These words were sleepily mumbled to me before the lights went off in my bedroom last night. I, of course, heading to sleep in near tears after an evening of social dancing was, again, thwarted by repeat episodes of hypoglycemia. (And my sleep was interrupted by a very sticky rebound high.) And I had to wake up early for a fasting blood test and A1C. So – I was bummed, to say the least. However, I found the comfort in my husband’s wisdom again.

I know I talk a lot about my dance instructor here. (I mean… it is a blog about dancing with diabetes… so…) But today I’m giving a shout out to the other significant man in my life… my husband. (Consequently, the two of them share the same name.)

My hubby and I are celebrating a 6 year anniversary on Sunday. I don’t know if he knew what he was getting into when he offered to purchase an insulin pump for me when we were dating just so he could see me be healthy. I assure you he probably didn’t envision ever needing to memorize the instructions of a glucagon kit, giving up regular soda and maple syrup for their diet counterparts, or trying to figure out what to do when his wife’s pump fails on New Year’s Eve. But – he still married me regardless.

When my diet needed to change to accommodate my wild shifts in sugars, he started menu planning to involve lower carb dinners. If he prepares something a la the frozen food aisle, he leaves the package on the counter with the nutrition facts handy so I can carb count accurately. He sacrificed his love for rice and brought in quinoa. Little things to help me stay on track. However, he’s not exempt from giving me a stare down when I’m dipping ginger snaps into Trader Joe’s Cookie Butter. (What?)

He often hears my alarms before I do at night. (Hell… EVERYONE hears my alarms before I do, apparently.) So I usually get a gentle nudge – or swift push depending on the alarm – to make sure I’m awake to check if my alarms are for highs or lows.

He is my cheerleader when I’m on the dance floor… or when I get a good A1C. And is a hug waiting for me when I’ve had a bad doctor appointment, strange reaction to food, or just a shitty diabetes day.

It takes a lot to be committed to someone with a chronic illness. I know it may appear that I don’t give him a ton of credit in this forum. (I do want to retain SOME anonymity!) But I do notice what he does to try and make my life easier and fulfilling. Even if it’s just repeating small bites of wisdom before I head to sleep.