Type 1 On Campus

It’s finals week. I’ve completed all of my assignments, studied the materials over and over again, quizzed myself with flashcards, and prepared for hours on end. Now it’s time to walk through the doors, take a seat, and start on the big test. I’m more than prepared; however, my blood sugar is not. I get an alert on my phone that’s telling me that the reading on my continuous glucose monitor, the thing that tracks my glucose, is 249. Great.

Since I’m stressed about my exam, my blood sugar goes high, which leads to a second problem: I can’t think. My eyes are reading the letters on the page but not seeing any of the words, and they’re not sending the message to my brain. I have to read the question four times just to process what it’s even asking.

I reach for my insulin, do an injection quickly, then get back to it.

Now, I’m a little over halfway through the test. I’m feeling confident, and I think I’m doing good, then out of nowhere, I start getting dizzy. Oh no. This isn’t happening. I quickly reach for a snack because now my blood sugar’s low. This is embarrassing.

One thing that isn’t talked about enough is how blood sugar responds to stress. Or how high blood sugars cause more stress. If I don’t get my sugars down, my A1C will be high. If my A1C is high, my doctor will look at me like I have no clue what I’m doing. The truth is, I don’t. I’m still learning.

“Change your diet.” Done. “Exercise more.” Checked off the list. “Change your insulin dose.” Mark that one off, too. I’ve tried everything. Why will my blood sugar not go down?

One word: Stress.

This one word is a common feeling. Everybody experiences it. Everybody knows what it is. Except not everybody knows how diabetes adds another layer. You’ve got the highs that aren’t accounted for, the fear of going low at random times, and excessive tiredness and brain fog. Now, I have to work even harder to manage this problem.

The most important thing to do in stressful times as a type 1 diabetic is to prepare. “Always be prepared.” My mom has told me this countless times while growing up since I was diagnosed. “You never know when something could go wrong. It’s better to overpack supplies than to not have something when you need it.” It’s engraved in my brain to always be prepared.

Here’s how I prepare:

• Pack extra needles and insulin pens when going anywhere. And I mean EXTRA. Like a handful. Or more.
• Bring snacks. Get the carbs, but get the protein, too.
• Refill prescriptions, even if there are still two pens left.
• Set reminders. To take insulin. To check blood sugar. Reminders are our friends.

Another stressor is the whole studying thing. Forgetting to eat or take insulin because you haven’t realized how much time has passed while studying. Wondering whether the foggy brain is because you’re tired or because your sugar is high. Not being able to sit because “I’ve been sitting for soooo longgggg,” when actually, it’s because your sugar is low. Studying is stressful, not because you’re studying, but because you’re studying and trying to take care of yourself at the same time.

What I’ve learned from this experience is that you. Have. To. Take. Care. Of. Yourself. Don’t be afraid to give the teacher a heads-up before test day. Tell them you might have to leave for a second to correct a high. You might have to break out a snack or two to fix a low.

And that’s okay. It’s okay to realize that the exam is not more important than your health. To realize that you’re doing two tests: the one that’s a big stack of papers loaded with questions in front of you, and the one that your pancreas already failed. Being kind to yourself and taking care of yourself is the best thing you can do in a stressful time, so put in your best effort, and hopefully you’ll ace both of those tests.

(P.S. Here are some resources I found helpful: Top Tips for College and T1D Management and How to Manage Stress with Type 1 Diabetes (Backed by Research))