For many young adults, college is a rite of passage. Four years to look forward to—and, for many students, their first taste of freedom and living away from their parents and families. But for young adults managing T1D in college, it’s a daunting challenge of “how do I stay safe and healthy with my diabetes while I’m by myself? How do I manage this in such a new environment?”
In this episode we talk about these aspects of managing T1D in college:
- Having your own space in a dorm or apartment
- What you’re going to eat
- Coming up with an exercise plan
- Avoiding the “Freshman Fifteen”
- Attending class
- A quick primer on managing your emotions
- What a typical day looked like for Colleen
- Things Colleen would do differently if she was a student now (minus COVID)
Wins & Fails
Jessie’s Win: Montana State University, Jessie’s dream school, sent her the Leader’s Edge application, which means she may have early admission!
Colleen’s Fail: This is a throwback fail to my college days: not having a CGM at all, but especially when exercising. I had to rely on my physical sensations to tell if I was low or high and correct the lows with sometimes multiple packets of fruit snacks.
Tip of the Week
Jessie found a phone-based glucose monitor called Dario. You can find the Dario Glucose kit on Amazon. The kit turns your phone into a glucometer.
Diabetes Spotlight
The spotlight this week is on President Trump’s executive order that he says will reduce the price of insulin to pennies a day. Trump signed the order on July 24th, and it also covered the rising cost of injectable epinephrine. As of this recording, we’re not sure how the savings will get passed to the patients, but it’s a huge step in the right direction to make insulin truly affordable for all.
Now It's Your Turn...
How did you manage your diabetes in college? What were your big struggles and what were some bright spots? If you’re going into college, how do you plan to manage it?
Mentioned in This Episode
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Community & Social
- Join us in the Half-Dead Pancreas Club, our private Discord community for people with T1D.
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Credits
Our music is by Joseph McDade. Check out his website here!
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