need information

[broke123]

I recently went out with a guy whos had T1 diabetes for 20 something years. I dont know much about diabetes but i been reading and asking him questions to learn more. My question is i spent one night at his house and in the morning when he woke up he was very very confused, i dont think he knew who i was, hes eyes were open but in his head he wasnt there, he was saying sentences that didnt make sence, was moving very slow. i am pretty sure that hes diabetes is under control, he wears an insulin pump. in the morning that whole episode scarred me, as i didnt know if thats just how he wakes up, or if its diabetes related, as i havent been around it too long i dont know when it starts to get dangerous. he came around a little bit and i asked if he was ok, he said hes fine, but it was like lights are on but noone is home.
was that diabetes related?
Also, please let me know somethings i would need to know and to look out for. as i am pretty sure he is the type to say "im fine" even if hes not.

Thank you everyone in advance!

[mlz]

It does sound like he had low blood sugar in the AM when you woke up. Yes, sometimes when having a low BS, the person will respond they are ok, when indeed they are not. In that instance you would want to get him to drink some kind of juice to get his levels back up, which will take at least 15 mins, depending on how low he was.
If you continue this relationship, you will need to know how to help him through a low BS. Where are his sugar drinks, carb-filled snacks and any other meds/foods he eats when he's low.
In my experience with my husband of 13 yrs, we have a few tubes of high sugar gel that I can give him when he's not quite awake, but I know his BS is low.
Everyone is a bit different, you really need to talk to him to find out the particulars of his diabetes treatments. It's not always like that though, at least I don't think so. I was completely uneducated about diabetes when we married, and I'm still learning all the time.
Good luck!

[broke123]

Thank you for taking the time to answer my question. I've spent another night with him and this time he was fine in the morning. although he did wake up in the middle of the nite to get a soda, said he felt that his BS was low. I keep asking him questions about the diabetes and hes very good at explaining. Overall, i admire him and everyone else that lives with diabetes so much. the more i learn about it the more it amazes me how strong people really are sometimes.

does anyone know a book or an information website for people that have kids with diabetes for example? somewhere i can get as much info on it as possible.
Thank you :)

[mlz]

You are welcome. I'm glad you're embracing him/diabetes and not being scared off. I don't own any books geared towards diabetes. I'm sure there are a ton out there. I would check out JDRF.org. Anything they recommend on their site should be accurate and thorough.
Take care.

[triskit82]

Kudos for wanting to learn about this. There is so much ignorance about diabetes in the general population. I'm impressed that you are putting out the effort to educate yourself on this issue.

the JDRF is a great organization for info on type 1 diabetes, here are some other links you might find helpful/interesting:

dlife.com
tudiabetes.com - online diabetes community for people touched by diabetes
dancingwithdiabetes.blogspot.com - my diabetes blog (just started it - I've posted a lot of great links on here as well)

[broke123]

thank you for the additional information. i will deffenetly check those sites tomorrow. ive been reading tons of stuff on dating a diabetic, cuz i understand there are sensitive topics and situations and i dont want to say the wrong thing and i just want to know as much as possible about it. but to my surprise i found that a lot of diabetics find it difficult to say that they are diabetic out of the fear of rejection. i am happy that he told me right away. i think its much better that way.
last time i saw him i told him that i want him to check my blood, cuz i wanted to see what it feels like. he did and was very nice about it. i want to understand what its like for him, it blows my mind actually the things he needs to remember to do and to keep in check. i cant even begin to describe the respect that i have.
(i hope hes not on this site, or this would be embarrasing lol wouldnt want him to think im phycho readin so much about this after 2 dates =P )
thanks again :)

[ciw]

it does sound like his sugar levels were low and good on you for wanting to find more out
my son is type 1 and when his sugar level is low he seems to be in a trance very slugish acts a little drunk and has the shakes also , when they are high he is hyper active always hungry and thirsty and in a bad mood you could also check the diabetis uk web site there are list of symptoms to look out for and how to help