Hey guys. I haven’t been on here in awhile. I’m going through a really hard time. My husband, 14month old daughter and I got stationed in Hawaii April 1. I’ve been so stressed and my BG have been outrageous!! Like 200s to high 300s. My husband has been having to go out to the field a lot and being home with a one year old isn’t easy. My feet have been really bothering me. I went to the doctor and he put me on some medicine. I’m just really sick and tired of diabetes. I’m definitely having a down moment and need some uplifting and people who actually understand what I’m going through. I just want to crawl in a hole for a few hours and cry and then ill be ok. Haha ok not really but you get the idea. If there are any other military diabetic spouses out there I would love to chat because then you REALLY know what I’m going through! This is not an easy lifestyle being a military spouse and throwing in diabetes just gets very overwhelming. Thanks for listening to me vent…I feel better already.
I am not T1 nor a military wife, but I well remember being home with toddlers whilst husband was away working (I felt sure he was playing all the time!). Just a note to send you a (((((hug)))))across the miles. Keep smiling, baby will want to remember a happy mum!
If you send me a ticket I'll be happy to come help!! The small kid years were very hard and I had nothing like being a military spouse to deal with. Babies, while cute, are merciless taskmasters, who probably won't give you a few hours to go cry for a while. Luckily, they are cute. My daughter just graduated from 8th grade yesterday which is a totally different ball of wax. If you think a baby screams loudly, take away a 14-year old's cell phone! Eek.
RE BG, are you able to see patterns that you can perhaps make some adjustments to your BG?
Hey, why not crawl under the covers and cry for a bit, it sometimes helps :) So sorry you're having such a hard time. Do you have any support? You might want to join this group: The Military and Diabetes. It's for families, not just those who are serving.
Keep us posted, stop into chat some time and vent :)
My experience as a military wife was in the Viet Nam era. My husband was never shipped overseas. I feel fortunate that the medical care I got as a military wife was excellent. It was the first time I felt that I actually had a doctor who knew very much about caring for diabetes. After 47 years as a Type I, it is my experience that many family physicians don't know a lot about diabetes. Does your medical care plan include access to an endocrinologist and a diabetes educator? Medical people with those skills sets should be helpful. How long have you had diabetes? I also found that the military spouse organizations were helpful in providing me with distraction and understanding people. Get help where you can find it. Depression goes along with diabetes. The military, at least in my experience, understands that the spouses need some support to help keep its soldiers/sailors/marines/airmen focusing on their jobs while still, at times, practicing the attitude that if they had wanted their personnel to have a spouse, they would have issued them one. You don't mention the tools you are using to treat the diabetes. There are lots of specific forums here on Tudiabetes that address specifics. Good luck. This is a fair place to vent but warm bodies are better.
Hi Brea! I'm Brandi and I'm a military spouse as well as T1D. It can be very challenging at times and I'm sure the Pcs hasn't made it easier to deal with the diabetes. Just like you, there are PLENTY of times that I want to crawl into a hole. It ALWAYS happens when the husband is gone doing something Army related. I have a 5 year old and I know how tough it can be. If you want to add me on FB (https://www.facebook.com/mrsjhudson) or Twitter (dimpleshudson), I'm always around to talk
Lotsofshots gave good advice. I am a T1 spouse of a career army man. He was sent overseas for one year without us. My son was five and just starting kindergarten, I had an operation before he left, and it got horribly infected. Our housing was off post in a townhouse community, and there was only one other mother at home during the day. Oh, and my mom who was a long way away, was dying of breast cancer. Talk about lonely and depressed.....
Once I recovered fully from the surgery, I decided I needed to "get involved." I volunteered at my son's school, made a point to really meet my neighbors, helped in the thrift shot at Fort Belvoir---anything I could find to get out and get involved. I also went to my mom's when I could to help out, so we traveled a bit on breaks, holidays, summer.
You daughter is younger, but there are lots of things you could do with her, such as swimming classes--get out and meet other mothers. Look for play groups.
Are you leaving in military housing? If so, ask around and see what is available--even if you are living on the economy, you can still use the perks on Post. If they have an outdoor pool, make regular visits to get to know people. Check for a wives club on post; check out child care opportunities--the military base is a great place to start--and there are so many on Oahu--Navy, Army--try them all. Army community services always sounds like where to go with a "problem," but they are also equipped to help folks like you.
And you are in a wonderful, lovely place. Take a deep breath and just enjoy--go to the beach, visit the North Shore and watch the surfers--get out with your daughter, be places where you can meet people so there is more to life than your child and diabetes.
I wish you the very best! The job of being a soldier's wife is just as hard as being the soldier; it is a very difficult lifestyle.
I am an Armywife-my husband is in his 21st year of being in the Army. I was diagnosed with LADA/type 1.5 in June of 2004. My husband was in Iraq when I was diagnosed. We also have a 7 year old daughter. Living with diabetes and being a spouse of a solider, airman, marine or seaman can be very stressful, esp. with a child. I understand how you feel, I was there 6 years ago. I promise it will get better. You have the right to cry, throw a pillow and scream at the top of your lungs, but you have to pull yourself together and "try" to relax...easier said than done, right? *wink* I would also recommend finding and becoming apart of the FRG in your area. You can also email me anytime cherise@diabetessocmed.com. When my husband was deployed the second time around. I found a lot of support on twitter-if you have an account you can find me at @sweetercherise.
Hi @Brea ! I too am a military wife (of 20 years). Let’s just talk about how stressful the job is with kids let alone adding diabetes on top it!!! Oh my goodness. Diabetes adds a whole other level of craziness. I’m T1 and I have lost it on more than a few occasions trying to balance single parenting while my husband was deployed and trying to manage my diabetes. I have to say the times he’s home but SUPER busy crazy is way worse than a deployment for me. It’s like he’s gone, except I still have to do all his ridiculous amounts of laundry AND still have food available. Hang in there. We were stationed in HI from 2003-2006 and while it is an amazing beautiful place to live it can feel very isolating. I’m sure you are doing a great job! You are not alone
