Early Detection–My Husband Tries to Avoid a Type 2 Diabetes Diagnosis

I worry about my husband. He was warned that his A1C test showed his blood sugars were slightly elevated at an Endo. appointment some time ago. He has been working hard with eating low-carb and daily workouts. He has managed to lose some weight. Still we worry. I know he feels scared of an impending diagnosis of Type 2. As a person with Type 1 diabetes, I know how hard it is. I wouldn’t wish diabetes on anyone. To say it is a hard illness is an understatement.

I am glad we have open lines of communication. I asked him “Do you think you would be familiar with Type 2 diabetes and eating low-carb if I didn’t have diabetes? His answer surprised me. He said, “I think I’d already have diabetes if it weren’t for you”. He figured he wouldn’t have been at the Endocrinologist with me that day. He wouldn’t have known what an A1C was. He wouldn’t have known he should eat fewer carbs and exercise to help keep his blood sugars more stable. Most people simply think a diabetes diagnosis means you can’t eat sugar. Those of us who live with it know that this isn’t quite true. Managing diabetes goes way beyond that.

I’m glad he tries so hard to avoid being diagnosed. We both know that it may happen at any time. We know that it may be unavoidable, that there are also strong ties to heredity when it comes to Type 2, but he tries. If it is unavoidable, maybe we’ll be able to slow down a diagnosis. We were lucky to get the warning. So many people aren’t that lucky. So many people go undiagnosed for years with Type 2.

We will do the best we can to keep him healthy. We continue to find low-carb recipes that don’t make us miss the carbs. It’s easier than you may think. Each week we plan ahead to avoid any potential carb freak outs. The week ahead has low-carb Mexican Chicken Salads, a low-carb Zucchini Pizza Bake (using shredded zucchini, eggs, and cheese for the crust), and as a special treat–homemade low-carb Big Macs (homemade burgers without buns, thousand island dressing, cheese, onions and pickles, using a bed of shredded lettuce instead of the buns). They may need to be eaten with a knife and fork, but that doesn’t worry us. No judgement on that last meal choice, please. We don’t eat Big Macs frequently, we haven’t had them in well over a year, but we found ourselves craving them. This will be our first time making them ourselves using the low-carb technique. I can’t eat gluten anymore so between that and my own blood sugar management, low-carb works out well for both of us.

If you worry about Type 2 diabetes with your loved one, have them check their risk level. It can be as simple as a doctor visit to put your mind at ease. If there is a problem, it is important to know. Early detection can make a world of difference in their long-term health. It’s given us a chance that otherwise, we might not have had.