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Type 1 Diabetes and Memory

I have been married to a type 1 diabetic for almost 2 years.  We only dated about 6 mths prior to our marriage part of which time he worked out of town.  I am still having trouble learning the effects of this disease on his memory.  Just as an example someone can tell him a story and 2 days later when he repeats the story to someone else it is totally wrong.  Or another example is that he can tell you something that happened to him in the past or in the present, about  a conversation he had or an event that happened to him, and later it changes.  This upsets me very much and I explained it to him and he says it is because of his diabetes. I assume that because he wants to lead a normal life that he never really thinks about what he is saying might not be right due to memory issues.    
I have learned to see the signs of low and high sugar and I know that he is very aggitated and is angried easy during and I can deal with that.  I have also come to an unsterstanding of how he manages his diabetes and that he as dealt with the disease for 32 years and that he knows his body.  Please help me with this issue about memory.
Thanks
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Avatar universal
Hi!I am a female & I've had diabetes since I was 6yrs old & I am not 31. I am curious if your wondering if maybe he's just making up the story in a sense or changing it around a bit for attention??? Either way, I can tell you that I will often be talking to people & just completely lose my train of thought. & I also struggle with my memory. Sometimes I may start a story & just give up for the simple fact that I cannot remember. That's actually how I came upon your story, because I was researching memory loss in type 1 diabetics. I have came to understand that high sugars particularly can affect your memory & maybe even cause a type of Alzheimer's or dementia which is absolutely terrifying. But I've also learned that if you can manage your sugars and keep them under control a lot of that memory loss and lack of brain function comes back. I recommend just searching around on the internet and reading different things. Obviously not all things that you come across are going to be true but it may be helpful. I hope that I've helped you in some way or another.
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Avatar universal
I am not sure I understand what you are saying. I am a type I diabetic, A1C between 6 and 7 always since my teenage years. I have had type 1 diabetes for 32 years, no complications. I do however seem to have trouble with memory. I forget a lot and I am not sure why. I do not smoke or do drugs, and I am relatively healthy. I believe more studies need to be done. I can drastically tell a difference in my memory and cognitive processing skills. I am 34 and I am not as sharp as I was in my 20's by a great deal!  I have had some severe hypoglycemic lows in the past where I have started noticing changes, but again have no direct proof. How do you measure that? You can't.
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Avatar universal
I've read all the posts.  It's reassuring to me that I'm not the only type I with memory issues. I'm 55 and have had type 1 for 25 years.  I agree with the memory issues I've read, but there is one I haven't read about yet, and that is not recognizing acquiantances (this used to be an easy word for me to spell).  I'll meet someone at a meeting or other venue, have a nice conversation with them, and then won't recognize them when I see them again - especially bad after a few months.  Talk about being embarrassing.  There are also people I've met repeatedly over a year and then struggle to remember who they are when I see them again.  Does anyone else have this problem?
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Avatar universal
I'm going to be a contrarian.  I am 61 years old and have had diabetes for more than 50 years (1961), having gotten it when I was 10.  I have always watched my blood sugars closely to keep them acceptably low and have suffered many, many eipisodes of low blood sugars.  It is so much easier now with the new meters.  My A1c is almost always in the low 6's and I have no complications but do have controlled hypertension. Exercise (and partying) have always been important to me.  Before I got married, I would travel extensively by myself and spent two summers backpacking in Europe during college.  My memory never was the best (just like my non-diabetic brother) but doesn't seem much different than when I was in college or graduate school.  I am currently taking classes (and exams) with newly minted college graduates in pursuit of an advanced professional designation and am holding more than my own.  I believe I am as articulate as I ever was, smarter and more knowledgeable than I was when I was 25, and do not have problems with complicated math.  I believe strongly in this lifestyle design for diabetics: good blood sugars, exercise, exercise, exercise, and have a good time.
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Avatar universal
I am 49 years old, diabetic for almost 30 years.  I've not had great control for a lot of my life, but ok.  I have had retinopathy and hypertension but my organs seem to be alright.  My memory however is horrible.  It is embarressing to me.  I can't remember names or numbers.  When I talk, a word, a simple word that I want to say won't come to me (it's almost always a noun).  My reasoning skills are still good, I just can't seem to communicate any more.  I have recently given up diet sodas because I thought the chemicals in them probably wasn't helping either.  It's scary to think of it getting worse.  I feel that I am a shell of my former self.
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Avatar universal
THANKS for your response.  I had just decided to stop reading when I saw yours.  My 9 yr old is very very bright, not to brag, but she even skipped a grade, lol ;0 and she even skipped a grade. She was diagnosed two years ago, and I get soooo frustrated with her when she forgets something.  Her long term is fine thank God because her grades never suffered and shes on the honor roll every year.  But her short term is another story.  It drives me crazy that I tell her to do something or get something and she comes back 5 or 10 min later saying she forgot!  A member of my gym told me that it could be her diabetes.  I really hope thats what it is because I NEED a reason, and with me being an educator, I know there are things we can do to help. I was beginning to think that she was ADD. I needed a reason to allow me to be more patient with her, and know that its not her having "selective memory" as my mom says.  I never believed that because she forgets to do the fun stuff too!  It kinda reminds me of having a "bad" kid in the class that drives u crazy.  But when you find out that the kid is really ADHD or has lead poisoning, it gives you sooooooooo much more patience as you know they really cant help themselves.  I just pray it gets better.  The dr suggested activities that we do . But most of all, I'm gonna continue to pray.  Not just for her memory, but for the day they cure this horrible disease!  IT WILL HAPPEN ONE DAY!!!
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