Started My Own Support Group - Well, Kind Of

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1

So - I did it!

I've been talking about it for a long time, but I was dragging my feet, I guess.

I’ve been searching for a support group for spouses of diabetics – and they don’t exist – or at least I haven’t found one yet. I know two ladies whose husbands have diabetes – one that lives in my town – and every time we saw each other, we’d get the update on how things were. Last year, I told her that I was searching for a support group but was unable to find one, so I was going to start one of my own. She was all for it – and I told her I’d contact her.

When I saw my other friend and told her of my plans, she was equally interested – so… after a year of wanting and a year of thinking about it….

I got together with the two old friends a few weeks ago. We all knew each other many years ago and now we are re-acquainting ourselves as wives of diabetics. We went out to dinner - talked, laughed and caught up on our respective lives. I was so happy to have the chance to talk "diabetes" with people who really know the disease - and its difficulties. It was not our plan to ■■■■■ - and we didn't. (Even if that was a fear of my husband’s) Each of us has our own unique experience as the wife of a diabetic. Each of our husbands has their own unique way of dealing (or not) with the disease and the range of health problems is quite wide. Still, we understand that we are not alone - there are other people who have similar problems - some worse, some not as bad.

We set another dinner date for 7 weeks. I think this is going to be a very good thing.

2

That sounds lovely! I have a few friends who came ‘out of the closet’ as Type I’s when I was diagnosed and it’s really nice to have people to talk to about it.

3

Congratulation on taking the initiative to start that up. I’m sure it will be really beneficial for you and your husband.

4

Hello there,

That is such wonderful news! It is really difficult for people to understand the myriad issues that spouses of diabetics face. As you know, I have been trying very hard to get participants to be part of my study to understand the issues. I don’t know if you experience this, but at times I feel quite guilty that I “have issues,” as the wife of a Type 1, sepcifically because I know how much of a struggle it is for my husband to live with his disease. What people do not understand, is how much we worry and how complicated the issues can be. That is why it is so incredibly important to find others who share our “lived experience” so that we can talk about the difficulties with the aim of not only helping ourselves, but also helping our wonderful spouses through the many ups and downs and joys and sorrows.

Hope that it helpful and supportive for the three of you and that others follow suit!

Helen