My husband has been a type 1 diabetic for 49 years. Control has always been an issue for him. He is a medical professional and finally started checking glucoses about 8 years ago. He uses lantis and a humalog pen but refuses a pump. He has daily lows and highs, but my concerns are the life-threatening lows which occur frequently and w/ increasingly violent threats towards me. He gets upset when I call 911 for help and I do have a glucagon kit for when he passes out or I wake up because he is having a seizure and of course, I have used too many. Do I need to be worried for my safety? He always says he can't remember the threats or attempted violence. He never apoligizes (even though he knows that he always behaves poorly) unless I demand it. I, more than anyone in the world, wish he weren't diabetic but wouldn't an apology be standard after being saved from a life-threatening low? I am sad, tired, and confused. . . .
Q: Does violent behavior while life-threatening low escalate?
It seems this behavior falls outside the lines of normal diabetic hypoglycemia but the thing is, it manifests differently for so many of us that it is hard to know for sure. I do not know your husband but I can say that after 21 years of type 1 I have never been violent toward anyone while low nor have I forgotten vast amounts of what happens when low (I wish I would). Some diabetics do get violent but for me it is just crankiness. That said, I have heard cases of violent behavior while low and this is not too uncommon. I wonder if this may be a case of a combination of anger issues already in place (resentments, etc.) combined with low bloodsugar which aggrevates one's feelings and when you are not thinking clearly it's almost like being drunk or drugged--you are not in full control of your capacities. I'd talk to your husband about it when he is not low and see what he says. People with diabetes often feel so vulnerable when low so it kind of makes sense to me that this terrible feeling and vulnerability would be hidden by anger which makes one seem stronger in the moment, even if it is not the case.
I'm no therapist but both you and your husband need one. The low's you speak of are violent and, when my diabetic son was younger, we called 911 twice because we could not control him well enough to even administer glucagon. He would not allow it. I am surprised your husband even allows you to give glucagon in the state you describe. He is not only out of control diabetes wise but also mentally to tolerate the number of lows you describe.
There is a second aspect to this. A diabetic will not remember what happens during these deep lows (our son did not) but it is also true that my son's lows did not allow him to walk around and do anything----he was incapacitated when extremely low and usually semi-consious at best. If your husband is walking around the house, doing things with anger and appearing to be conscious of what he is doing then he may have real anger issues and not low's. Anger issues go with diabetes type I because of the frustrations involved and the rigor with which one must lead one's life.
In any case talk to his endocrinologist in private about his responses to low's and see a therapist about anger issues. They are two separate things.
My elder brother had his first Diabetic attack when he was thirteen. Since that time he has had a long history of threatening family members and committing assualts against strangers, bus drivers and even the police. Once , while he was being hospitalized because of his reckless behavior ( drinking beer while on pain medication) His doctor told me that the Diabetics' brain contracts during the " shock" episode. I am also looking for research to see if this a common factor for diabetics; aggression and violence. I would recommend that you seek help outside the home if you feel endangered. Don't wait until he hits you , especially if he doesn't know what he is doing. Be safe.
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