Hey anyone have any good tips for helping your T1D manage at college? We are really struggling
@Leigh193,
There are many sources full of tips for managing diabetes while at college.
There are a few “strings” on here discussing that topic and there is information and links on the:
- JDRF Site [JDRF.org] ;
- There is an organization devoted to college life while living with diabetes that has Chapters at many colleges. [https://collegediabetesnetwork.org/];
- The American Diabetes Association [diabetes.org] has guides and information for college students.
1 Like
I lived at home while going to college, and that worked well for me. I didn’t have much of a social life though. I honestly don’t think I would have finished school (Electrical Engineering) if I hadn’t had the love and support from my Mom and Dad.
The stress and crazy hours were what drove me nuts in college. Diabetes acts like a stress amplifier. You start to experience a little stress, your BG’s get out of control, you feel like crap but just push yourself to keep going, your body makes you more stressed out, and it’s a vicious cycle.
I would always catch some virus or cold near the end of each semester when I was working long hours in the labs trying to complete projects, and study for finals. After finals week was over, I literally felt like someone had beaten the crap out of me.
If you can find ways to help your kid manage their stress, and maintain a healthy (carb-counted) diet, that will be helpful.
You can also take a semester or two off to get things back under control if it comes to that. Most colleges allow for such leaves of absence if you have medical issues.
What are you struggling with?
I went to college and lived in the dorm. So food and eating at meal time etc was not a problem.
But when I was in college I have no idea what my control was really like because it was before blood testers and all that. I took one doese of NPH per day and that’s it. I rarely did urine testing. I got my BS taken once every 6 months when I went to the Dr.
While all the new stuff I guess makes life better due to better control, but it sure does add a lot extra baggage to worry and think about.
College is time to get out and learn to live on your own and make mistakes along the way. (S)he’s gonna have to learn how to live alone at some point.
I hope I’m not minimizing your problems/concerns.
2 Likes