Life with diabetes requires at least SOME routine....something that's really hard to have when you're in college! Everyday is different....classes get out early, friends want to eat earlier or later, things come up...I honestly don't know how I'd manage diabetes in college without a pump. Kudos for those that can! I'm going to give an example of my usual Tuesday/Thursday school day because that's about as routine as it gets for me!
6am- Test blood sugar. If it's high, correct!
8:30am- Get up, ready, test my blood sugar...and grab my coffee mug!
9:15am- Go to the dining hall with my friends. Usually I try to stick with an egg white omelet (YUM), toast, and fruit. I also really like Kashi Go Lean! Crunch, but I have the WORST time bolusing for that! No matter what I do, I skyrocket into the 300s and crash into the 60s hours later! UGH!
Oh, and I get my first cup of coffee for the day =]
10am- Go back to my room or to the library. I usually catch up on some studying....and facebook of course =]
11am- Test my blood sugar and correct if necessary.
11:45am- I head over to my 12pm class (Cell and Microbial Biology). On Thursdays, this class has a lab, which for some reason reeks havoc on my blood sugar. These labs don't allow for much time, so I get really stressed....and my blood sugar plummets, making me VERY cranky.
1pm- Test my blood sugar. If it's a Thursday and I'm in the low 100s, I'll usually have a couple glucose tabs to hold me over until lunch.
1:45pm- Lunch! I test my blood sugar again and make my way around the dining hall to find some food. I love the vegan station in my dining hall, so I usually get food from here! I try my best to correctly measure and count the carbs, but this can get pretty tricky without measuring cups and scales. Ugh.
2:30pm- Time to grab my next cup of coffee
3pm- Test my blood sugar....since I usually don't count my lunch carbs with complete accuracy, so this usually means a correction.
4pm-5:45pm- My next class!
5:45pm- Test my blood sugar and go to dinner. I make sure to bolus for about half the food I'm eating so I can go to the gym after dinner.
7:30pm- Test my blood sugar. I like it to be about 180- low 200s in order to do some cardio without crashing. At the end of my workout, I'm usually anywhere from 90-100. Wonderful!
10pm- Test my blood sugar and have a small snack (apple and peanut butter)
10:30pm- Shower. Every other day I change my pump site and insulin cartridge.
12am- Test my blood sugar before bed. My roomate and I like to watch a movie, or at least part of one while falling asleep...probably not the best habit. =]
So, that's the day in the life of one collegiate diabetic. Who knows what in store for my summer schedule. This year, I'm part time dietary aide at a retirement center/ part time landscape contractor assistant for my dad. Both require a lot of walking and lifting......thank God I have my Dexcom! He's working wonders and I feel so much safer! I'll continue to let everyone know how he's working out in the future!
Can't wait to see everyone's posts for Diabetes Blog Week! Happy Monday!
Karen, Thank you so much for posting this. It is soooo interesting to get a glimpse of managing D in college. I cannot even begin to wrap my brain around your different "routines" with classes etc and eating. That is alot to juggle.
ReplyDeleteHey...on the Kashi cereal have you tried a "super bolus" - I had heard about them a long time ago and recently read about it again on ThisIsCaleb...I have tried it with Joe and it works great. I bolus up front for breakfast and 2 hours worth of basal..you make sure to then turn off the basal for 2 hours since you just bolused for it up front. Joe spikes BIG TIME after breakfast and this has helped a ton...just a thought.
I am so glad you are loving the Dexcom...we are too!!! WAHOO for making our lives a little easier and for making us feel a little safer. Joe would say the same thing as you...makes him feel safe.
Thanks for sharing a glimpse into your collegiate life. I agree with Reyna about the super bolus. John Walsh of Pumping Insulin has written about it too, but Lorraine over at ThisIsCaleb broke it down. I do the same thing for breakfast for my G who is 7 and on a pump.
ReplyDeleteThanks for giving us a glimpse!
Thanks for the glimpse. It gives me a little one of what it might be like for my daughter someday.
ReplyDeleteI loved reading this post! I'm so proud of you for taking care of yourself.
ReplyDeleteJust yesterday, I saw a friend at church who has a diabetic son your age. He's not taking care of himself at all and was back in the hospital last week.
Those stories scare me because I don't want my son to do that!
You inspire me to believe that you can take care of your diabetes, despite the stress of college life.
Keep up the good work. You are worth it!!
Bravo! I just attended a workshop called "getting through the teen years" with a panal of 20 somethings telling what they felt and what life was like in their teens. But EVERY one said that college is when it all went to heck. Thank you for showing me there are exceptions to the rule...I hope my boys are on top of things like you!
ReplyDeleteTo be honest, when I was in college I pretty much ignored my diabetes. So I have a great respect for you working so hard to keep everything in order. And I'm with you on the Kashi - does the exact same thing to me every time.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comments and suggestions everyone!
ReplyDeleteI tried the super bolus today and it worked wonders! Thank you so so much!