<p>Are there any parents of T1 diabetics who would like to share particular challenges/successes of college? If your kids went somewhere other than your home city, I'd love to hear how it went.</p>
<p>Thanks.</p>
<p>Mine went to school 1200 miles away, but in a city known for good medical care. She was an athlete, too. Team and school were very good seeing she got what she needed. She also studied abroad in 2 different countries. PM for more info if you like.</p>
<p>My D that has type 1 is a freshman very far from home. Before she left we got the name of a very good endo near her school, and we met with her during move in. It is reassuring to my D to have a doctor close that is her doctor. It has been somewhat of a challenge with the school, but nothing she hasn’t been able to overcome. Feel free to pm me if you want more info. Our general feeling is we didn’t want diabetes to limit her in any way, so we did not let this sway her college decision. I guess it really depends on your child. As long as they make good decisions and take good care of their needs, distance doesn’t really matter.</p>
<p>gloworm,</p>
<p>Was she really good with self care at home? Is she a “go getter” extrovert? (Sounds like she is if she’s an athlete) Is she on a pump? Were there any scary moments in college (extreme lows)?</p>
<p>Thanks.</p>
<p>I have to leave shortly and will not be able to respond until late tonight. I’ll send you a PM.</p>
<p>She is not on the pump.</p>
<p>Even though you asked glowworm, I will answer also. My d is on a pump (omnipod), as well as Cgm (continuous glucose monitoring). I am a strong proponent of Cgm. An alarm goes off if she goes too high or low. This is especially reassuring in the middle of the night. My D is extremely conscientious about her bs levels. Her endo claims she is her most knowledgeable patient. It helps that she does not drink. This as worked well for her, as her sorority needs a sober person at every party, so she always volunteers, lol. In terms of scary moments, there have been a couple, just like at home. She tends to have some wild bs swings. Luckily she realizes the seriousness of type 1. I guess this really depends on your child. It was definitely scarier for me to send her far away than her older sibling.</p>
<p>dumbo,</p>
<p>Thank-you so much for your response. My son, 14, is also on the Omnipod and we have just made the decision to do the CGM. We weren’t sure we could swing it financially but they have a deal going on right now. </p>
<p>I think you’re right in that the CGM will be very reassuring. My son also has had wild swings and we’ve had to use Glucagon once. :-(</p>
<p>We have just assumed that he would need to stay in town for college because we still do a lot of the care. But, a lot can change in 3 years. We are hoping he takes more ownership as he gets older. Being that we homeschool, it’s been too easy for me to nag him to do follow up care when he’s high or low. He is getting better, though. He does realize the seriousness of it as we do know someone who died of T1. (We don’t know the details but I suspect a low that was never treated)</p>
<p>The scary thing is not feeling the lows but with a cgm, that will help. He’s not sure he wants to wear it all the time but if he went away to college, I would greatly encourage him.</p>
<p>Oh, and getting a reference from our endo would be a great idea. He seems to know a lot of people around the country, so that’s a good sign, I think.</p>
<p>Thanks again. You’ve given me some things to consider.</p>
<p>Not a parent of a diabetic, but D1’s best friend at college (they are seniors) is from a state pretty far away, and he has done just fine. But he is extremely on top of his diabetes (and was even as a freshman) and manages it just about as well as one could manage it. </p>
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<p>MUCH can change in 3 years, you are right. I think it would be sad if a student stayed in town for college for the reason that he had not yet taken over his own care from his parents. I bet he is more than capable, and within 3 years will make you very proud and more confident in his safety away from the nest. Well, as confident as any parent can be-even those of non diabetics have legitimate concerns for the well being of any child who leaves the nest for college. It’s a somewhat scary proposition regardless of the student’s issues.</p>
<p>When my daughter was 14, it was still amazing that she could get on a school bus and go on a field trip on her own. She is independent with her diabetes care, and although she is only an hour away from home, she could easily by anywhere. Many changes will happen in the next few years, on his end and on yours.</p>
<p>She did not have a good experience with the cgm, and some things about the cgm would make me nervous. She would not rely on it for safety, but for control, I think. Calibrating it and inserting it would be tough on her schedule and she figures she will try it again after college.</p>
<p>She has had a pump for many, many years.</p>
<p>This daughter has a few other major health issues so I don’t even think about her type 1 much, since it is a given. That said, I try not to think about her “wild swings” at night before I go to bed. At this point, she never tells me her blood sugars, but I do help her get up at 1am, by phone, if she takes meds that make her drowsy. Somewhere inside, I am always relieved to hear from her because that means she made it through the night (not always conscious, and I don’t dwell, but it’s there).</p>
<p>You can keep in touch about blood sugars anyway, with various technologies available these days, if that was needed.</p>
<p>Nrdsb4: no offense, but your comment definitely would seem to come from someone who doesn’t know the daily fears of having a kid whose disease- and medication- bring danger all the time. I have other kids, so I know what you are trying to say, but the difference in degree of worry is huge. I have worked hard for the detachment that I have, and my daughter has worked hard for her self-care. Please don’t take offense: many people don’t understand the intensity of caring for this disease. (Studies have shown that it can take 6 hours of work a day to take proper care of type 1. )</p>
<p>By the way, I recommend getting accommodations with College Board so that your child can take the meter, insulin and snacks in with him, and have breaks to take care of things.
