Episode 53: Managing T1D in College

For many young adults, college is a rite of passage. Four years to look forward to—and, for many students, their first taste of freedom and living away from their parents and families. But for young adults managing T1D in college, it's a daunting challenge of “how do I stay safe and healthy with my diabetes while I’m by myself? How do I manage this in such a new environment?”

More...

In this episode we talk about these aspects of managing T1D in college:

Having your own space in a dorm or apartment
What you're going to eat
Coming up with an exercise plan
Avoiding the "Freshman Fifteen"
Attending class
A quick primer on managing your emotions
What a typical day looked like for Colleen
Things Colleen would do differently if she was a student now (minus COVID)

Wins & Fails

Jessie's Win: Montana State University, Jessie's dream school, sent her the Leader's Edge application, which means she may have early admission!

Colleen's Fail: This is a throwback fail to my college days: not having a CGM at all, but especially when exercising. I had to rely on my physical sensations to tell if I was low or high and correct the lows with sometimes multiple packets of fruit snacks.

Hack of the Week

Jessie found a phone-based glucose monitor called Dario. You can find the Dario Glucose kit on Amazon. The kit turns your phone into a glucometer.

College is a rite of passage. But for type 1 diabetics, college can be a daunting challenge. Learn how to stay safe managing type 1 diabetes in college.

Diabetes Spotlight

The spotlight this week is on President Trump’s executive order that he says will reduce the price of insulin to pennies a day. Trump signed the order on July 24th, and it also covered the rising cost of injectable epinephrine. As of this recording, we’re not sure how the savings will get passed to the patients, but it’s a huge step in the right direction to make insulin truly affordable for all.

Question for You!

How did you manage your diabetes in college? What were your big struggles and what were some bright spots? If you’re going into college, how do you plan to manage it?