of. If he begins to vomit and experience flu-like symptoms he needs to go to the ER right away. At 10 years it is possible that he is now a type 2 that no longer produces enough insulin and we need insulin to live.That might be a good thing because it would bring him to his senses.
Best of luck to you, you are indeed in a rough situation and it's sad because it is so unnecesary!
I know. I've tried all those things and more. He's convinced he can self treat and do homeopathic treatments, which I would have no problem with if he'd actually do them!!! He feels he knows more than the doctors and finds fault with all that he goes to. Yes we have children 6 and 8 years. He's in serious denial on all issues and feels he's going to be fine and I will die long before him (I have no problem with my sugar or blood pressure) But he doesn't things I missed stating in my opening question. Blood sugar in the last 2 test (Sept. and May) 368 and 670!!! Hypertension 180/140!!! Sleep apnea 18 seconds with 4-5 breaths in between. Irregular heart beat can be every other or so. I feel like I'm with "dead man walking" and wonder every morning if I'm going to be a widow when I wake up.
The only stats I've been able to find (and I've looked and looked) was for a 55 year old man it's 13 years untreated. He's now 49 and has been untreated for 10+ years. If that's even close to accurate, well we are at the end. Sigh. I've had a dear family friend have the amputation part done and my husbands aware of this, and still feels he "knows" best. I know it can be very ugly, but if you can't get them to listen??? He has an excuse for every one of these. I even tried talking to our pastor so that he'd talk to him and I get that I'm over reacting and need to stop. So, I'm at a loss as to what to do now...except watch him die, which grieves my heart!!!
The only stats I've been able to find (and I've looked and looked) was for a 55 year old man it's 13 years untreated. He's now 49 and has been untreated for 10+ years. If that's even close to accurate, well we are at the end. Sigh. I've had a dear family friend have the amputation part done and my husbands aware of this, and still feels he "knows" best. I know it can be very ugly, but if you can't get them to listen??? He has an excuse for every one of these. I even tried talking to our pastor so that he'd talk to him and I get that I'm over reacting and need to stop. So, I'm at a loss as to what to do now...except watch him die, which grieves my heart!!!
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