has anyone on here been diagnosed while in college? Im in my third year when this all happened, just wanted to hear some other stories.
Hi Sara...I was a sophomore in college when I was diagnosed. That was 19 years ago :-). I thought I had the flu after Christmas break and just couldn't get better. I was tired all the time....all the classic symptoms (drinking a lot, peeing a lot, blurry vision), and I lost 20 pounds in 3 weeks. I was actually happy when I got the diagnosis, just relieved to know what was wrong with me and I wasn't dying. My friends were all really supportive. Let me know if you have any specific questions.
I was diagnosed the week before Thanksgiving my freshman year. I was going home every weekend to work, and that Saturday morning, my Mom, a type 1 diabetic, woke me up and asked me if I drank all the milk and tea and juice the night before. That semester, I was taking two PE classes and didn't realize the thirst and yeast infections (I'd never had one before and knew something was wrong, but diabetes didn't occur to me once) were connected. I felt great, was sleeping well, and thought I was being healthy. At the time, I only drank juice or tea (hot, black or unsweetened iced, a trait inherited from my "Yankee" dad), rarely a soda or anything else.
That Saturday morning, Mom took my blood sugar with her BGMonitor. It was elevated, and when she checked it again after lunch at a TexMex place with her coworkers, it was definitely elevated. She made an appointment, and by Tuesday, I had been diagnosed, seen a nutritionist, and was calling my professors to tell them why I was going to be out of class the rest of the week. All were understanding, but one (a great guy, actually) was a by-the-book professor who said I hadn't missed any classes and would probably be ok under the attendance policy. :/ The next prof I called turned it right around and told me not to worry about the project due soon and to "just get better!"
My college friends made and wrote notes on a giant card and called me to keep my spirits up, especially the girl who became and remains one of my closest friends. Laura Jane had been living with type 1 since infancy. (She also insists that she's not "diabetic" but a PLWD.) I learned so much from her about living with diabetes and dealing with "unsweetened" people who often don't "get it." We share a love of Quantum Leap and Scott Backula, and when I was diagnosed, she immediately sent me her copy of Playgirl with an interview with Backuka. I still have this lovely momento and it reminds me that a) Backula looks good with a shirt off and b) supportive people who "get it" make all the difference in the world.
Good luck! Stay strong! You can do it! :)
hey Nikki!!! How are you?? Well I lost tons of weight before the diagnosis but i assumed it was because i was going to the gym and going running. The whole water intake was just rediculous, I would drink 4 liters of water while i was at work for 8 hours. I look back now, and im like wow! i had al of the symptoms but i thought my body was just going through some type of 'change' or something. When the doctor told me what was wrong, I actually made him repeat it because i didnt think that i would ever have any disease of some sort, but who am i to not be sick? Im happy i can come on here and meet people who can help me out and motivate me :-)
Hi sasmus!!!! I didnt know that there were a correlation between diabetes and yeast infections? O_0. The best part of this whole experience is being alive. I would get the worse migraines and I thought its because I studied too much, and worked too hard. If it wasnt for that migraine that night before being rushed to the emergency room, my doctyor said I could have been in a coma, or even died because my sugar was 541 that night at the hospital. I guess were all lucky to be alive! I know I am.
Hi Sara...at least you were drinking water before you were diagnosed. I was craving orange juice and drinking orange juice mixed with regular 7Up during the weeks leading up to my diagnosis. I don't actually know what my blood sugar reading was that day (I wish I did) but they said I was probably a few hours away from being in a coma. This really scared me because I was going home that weekend and didn't have a roommate at that time, so nobody would have been looking for me until Sunday night or Monday morning. Thank goodness I went to the doctor that Friday before I went home :-).
Orange juice and 7up? Wow! The crazy Part is when your body has a problem and you have no idea. And they told me i could have gone into a coma too. Im thinking like geesh im only 22, im working and going to school. How could i have lived while being in a coma? Its amazing how life can change in just a second.
