College

I get a little overwhelmed thinking back on how much was going on before I went to college. I had been living with diabetuss for about 2 months before I left for school. TWO MONTHS!! That is so absurd I'm not sure how I did it. And I wasn't going to school down the street, I was attending James Madison University... a 600 mile hop-skip-and-a-jump away from home. I honestly don't remember thinking much about whether or not I would still go to JMU, just thinking more along the lines of being really scared. There were certainly 'if' thoughts rolling around though. The final decision was indeed to buck up and go out to Virginia to begin my college career!

A typical college freshman has a lot to think about. A college freshman 600 miles from home and relearning how to live with diabetes has juuust a couple extra things to think about. I had to make sure there was a pharmacy nearby where I could refill and pick up my prescriptions (whew, CVS down the road... that I rode my bike to from my dorm), had to schedule classes that followed my medicine's schedule (a little bit more difficult). The insulin I was taking when I first started the diabetes regimen was the 'you-have-to-eat-lunch-4-hours-after-you-take-it' insulin, so I had to work around that. When I think back to my first semester and my class/food schedule, I almost have to laugh... then give myself a high five. James Madison's campus is huge. I had a class that let out at probably 11:50 or so, and it was at the tippy top of campus. Then I had to make it to just about the bottom of campus for a 12:00 class. And somehow I had to eat. Let me tell you, the first 10 minutes my 12:00 math class involved brow-wiping and heavy breathing. Oh, and sandwich eating. What I would have to do is use one of my meal plan "punches" (I can't even think of a synonym... ticket maybe?) the night before and get a to-go sandwich, and bring that with me for those sweaty/breathey math class days. After a couple weeks of being late to class, I went to Walmart and bought a bike. That made my downhill trek much faster (going from the bottom of campus back up turned my freshman quadriceps to STEEL!).

So the insulin timing with food and class and all that junk is one thing. Then there's that whole "you're in college, let's get drunk!" business. First of all, I never drank in high-school so it wasn't something I did to begin with. My lettuce-recommending-parents weren't strict about drinking and things like that (but weren't willy-nilly either, in their defense), so I wasn't aching to rebel and drink my face off the first chance I got. Also, there was that whole diabetes thing, remember? I forgot too. Binge drinking is dangerous for anyone. Binge drinking for somebody with diabetes is even more dangerous because (and I remember a nurse telling me this and I haven't forgotten it since) if my blood sugar dipped low enough that I passed out, an untrained/unaware eye would think, "Oh she's just passed out drunk" when in fact it was diabetic shock. RUH ROH. That is bad news bears. So, freshman year I think I might've had three drinks... total. In 180 days. I was petrified to drink anything. I thank my stars and garters that my angel of a roommate was in the same non-drinking boat as I was. We had the best year together just staying low key. As a matter of fact, we continued to live together for all 4 years of college! Love you, Hutch. :) I went out to a few parties and if I said I didn't drink, I would occasionally get asked why, and as soon as I said that I was diabetic, the response was usually, "Oh, ok cool!" No problems there.

After getting used to my body, how it worked with diabetes, and what I could and couldn't (and did and didn't want to) handle, I learned how to drink safely. Alcohol lowers your blood sugar, so having a snack before and/or during drinks is crucial. And never getting to the oh-so-dangerous black-out point. Even without diabetes, I would never choose to do that. I don't like the feeling of not being in control of my own body. My good ole motto of "everything in moderation" rears its head again! For college students who are newly diagnosed, or high school students who haven't gotten to college yet... my advice is just to be careful, be safe, and make sure you have a friend around who knows your dealio. I have to admit that sometimes it just felt annoying and a little nerdy to have to do those things... but if push had come to shove, it would've saved my life, and could save yours.

BULLET POINT: Drinking is allowed, but be smart and safe (that goes for everyone, really)!