How can I persuade my fiance to take better care of his type 1 diabetes?

He was diagnosed just over 2 years ago and I swear he's still in denial. He has a terrible fear of needles (thank god for the insulin pump!) and curses diabetes everyday-still. I put in the pump site for him and give him injections when he isn't wearing his pump. The thing is, he tests his blood sugar maybe every MONTH. As an operating room nurse, I see the DEVASTATING effects of diabetes. He is 23 years old. I have no idea how to get to him. His opinion on the matter is "I'm going to die young anyways. I have everything against me." When I try to "counsel" him, he tells me he doesn't want to be lectured. How would you go about making him see how important this is? He's thinking of switching Dr's because his won't write his insulin prescription until he gets his quarterly a1c... which I think is important!! I came here because I was hoping someone who has diabetes could help me out on how to make him take this more seriously.

Show him pictures of people who have had their arms or legs amputated. That will get his attention. Because that's where his diabetes will lead him to. I know it sounds harsh, but diabetes can be controlled.

#1 MY MOM HAS IT TO AND SHE HAD STROKE AND A HEARTATTACK BECAUSE SHE REFUSED TO CHECK HER B SUGAR EVERY MEAL SHE IS NOW PARALYZED ON THE LEFT SIDE...#2 MY DAD ALSO. HE WOULDNT LISTEN SO HE HAS NO LEGS FROM THE THIGHS DOWN. TO HIM I SAY. PLEASE DONT TAKE THIS LIGHTLY, DONT BE IN DENIAL OR YOU WILL LOOSE LIFE. MY MOM AND DAD, I ALMOST LOST, AND MY DAD WILL NEVER WALK AGAIN, MY MOM CAN BARELY DRESS HERSELF. DONT DO THIS TO YOUR LOVED ONES, EVERY MINUET COUNTS WHEN IT COMES TO LIFE, WHEN I STOOD THERE BY MY MOMS HOSPITAL BED AND SAW ALL THE TUBES , THE FEEDING TUBE, THE VENTALATOR BECAUSE HER LUNGS FAILED. AND A CENTRAL LINE IN HER NECK, IT HURT SO BAD BECAUSE IT ALL HAPPEND BECAUSE SHE WAS STUBBORN. CHECK UR BS BEFORE EVERY MEAL THERE ARE MACHINES THAT YOU DONT FEEL WHEN THEY GET BLOOD, CHECK WALGREENS. PLEASE TAKE CARE OF YUR SELF

Allof us who have diabetes go through denial but you boyfriend is stuck in it.... It may be time for tough love. How far are you willing to go. You may need to give him a real wake up call. Tell him you're not going to stand by and watch him kill himself and that you're going to brakeup with him if he doesn't straighten his act. And mean it.

He will die young if he doesn't take care of himself. It sounds like he needs more than just your counseling. He may have severe depression that needs to be addressed.

You have to scare him. Or let him scare himself. Don't worry, if something bad happens to him, he'll snap out of it, and start taking more care of himself. I'm a 12 year old type diabetic myself. It took something bad to happen to me for me to snap out of it and I realized that diabetes is nothing but the option of life and death. Tell him that.

This may be seem a bit drastic but maybe you should threaten to leave him and do it if he deosn't start taking care of himself. It sounds like he won't do it for himself so maybe he will do it for you. I was diagnosed with type 2 about 6 months after getting married and had a heart attack about 2 months after that (at the age of 43). I tell me wife sometimes that if I wasn't married to her I probably would have died and if I had survived the heart attack I probably would not take care of myself.

um! how long have you been seeing this person? Did he have diabetes when you started seeing him?

You can always threaten him with withdrawal of your sympathies and help! If he really does love you and wants to be with you he will think twice about that.

Diabetics can live to be very old people!! Some of my better friends have had this disease and have taken good care of themselves for more than 50 years!! And they are still going strong!

Didn't he bother with the Diabetes classes?? or did he sleep through one and decide it was too much trouble?

Bottom line: You can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink till he wants to!! Threaten, cajole, tease, nothing will work til he makes up his own mind to take care of himself. This is sort of like making an alcoholic quit drinking alcohol!!!

You can't persuade him. He may well be in denial. He doesn't have a clear picture of what is going on unfortunately. The doctor is within his rights to ask for an a1c reading and switching doctors will not help.
Getting him in to see a nurse educator or someone like that may be your best bet at helping him see that there is hope for him and his life will be better if he took the disease seriously. Ask about the new forms of insulin that don'th ave to be injected.
It soundsl ike he might be one of the ones that mihgt wish he had taken better care earlier when end organ troubles begin to appear. I see TOO MANY of these.