Once at college, register with the disabilities office for the same reason, as well as the possibility of a single room if desired, breaks during exams, and excused absences or lateness if appropriate. My daughter had a low her first week and couldn’t walk across campus for awhile, and was late to a class; the following week her pump blocked, she got really high, was vomiting, and missed class. Her other health issues are actually more of a problem, but type 1 does raise these issues.</p>
<p>compmom,</p>
<p>I can’t tell you how much your post meant to me. I, too, have other children and my diabetic (who, like your D, has many other issues besides diabetes) is the most work for sure.</p>
<p>My dh is a driver and on his route, he delivers a number of diabetic supplies to both adults and children. He always remembers to share the encouraging stories of people in their 60s who’ve had it for many years. It counteracts the bad days, I think.</p>
<p>I have just begun to consider contacting college board to begin the process. My son also has some vision and learning issues and I think he should be able to get accomodations. I’m going to give him his first practice SAT I and SAT II (Lit) at home this spring as a dry run so we can both see how he fares with a 1 hour and a 3 1/2 hour test.</p>
<p>Your point about the cgm is definitely worth noting. My son wore one for a week and really liked it (though we became a bit obsessive) but he also had concerns about too many holes in his body. He’s been meaning to take a pump break since Christmas but the pump is just so convenient.</p>
<p>Yes, T1 is weird. It looks so “normal” on the outside. People forget that, without insulin, a person will die within a pretty short amount of time. With a surge of insulin, without treatment, a person could also die in a diabetic coma.</p>
<p>We’re <strong>sooo</strong> grateful for technology! It’s hard to believe a couple of generations ago, the life expectancy was under 30 for a T1.</p>
<p>Thanks for the encouragement. We don’t want to operate in fear.</p>
<p>My type 1 son went to college 7 hours away from home. He got his routine medical care during breaks and vacations and didn’t need to see an endo while at school. He had a dorm fridge in his room for drinks and food and his insulin. </p>
<p>I guess I would disagree with the previous poster about requesting a single room at college. For me, it was a relief that my son had a roommate so if something went wrong there would be another person around to notice! His diabetes educator told us that he shouldn’t have a single for that very reason.</p>
<p>My son did request accommodations for testing in high school, but didn’t really need to use it. At least he was covered if anything had come up, and wouldn’t run into difficulties if he needed to test his blood sugar during the exam.</p>
<p>He is on a pump and recently got a CGM which he uses periodically.</p>
<p>Now he is in grad school, 12 hours away, and completely on his own. I have to admit that I do worry about him.</p>
<p>Yes, I think we would want him to have a roommate. We always tell him he should marry a nurse. (or a doctor) :-)</p>
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<p>No offense taken at all. I certainly acknowledge that I don’t know what it’s like to have a child with T1 diabetes, though as a nurse I do have a general idea of the implications of such a condition. I do, however, have a child with a condition which could be fatal, and it scares the hell out of me. However, I don’t want to fall into the trap of thinking I must keep her close because I’m not willing to surrender oversight to her as she becomes an adult. I’m not there yet, and I don’t know that I will be…I may end up succumbing to the notion of keeping her basically “in town” in order to maintain a constant oversight, but a part of me will be very sad if that happens…so to that degree I do understand very well.</p>
<p>Forgot to mention that D1’s best friend does not have a pump. Nor does her other best friend, a student at a different college who has not managed her T1 diabetes as well as best friend because she drinks more frequently than she should with this condition.</p>
<p>Nrdsb4, then you do understand. You never know what others are dealing with, do you? I hope your family is doing well in light of these worries.</p>
<p>For the college decision, my daughter looked at schools very far away, and an hour away, and I tried my darndest to fele/communicate as much enthusiasm for all of them, and I think I did. I left the decision entirely up to her.</p>
