
5 Steps for Managing Diabetes on Campus
Tips for making college a safe and healthy home away from home
Well before you get to college, find a diabetes care team near campus. Your current pediatrician or endocrinologist may know of nearby doctors, nurses, and diabetes educators. Or reach out to your local American Diabetes Association office for referrals, says Paul Madden, MEd, the Associations director of type1 and type2 diabetes programs.
Plan to get to know the folks at your campus health centerand make sure they get to know you, Madden says. Students, not their parents, should call ahead of their move to introduce themselves as someone with diabetes. Then, within a couple days of school starting, visit the health center and share information about your diabetes, such as medication and insulin dosages, and perhaps bring backup insulin vials or pens to store there. This serves two purposes, Madden says: If you run low on insulin in your dorm room, it may be easier to walk to the health center than get to a pharmacy. It also makes you a familiar face with your care team on campus.
The people you live withroommates, resident advisers, and resident directorsshould know you have diabetes, says Christina Roth, CEO and founder of the College Diabetes Network, an online and in-person network of college students and alumni with diabetes.
Its wise to teach your roommates to administer glucagon in an emergency. Alternatively, Madden suggests telling them, If I cant safely drink something sweetnot alcohol!please call the health center or 911. Help them understand (and remember) by printing and distributing diabetes
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