Type 1 On Campus

BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.

Wake up, Lainee. It’s time to go to school. Except it’s still dark out. The sun isn’t coming in through the window, hitting me directly in the face, blinding me. What time is it?

Joke’s on me. It’s an hour before my alarm goes off. The “alarm” is actually my CGM telling me my blood sugar is low.

This is how my day has started more times than not this semester. Instead of going back to sleep for another hour (which I probably should do), I get up, get a snack, take a shower, and start getting my things gathered up to leave.

Fast forward – I’m in the car, all is good, and I’ve begun my two-hour drive to campus. Crap. I realize I forgot to pack a snack in case my sugar goes low again. I stop at a gas station. After waiting in the morning rush line at Brookfield Casey’s, I’m now ten minutes late. It’s okay, this is why you left early.

Hitting the road again. Finally, after listening to a whole Justin Timberlake album, I’ve made it to campus. I go inside, rush to class, listen to the lecture, then I’m back in the car. For another two hours.

Another album down (Nickelback this time – I have to stay awake), and I’m back at home. I go inside, sit there for ten minutes to regain some energy, then open my computer. 23 assignments are due this week. I start on one, then start to hear this angry, rumbling growl. What is that? It’s my stomach. I begin to make a meal. Wait! Insulin first. I take five minutes to give myself insulin, then scarf down a small meal. Now I’ve got thirty minutes to get homework done before I need to leave for work. And that’s being generous.

I start my homework, maybe get half of one or one short assignment done, then an alarm goes off. Time for work. Hurry up. I put my shoes on, grab my purse, and get on the road.

I work for about seven hours, maybe more, depending on the night, then head home. I get inside, open up my laptop, and begin an assignment.

Grrrrrr.

I suppose the ol’ stomach’s hungry again.

Take insulin. Make supper. Eat. I’m tired, now. Too late for coffee. Definitely too late for an energy drink. You’ll be up all night. Drink water. Do an assignment.

BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.

My blood sugar is now high. Why? I didn’t eat anything bad, so I guess I must’ve underestimated how much insulin my dose needed to be. I take more insulin.

Back on track. I resume my assignment that I started, and after three hours, I have four assignments crossed off the list. Not enough. I do one more. It’s 11:43 P.M. I can’t start another. I’ll be up all night.

Time to take a shower. Wind down.

Take my nighttime insulin. It burns. I can feel the liquid coursing through my blood, spreading the fire all around the area. You’re fine. You’ve got this. Deep breath in, deep breath out. All done. Time for bed.

This is a day in the life of a type 1 diabetic college student. This is a day in my life.

You see, my disease and I have a love-hate relationship. I hate my disease, but I’m extremely grateful for it. It has taught me so much, and it’s allowed me to spread awareness. It still aggravates me, though. The extra hour that I could’ve gotten sleep, but didn’t, aggravates me. Having to stop to eat or take insulin aggravates me. The thirty minutes to an hour of my day, maybe more, that I spend tending to it aggravates me. The stinging pain that courses through me when I take my shots aggravates me. I’ve learned to deal with it, no matter how aggravating it is, but you know what?

It’s worth it. It’s worth looking at the bright side of things. I am a college student. I have type 1 diabetes. I am proud to be able to say that I can do this, even though it’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done. I can crawl into bed at night knowing that maybe today wasn’t ideal, but I’ve got this.

And tomorrow, I’ll wake up and know that I can do it all again.

My used supplies after a month:

(P.S. Here are some resources I found helpful: 10 Foods That Help Keep Your Blood Sugar Stable All Day and 55 Best Foods for Diabetes, According to Registered Dietitians)