The fact that Jeff is really taking care of his diabetes (i.e. not in denial about it) is great, especially if he is doing this while being really frustrated with it…
I’m with Dino, knowing other diabetics is key. Makes you feel normal. It’s great that he likes to talk to his sister and your co-worker about it… I can definitely relate to enjoying conversations with real live diabetics. I think you should encourage him to continue those talks with them or this online community… mostly he needs to vent. Also, I think if you let him complain, that is really healthy.
For example, I have diabetes and I manage it fairly well. But there are still days where I get incredibly frustrated and shed tears over all the crap that I have to do to try to live a healthy life. But the next day, I wake up and I just keep on going… cause we have to. It’s a 24 hour a day job and it can wear on you. So it sounds like Jeff needs to vent his frustrations… and the best thing that you can do is help him find ways to do that.
Even if he is not keen on joining an online community (I wasn’t at first either…), you can encourage him to read some blogs in the diabetes online community. If you find people that write in a way that he could relate to, then even just reading those blogs might help-- reminding him that he is not alone! Every member here has a blog on their profile page or check out www.diabetesdaily.com.
Wish you all the best! And thanks for caring We all need someone who cares…