Good news everyone!

Things have been busy in my little world - Stuart proposed last week and I said yes! :) He got down on one knee with a slice of homemade mars bar crispie cake, how could I say no? ;) So there has been lots of phone calls, and excited conversations, and grown up things like picking a ring and spending lots of money on domestic stuff in John Lewis as an engagement present from Stu's parents.

I thought I might as well write a post about diabetes and how it's involved in our relationship. In most ways, diabetes isn't involved at all, but there are a couple of ways in which it's ever present. Stuart and I met online, and I completely randomly dropped the fact that I was diabetic into an msn conversation we were having before we're even met. Stuart, to his credit, barely twitched, as he has several friends who are diabetic. One of the things you should know about Stuart, though, is that he's a little bit needle phobic. And by "little bit" I mean talking about needles makes him feel queasy and actually seeing one makes him go very, very pale. So, as you can imagine, having a diabetic girlfriend isn't the easiest of things! I asked him right at the start if me being diabetic would be an issue, and he said no, it was part of me, and therefore we'd just find a way to deal with it. We quickly developed a system where I'd yell "hide" whenever I was about to do an injection, and he'd quickly find something else to occupy his attention.

We'd moved in together by the time I got my pump, and he was very supportive of me getting one, even though he admitted that the whole idea freaked him out. He doesn't complain about me getting up at weird times during the night when I'm basal testing, and he'll often ask if Chuck's been behaving himself.

For the most part Stuart takes a very hands off approach to my diabetes, which is how I like it. I get a bit territorial about my diabetes sometimes, because it's been *my* diabetes for longer than I can remember, and I don't really appreciate people interfering, however well meant it is. I think a lot of it stems from being a teenager with diabetes and always being told what to do (yes, I have issues :P), but Stuart is very good at being supportive without being overbearing. He'll ask if I'm ok if my BG is low or high, and I've noticed him telling me to go eat something when I'm on the low side but haven't quite registered yet. He never tells me to test or asks if I've had my insulin - he trusts that I'll do that myself. He weighs out things like pasta so I know the carb count of meals at home, and he never comments or judges when I decide I want that extra big piece of cake. He listens to me rant when my BG is misbehaving and makes soothing noises. He accepts my diabetes and me without ever judging, and I'm so happy that we're facing the next step in our lives together. :)