Wife of a Diabetic

Long before we committed to being lifelong partners in marriage, I had already committed to a different lifelong partner. Not by choice, but by necessity.

Diabetes and I had been together since my 5th year, and we'd been through a lot together. Schools. Camp. Daily injenctions, when there were 2 and times when there were 4. T-ball, baseball, high school swimming. College. Fraternity life. Newspapering. A1C results that hovered around 13 and went into the high teens at times during those "rebellion" years before falling closer to where they should be in the non-double digits. We'd been through a rollercoaster ride, and I was only in my early 20s then.

Then, came Suzi.

Despite my D-partner who often interrupted our time and was always there in the background, hovering on dates and anywhere we went, this woman fell in love and decided to spend her life with us despite all the quirks, flaws, and frustrations.

Now, we've been through much in almost a decade: college graduation, job changes, move from Michigan to Indiana, apartments and new house, career finding, and life building. Not to mention the carb counting, night-time lows, complication talk, endo switches, the Minimed-to-Deltec move and Minimed-return, and countless other diabetes-related moments. There's too many to list, but you all know what they are from experience.

Aside from everything else in her life and helping do tasks such as cleaning, cooking, laundry, and all the regular-life items, she does various things on D-front: She counts carbs. Reviews my daily and weekly test logs. Reminds me of testing and meds. Helps insert sites and tape tubing. Retrieves glucose tabs, glucagon, juiceboxes, and candy for lows. Calls 911 when the time is needed. Endures the worry when I call in a low-sugar state. Manages through the higher sugars. Hangs tough when the frustrations mount. You name it. She does it.

Sometimes I unknowingly take out my D-frustrations on her, and I apologize for that. She doesn't get enough credit. But she should. As should all spouses and people who put up with us PWD. Even the pets of PWD.

In this Hoosier Hoskins Household, it's just the 3 of us. Plus the Riley Dog and Shadow Cat.

This post is honor of my wife, who has recently been preparing some advanced dinners of meatloafs and meatballs for the week and cutting up some carb-free carrots to snack on. Then there's the dishes and laundry and all else. She asked for a blog about her, so here it is.

Quite simply, the point of this blog is to say: Thank you. To Suzi. To all the diabetic spouses out there who stay with us, through thick and thin and the "highs & lows."

We couldn't and can't do it without you.