Think doctors tell every newly diagnosed type 1 they're on the verge of going into a coma, whether blood sugar is 300 or 1,500 when diagnosed.
Guess it's supposed to scare us into being happy about taking shots. =)
I was diagnosed my sophomore year of college, right after winter break. I was living on campus and going home every weekend to work. My father is a type 1 diabetic which is why I knew what symptoms to look for. I asked my father to check my bg when I woke up Saturday morning, fasting it was in the mid 200s.
Courtney being diabetic in college definitely affects almost every part of your college life.. It sucks big time! Being a biology major I always study these diseases, just didn't know that's would eventually be diagnosed.
I was a junior in college when I was diagnosed. My favorite thing was cherry coke. I had the classic thirst/urination syndrome, so I would get super big gulps of cherry coke at 7-11, drink them in 5 minutes, and still be thirsty immediately afterward.
I had no idea anything was wrong with me. I wouldn't have gone to the doctor except my mom insisted I looked sick. It turned out I had lost about 10% of my body weight, and my glucose was over 600 when I finally went in.
I can't say it is worse coming down with diabetes in college than at any other time. At least we were old enough to care for ourselves. It must be much harder for young children and their parents. Perhaps the biggest impact with getting diabetes in college is on relationships.
Here is my "fabulous" story :
I was in the last grade of high school and was preparing for university when i firstly diagnosed :)
My parents were shocked and even wanted to keep me from university at least for 1-2 years until I could be adapted to my “new diabetic lifestyle” reasoning it that university, new people, new life will make me much more stressed. But I didn’t listened to anyone thou to the fact that my A1C was >10.
I was 16 when I firstly introduced to 8 times insulin injections per day +daily exercises+ terrible diet+doctors+psychologist :)
Now i'm 23 years old with 4.3 A1C
Life is good :)
Relationships suffer, you get "Dr. Manhattan" syndrome for sure. I find relating to people to be very difficult. I had a heart attack 3 days after my diagnosis because i was so far into D.K.A.
After the heart attack i had to basically start my entire life over. Changing to diabetic/heart attack survivor lifestyle in 3 days changes reality. You better believe nothing in my life is even remotely the same or comparable to before the t1 and heart attack. That being said, all the changes are ultimately very positive and beneficial ones.
My point? Having your sense of invincibility torn away in a second and realizing that living is almost 100% chance and luck and randomness can seriously warp your sense of reality (After being told the coma/D.K.A story they give to every type 1, i even debated if my diagnosis and life was real or if i was in an imaginary world because i was actually at home in a coma.)
Wrapping your head around what has happened to you takes time to digest. Unfortunately, during that "digestion", i feel most late onset type 1 people suffer in their personal relationships. It is hard to turn to your best friend, who has always "gotten you" since you met and have them "not get it" It makes you angry, depressed, resentful, spiteful and most importantly, it makes you feel alone. For this reason i lost many friends after my diagnosis, it still pains me greatly to think about it. However, type 1 makes you feel pain very often and although it may sound harsh, you will learn to deal with it. I spent my first 3 months crying and hating everything. Now i love my type 1 and would never leave home without it. This disease pushes even the strongest to their limits, it sucks, but hey, i'm happy i learned how to deal with life's relentless punches while in college as it makes my path in life very clear and distinct.
I was 19, and transferring from a two year school to a four year college. I was losing weight and since I am already very thin, the Drs thought it was just stress. I wasn't eating barely anything at this point. I just wanted to drink!! Soda, milk, Kool Aid.....you name it! After being sent for blood work by my rheumatologist, I received a phone call the next day (Saturday). My sugar was 900 so they told me to go the the ER. The rest is history...
I finished the semester but I didn't transfer to the new college until a year later. (Mostly due to reasons that had nothing to do with my diagnosis.) I was nervous about going away (30 mins, not too far!) but in the end, I am so glad I did.