Student Shares Her Battle With Type 1 Diabetes

When Sydney Smith woke up this morning, her mind immediately went to her blood sugar. She grabbed her insulin pump and looked at the growing screen, the number appearing forewarning whether she would have a great or a difficult day, at least when it comes to her Type 1 Diabetes. 

November is Diabetes Awareness Month. Type 1 Diabetes is a chronic disease that requires immense care and provision for the diabetic. 

According to the CDC, Type 1 Diabetes is thought to be caused by genetics or exposure to certain environmental viruses. This chronic health condition happens when the beta cells of the body are attacked and, therefore, can no longer produce insulin. 

Smith, a junior at Liberty University, has had Type 1 diabetes for the past 13 years and was first diagnosed when she was 7 years old. Smith describes her journey as “a process” and has experienced growth and victories despite the many hardships dealt.

“There’s things that everyone has to worry about, and then there’s diabetes things that we have to worry about: The blood sugar all the time, bolusing,  what am I going to eat,” Smith said.

Smith’s daily routine consists of constantly monitoring her blood sugar levels, “bolusing ” by taking insulin 15 minutes before each meal, and calculations based on what she eats. She uses a Continuous Glucose Monitor that checks her blood sugar every five minutes. 

Calculations, time measurements, and intentionality go into this process of taking insulin. This is done with Smith’s insulin pump through a technology called Control IQ which sends a signal by the CGM to inject insulin.

When Smith’s blood sugar is low, she must consume fast-acting sugar, coming from foods like smarties, fruit snacks, or juice. When her blood sugar is high, she must take an insulin correction.

But living with Type 1 Diabetes is a lot more than the daily tasks it takes to manage the disease.

“It’s more of a mental burden than a physical burden,” Smith said.

Smith can feel when her blood sugars go high or low and they can quite literally stop her in her tracks.

“I get really dizzy. I feel like a bobble head. I feel like I can’t keep my head up,” Smith said. 

Smith will sometimes have to excuse herself from activities or go back to her room to rest if her blood sugars are high or low. Extremely low or high blood sugars can result in seizure or coma.

Because of the role food and carbohydrates play on her blood sugars, the choices she makes at meal times dictate how she feels the rest of the day, which can add guilt for eating food with high sugar content. 

“Some days, I don’t even want to eat,” Smith said. “When I go to the Rot and look at everything they have, I am like, ‘That’s going to make me high. That’s going to make me sick. That’s going to make me not feel good.’”

Smith has found encouragement through a group of diabetic students on Liberty’s campus that get together and understand the daily trials of the disease. Managing Type 1 Diabetes while also managing extracurriculars, college life, can be exhausting without an encouraging community. 

Smith has found victory by not letting Type 1 Diabetes inhibit her from doing anything that she is capable of doing.

“Use it as a blessing and a lesson to help you get through life. Use it as a reason to love yourself.” Smith said.

Smith also started a social media page that seeks to inform, learn and appreciate the support from the online diabetes community. 

This Diabetes Awareness Month, Smith encourages people to ask questions and hopes others will gain a greater understanding for people with Type 1 Diabetes.

“If you have a friend who is diabetic, sometimes you just need to give them a minute,” Smith said. “It’s a busy life. We do need a second. We are thinking about so much.”

Smith’s diabetic Instagram blog can be found @justalittlesweeter.

Brookelynn Dinkler is a Feature Reporter.

Jacqueline Hale is the Feature Editor. Follow her on Twitter at @HaleJacquelineR.