Our son will be going to college next year and also wants to play baseball. We are concerned about him being alone and low blood sugar, especially at night. Does anyone have any suggestions, help, or ideas?
Talk to his roommate(s) about his Diabetes and how to use a glucagon and the signs of hypoglycemia. Other than that, he's in college and should be able to take good enough care of himself, right?
I was diagnosed freshman year of college so I was indeed alone in the treatment, but I was also in college and expected to be able to take care of myself. My roommate and his girlfriend had a diabetic friend when they were in high school so they knew how to use a glucagon which was nice, but they never needed to thankfully because I kept everything under control.
My sister and I are both Type 1's. She goes to college and lives 400 miles away. Granted I have better A1c's than she does, she still takes care of herself and has friends and a supportive boyfriend who know enough about it. I'm not sure how far away your son is going to college, but I bet if you let him assume full responsibility for his diabetes and take care of himself, you will be pleasantly surprised in the results.
Unless he doesn't take care of himself at all presently, I'm sure he will be fine. Does he have good control? If the answer is yes, then you can assume that his responsibility will carry over to when he doesn't have mom and dad around 24/7.
This wasn't meant to sound cynical, rude, or anything I just know that some parents can be overbearing and worried about things when they realize they won't have full control over their kids. Take this as an opportunity for your son, your hubby, and yourself to all mature together with his diabetes. He needs to be able to take care of himself as moms and dads are not always going to be there.
Like Pat said I would recommend he explains his situation to his roommate, and trains him what to do in an emergency. My roommate had no problem with it, and I doubt his will. If it was in issue I'm sure he could easily switch rooms to find a more willing roommate
Many colleges have health team members who know something about diabetes, so there may be someone he can access if he is far from home. I would advise making sure there is food constantly available (such as explaining to a roommate that food in his closet is off limits in case of low sugars). As a backup many colleges have vending machines operating 24/7. Another alternative is to relax control during the night hours if this is a special concern.
I'm a sophmore in college now and I've always told my roommate about diabetes and what to do if I have a problem. I've also let my close friends know too because my roommate goes home a lot. One thing that I have done is either eat breakfast with one of my friends each day or text them when I get up. If I don't come to breakfast or text them by a specific time they know to tell the RA or the building director.
Thank you for all the helpful replies.
There is a company in Walnut Creek, CA that may have an interesting solution for your concern...
http://www.dogs4diabetics.com/index.html