Remember that the information presented here is not intended to replace the care of your own doctor. Before making any changes in the management of your own illness, you should consult your physician or other qualified medical professionals.
Question
My brother in law is a diabetic. Has been since he was 13, he's 40 now. He didn't start taking care of himself until about 7 years ago. He is an alcoholic (sober now) and has smoked most of his life. He claims he's brittle. I don't know if that was suggested by one of his doctors or he actually was hospitalized and had it proven.My question is, he can't seem to control his blood sugar. He eats like everyone else, doesn't exercise, and like I said smokes. He lives with his parents, which was good when he returned from living in Hawaii 4 years ago, his health was fried. He got a new career (living with the folks, not having to worry about working) and somewhat got healthy. He absolutely controls his parents with his disease. He constantly gets low, and then eats as much candy and soda as he can consume. This happens 2 or more times a week. His mother orders his insulin, and makes his doctor appointments and buys cigarettes for him.
I'm contacting you as I don't want to judge him unfairly. I think he allows himself to get low to control his parents' attention. But I don't know if he really can't help it from what I've read. If you do your best to control your diet (he eats sugar things on a regular basis, then tries to adjust with insulin), exercise, watch your blood levels, then you still have problems as I understand it, you're brittle. I know it's a very complicated disease and I feel for him with what he has to go through, but I can't help thinking he's not doing the right things for himself. Please do your best to help me understand. Thank you.
Answer
You have posed a very complicated problem. In most cases the cause of "brittle diabetes" is brittle management by the person with diabetes. From what you describe that is likely the problem in your brother-in-law's case. He has made some changes and yet it does not sound like he has fully accepted his diabetes and relies on the family for many things. He certainly has made a great change by staying sober, perhaps with support he could redirect some of this positive energy to controlling his diabetes. From your description I think the help of a mental health person who is familiar with diabetes would be very useful. His medical provider could help direct you to an appropriate resource.I am sure he is not aware of all the issues he is facing and would avoid blaming him. It is very hard to watch someone exhibit behaviors that seem self-destructive, yet supporting them to make changes is more effective than making them wrong. He is lucky to have someone like you that cares, so keep trying to help him improve. Good luck!
Copyright � Colorado HealthSite. Reproduced with permission.
Return to DQ&A main page
