Diabetics in College???

Student Lounge College Life
1

I’m a type 1 diabetic (hope there’s a few others out there)

Any students, grads, or their parents, what have you observed about managing diabetes in college? I’m going to school across the country and am mainly concerned about medical resources on campus and meal plan structure and quality. The freshman 15’s not exactly good for diabetics… Most of my schools of interest seem to have decents standards of meal plans offered and on-campus medical care but you never know sometimes

2

Get to know your dining hall! A lot have the carbs posted either online or in the hall. Try to speak with the nutritionist if possible. Figure out where you can get cheese and vegetables. Be safe with what you’re eating – the freshman 15 isn’t good for anyone, and there’s no rule saying you have to gorge yourself on alcohol. If you have to walk very far across campus make sure you have carbs with you. Make sure your roommate has a basic understanding, and it’s not a bad idea to talk to the RA either. Ex. make sure your roommate’s not going to take your insulin out of the fridge or something. Someone should know how to administer glucagon. See if there’s a club on campus, some schools have them. Talk to your professors; probably nothing will happen, but it can’t hurt to let them know you might have to deal with lows and highs or whatever. Can’t hurt to register with the student disability/services office.

3

I’m not diabetic, but my cousin is type 1 and he seems to do fine. He always has healthy snacks on hand so that he doesn’t have to worry about being low. I don’t think he’s ever questioned medical care, although my concern would be that the nearest hospital is a half hour away - but that’s a concern whether someone is diabetic or not, lol.

4

I am a type 1. I agree with what rebeccar said. Here are some things I would also recommend:

  • The dining hall is all about making right choices, it's more self-control rather than the type of food.
  • Carb counting in the dining hall is ridiculously tedious, depending on how long you have diabetes it becomes more of guesstimating--though for drinks, especially non-diet, I really recommend looking up the carb counts even if you don't do it for the food.
  • Depending on the size of the campus, take the time to introduce yourself to the health center
  • You may want to set up either teleconferencing, or any other system of communication, with your endo. I have heard of some having an endo at home and then an endo in their college town, so that is also a possibility
  • Know where the closest ER, urgent care, and 24 hour pharmacy is
  • Register for disability services, not required but it helps. If a professor has an attendance policy it may help if you have more leeway. There are other reasons especially when lows and highs effect cognitive processes.

Other tips:

  • Bring your own mini-fridge, that way if your roommate does move out (for any reason) he does not take it with him--leaving you without a place to store your insulin.
  • Have a food stash and make sure that your roommate knows that it is off-limits because of your diabetes. I recommend quick acting, sodas/juice, and then a protein based snack.
  • If your roommate is willing, or just curious, train them or let them know it is okay to ask questions. My freshman year roommate learned more as time went along. On move-in day, keep it short and sweet as to not overwhelm them; I would just start with describing what a low looks like, what to do if I am low and am acting funny, and that you have food just for blood sugar and that you would appreciate if they did not eat it
  • If you don't have an insulin pump or CGM, it may be something to look into if you can afford it. It makes managing diabetes way easier in college.
  • Keep quick acting carbs in your bag at all times.
  • Please make sure you are ALWAYS wearing a medical alert tag/bracelet/necklace!!
5

Thanks! I sure hope I can get back on CGM before freshman year, I wish there would be an all-in-one pump/CGMS already :frowning:

6

I would also post in the parent’s forum. This question comes up a lot and there has been good posts in that forum.

I believe that someone mentioned that they make small refrigerators just large enough to refrigerate and secure your medicines.