Life’s a bit strange these days. Some days feel the same, some days don’t. These past 6 months have felt like one long day on repeat: Wake up. Check my blood glucose. Bolus. Eat. Do one activity or another that won’t take much time but in reality it lasts hours. Another glucose check. Another bolus. Another meal. Another activity. Go to bed. Repeat. That’s what life has been like since COVID-19 began. However, my days before COVID-19 were much different.
Before the pandemic hit, I was attending the University of California, Davis. As one of the top schools in the country for Agriculture and Veterinary Sciences, I found myself in a world of opportunities. Right off the bat, I created the College Diabetes Network chapter at UCD. With over 100 chapters across the country, it has been a real privilege to be the president of one. While it is another thing added into my day, it’s not something I tire of. As a college student, my time is spent in the library studying or in lecture halls learning. As a diabetic, my time is spent keeping track of how much of my supplies are left and making sure I’m checking my blood glucose and staying on top of my bolusing. Sounds simple enough right? Super easy… not.
When put together, the two fill my time from the moment I wake up to the moment I fall asleep. If I’m not on top of it, the two together, not to be dramatic, are chaotic.
A day in the life of a diabetic college student is not easy, but doable with the right planning and balance. I usually wake up 3 hours before my first class. The first thing I would do is check my blood glucose, and accordingly bolus for a correction (if needed) and for the food. I’ll eat my breakfast with a cup of coffee, and yes, I am one of those people who cannot function without coffee. *insert crying emoji* This is a different problem that needs to be tackled in another time. I’ll review some material before class and then get ready. If there’s one thing I could change about myself, it would not be my diabetes, but my inability to ever be on time. Usually I’m rushing to get out the door and catch my bus. If I'm absolutely late, you’ll catch me panting and rushing on my bike that always needs air in it’s tires. I’ll check in with my blood sugar again in my lecture because I’m always paranoid of going low in class. After class is over, I’ll move onto the next class or if i;m done for the day, I’ll go to the Philz by campus and study there until dark. However, I am human and will work on more than just school work. I babysit a little diabetic girl and sometimes check in with her mom. Being president of the CDN chapter in Davis, I am checking in with our Instagram page and email for any updates/questions as well as talking to other officer leaders. With the pandemic, we have been trying to figure out new ways to interact. This has probably been the hardest challenge we have faced but are working and learning everyday. My day comes to an end when I leave Philz to go home for dinner. I come back to my place, check, bolus, cook and then eat. I’ll end the night with some netflix and sleep. Pump changes usually happen at night before bed, but if I’m really tired sometimes I’ll fall asleep to only be awakened by the sound of my pump’s alarm notifying me to change. On rare occasions, I’ll change it in the morning before I leave for my class. However, as the quarter goes on and I get busy, there will come times where I’ll run out of insulin during school. If I have time to spare, I’ll rush home to change my insulin cartridge and come back to campus. I have that privilege but there has been a time where I had to wait for a long while before going home. Living on my own and going to university has truly taught me the importance of my time and how to accordingly plan my diabetes needs, as it can affect my education and health. This situation was a struggle during my first quarter, but three quarters in and I’ve gotten a handle on it.
The only upside for my diabetes in this pandemic is that I am always surrounded by my insulin and supplies. However, I am constantly reminding myself to understand these privileges and not let it affect me too much. Once the real world comes back to life, I want to be able to not fall back into bad habits and am constantly working on it. These days it’s all ZOOM meetings, phone calls, emails, and online submissions but it won’t last forever. My day hasn't changed much, everything is just inside now. When I do go outside, it is with all precautions but I cannot wait for the day where I can take my diabetes with me out into the world again and the days feel different again.
Life’s a bit strange these days.
