
Jenn shares her thoughts I don't think that someone needs to tell a date what to do in an emergency situation, unless the two are in a more serious relationship and are going to be spending a lot of time together. If people are only going to dinner and to the movies once or twice a week, I think the person without diabetes may feel overwhelmed and even frightened. Since Alex and I became serious pretty quickly, he started sharing things with me early on. I knew that he was "the one" and wanted to learn as much about diabetes as possible. I think he first showed me the "emergency kit" after we returned to school in the fall (about 6 months after we had started dating). Every few months, I asked him to remind me what to do to ensure that I would be prepared for any situation. The most important thing I learned were Alex's symptoms of highs and lows. Even though Alex knows his body much better than I do and is very conscientious about monitoring his diabetes, sometimes he can be stubborn and doesn't want to change our plans just to get a little juice or regular soda (if we're out). I never mind stopping for anything and will insist that he get something or will get him something myself.(99.9% of the time he's completely on top of everything!) Whenever Alex was coming to visit me or my parents, we always made sure that we had enough orange juice, yogurt, peanut butter, cheese, and honey in case he needed it. It is important as a partner of someone with diabetes to know what foods/drinks are necessary to have in your house and/or in your car or purse. This is something that can be discussed early on because it is a good way to learn how different foods are metabolized, what diabetes actually is, and why a diabetic needs insulin. I also believe that while it is important to learn about the potential long-term effects of diabetes, it is equally important to know that those effects can be prevented with careful blood sugar monitoring, good eating habits, exercise, and regular doctor visits. Both partners have a large stake in each other's health and well-being. Although I do not have diabetes, Alex is equally concerned about my health to ensure that we will have healthy children, and to prevent osteoporosis and similar ailments. Finally, it is important to keep in mind that marrying a person with diabetes only substantially changes your life for the BETTER because you are seizing the opportunity to spend the rest of your life with the person you love. The fact that that person has diabetes only requires you to make simple changes to your lifestyle which are easy to make and contribute to a healthier way of life for you and your mate. Talking to Alex's mother helped me to learn about aspects of diabetes that Alex and I didn't discuss much and reinforced the ones we did.

Jenn shares her thoughts

I don't think that someone needs to tell a date what to do in an emergency situation, unless the two are in a more serious relationship and are going to be spending a lot of time together. If people are only going to dinner and to the movies once or twice a week, I think the person without diabetes may feel overwhelmed and even frightened. Since Alex and I became serious pretty quickly, he started sharing things with me early on. I knew that he was "the one" and wanted to learn as much about diabetes as possible. I think he first showed me the "emergency kit" after we returned to school in the fall (about 6 months after we had started dating). Every few months, I asked him to remind me what to do to ensure that I would be prepared for any situation.

The most important thing I learned were Alex's symptoms of highs and lows. Even though Alex knows his body much better than I do and is very conscientious about monitoring his diabetes, sometimes he can be stubborn and doesn't want to change our plans just to get a little juice or regular soda (if we're out). I never mind stopping for anything and will insist that he get something or will get him something myself.(99.9% of the time he's completely on top of everything!)

Whenever Alex was coming to visit me or my parents, we always made sure that we had enough orange juice, yogurt, peanut butter, cheese, and honey in case he needed it. It is important as a partner of someone with diabetes to know what foods/drinks are necessary to have in your house and/or in your car or purse. This is something that can be discussed early on because it is a good way to learn how different foods are metabolized, what diabetes actually is, and why a diabetic needs insulin.

I also believe that while it is important to learn about the potential long-term effects of diabetes, it is equally important to know that those effects can be prevented with careful blood sugar monitoring, good eating habits, exercise, and regular doctor visits. Both partners have a large stake in each other's health and well-being. Although I do not have diabetes, Alex is equally concerned about my health to ensure that we will have healthy children, and to prevent osteoporosis and similar ailments.

Finally, it is important to keep in mind that marrying a person with diabetes only substantially changes your life for the BETTER because you are seizing the opportunity to spend the rest of your life with the person you love. The fact that that person has diabetes only requires you to make simple changes to your lifestyle which are easy to make and contribute to a healthier way of life for you and your mate.

Talking to Alex's mother helped me to learn about aspects of diabetes that Alex and I didn't discuss much and reinforced the ones we did.