<p>There are arguments both ways for the single room versus roommate, which is why I wrote “option.” As I said, my daughter has other health issues, like sbjdorlo’s. A regular schedule (she leaves social events and goes to bed earlier than others, has trouble sleeping in)and the ability to have quiet are high on her list, but she is very sociable too. But the main thing was that she gets up 1-2 times/night and didn’t want to bother the roommate, I think.</p>
<p>First year she had a single, in a hall where everyone had a single, and there was a common room. Second year, own room in a suite with 4 others. Not great for her. Third year, shares a 3 room suite with one roommate, and they each have their own room. That is perfect. But…if her door is shut and she doesn’t come out, I don’t think anyone would do anything like open the door and check on her. That is how she wants it and she is almost 22 now.</p>
<p>So yeah, I understand the impulse toward sharing a room. The day she has a significant other I will feel a lot safer!</p>
<p>ps to sbjdorlo: This thread touched on some fears that might be under the surface, but I want to retrace steps a little here and reassure you that everything will work out, and once they are young adults they really do tend to take care of things. It can be fairly comfortable for us parents, honest. When my daughter was 14 or 15, I started reading some accounts of kids with type 1 at college (two twins, can’t remember names, wrote a book on this) and couldn’t imagine it. By the time it happened, it really was fine. So take heart!</p>
<p>My roommate in college 30’yrs ago was t1 diabetic. She was very careful with her care, and a studious person. Still , we were freshmen, and she did do some drinking a few times, which led to emergency room visits. My point is that I think it’s important to have a roommate, and there were a few times when I checked on her during the night. Her folks were about an hour away. She is now in her late 50’s and extremely healthy and successful.</p>
<p>I’ll admit that even with a roommate, I worried about my son. As parents of a diabetic know, when your kid is very low, they can get very very argumentative and even violent–insisting nothing is wrong when you, the parent, know full well that something is very very wrong.</p>
<p>I can’t imagine a roommate being able to stand up to my son and insist that he drink some juice ASAP. As a matter of fact, it was only after seeing the doctor that I realized I should have given him glucagon and not just juice, although he was so combative that I don’t think I would have been able to.</p>
<p>Do not have a diabetic kid - but DH is a 30+ year T1 diabetic. We went to college together several decades ago, in the days of NPH insulin, and before the advent of pumps. My words of advice are make sure DC explains to a few friends what an insulin reaction looks like. There is a tendency to not want help and keep everything private. But a few good friends are key to staying out of the ER for the sneak up on you reactions, and for being supportive about resisting peer pressure to drink.</p>
<p>Also - make sure roomates and friends either carry sugar tabs or gel - or know where DC keeps a stash. I remember running in a panic between the cafe and the library to get DH a Coke because he fell asleep in the libarary and missed dinner. Things are actually easier these days with the new insulins. And if it gives some comfort DH went onto med school, residency, etc. and it all worked out OK.</p>
<p>I understand the fear and concern. My dear niece has been T1 since she was a baby. </p>
<p>She’s a frosh in college (commuting) and that’s because she hasn’t ever really taken total responsibility. She has a pump, but takes it off when she shouldn’t because she doesn’t like the bump it makes in clothes. She eats all the wrong things and just thinks insulin will correct it. Last year she left her insulin in a hot car and still used it and nearly died. :(</p>
<p>She wanted to go away to school, but her parents just couldn’t trust her because SHE hadn’t shown them that she could be trusted.</p>
<p>If over the next couple of years, your child can demonstrate whatever is needed for you to have some sense of confidence that he can go away, it may all work out.</p>
<p>I totally understand that while being home-schooled, you are helping manage the whole thing. My Bro and SIL feel the same way.</p>
<p>While it may sound like I’m bashing my dear niece, I must say that she’s the sweetest, kindest girl. I think she just resents that her siblings don’t have to deal with this.</p>
<p>I’m guessing that you’ve discusses all of this with your child and how you fear that some things will “fall thru the cracks” and due dilligence will flounder?</p>