>> All right, so now I'm going to be speaking about equipping yourself for Success.
And really we're going to talk a little bit about just getting prepared and being prepared
for going away to school or whatever that looks like for you this year.
We're going to talk a little bit about communicating about diabetes,
both with your parents or caregivers and also with friends
and new people that you'll meet at college.
Touch on sick days a little bit more.
Mention of drinking and diabetes.
Some information about classes and accommodations.
And then a little bit about mental health.
So one of the most important things, as you probably already know, right, is being prepared.
So we want you to create a plan for your supplies.
What supplies do you need to manage your diabetes?
Where do those come from now?
Who pays for them?
Who makes sure that they're coming?
When should you expect them?
Are they shipped to your local address?
Will you be able to pick them up on times when you're home from break,
or will you need to arrange for those supplies to be delivered
for you while you're away at school?
You know, think about those things and collaborate with your family
or whoever has been helping you obtain those supplies in the past,
to make sure that you have a plan and that it's a clear plan of who's going
to order those things and what will happen.
As important as it is to have the original plan,
it's also super important to have that backup plan, right.
What happens when the shipment is delayed?
Or you and mom or dad didn't communicate
and no one ordered the supplies, or something like that?
So make a backup plan.
You know, it's a great idea if you're on a pump to have a long acting insulin.
To make sure that you have plenty of your rapid acting insulin to put into your into your pump.
Also, maybe have an extra glucometer at school, just one that you only leave maybe
in your dorm room or always carry with you.
But it's always a great idea to have those supplies just
in case that plan A doesn't work out.
Also, it's important to think about where you're going to store the supplies.
So things that need to be refrigerated --
like your extra supply of insulin or other diabetes supplies.
How are you going to accommodate those?
If you have a refrigerator in your dorm room, it's always a good idea to sort
of get a feel for how that refrigerator works.
Sometimes those smaller fridges or ones
that are maybe a little bit older can get really cold and could freeze your insulin.
So you just want to make sure that you're leaving it in a safe place.
When and where will you dispose of sharps, right?
Make sure that you have a sharps container and a plan for getting rid of those sharps.
That will keep everyone safe who comes into your room or your area.
Also make sure you have a medical alert bracelet or a necklace.
For many people, this didn't seem as important when you were always around people who knew you.
But often going off to college or moving out into the working world means that you're
around people who don't know you as well, or that you're coming and going a little bit more.
So it's important to have a medical alert bracelet or necklace that's clearly identifiable
by emergency personnel in case something would happen.
Also, it's important to keep your contact information and sick day guidance.
So contact information for your clinic, your pharmacy, maybe your pump
or other diabetes product supplier ready so that you can find it.
And then also keep your sick day guidance at hand, right.
So that you can refer to that when you need to.
And another way to be prepared is to schedule your appointments in advance.
So with our clinic, we allow you to schedule appointments up to a year in advance.
And that can be really nice to take advantage of those college breaks.
One positive part about all the changes that are going on right now are that we now have virtual
or telehealth visits, where we can see you over the phone or through video.
We still want to see you at least a few times a year in person.
But often you can maybe space out your visits a little bit easier or complete those visits
from home, now that we can offer these virtual appointments.
In your packet of information that will come when we mail it to you is going
to be this emergency care plan that you can fill out with your information.
And just store it somewhere safe or store it where your roommate can find it.
This has your insulin doses on it, or you can put your insulin doses on it.
You can also check the form of glucagon that you're using,
indicate where that glucagon is kept, and then put your emergency contact information on it.
On the back side, it has our sick day plan and also a place to just put
in a little bit more information.
So kind of going along with being prepared is gathering supplies and thinking
about what do you need to take with you to school.
So obviously, you need the things that you use day-to-day.
Your insulin, your needles or your pen needles or syringes
or your insulin pump, your CGM supplies.
Those are all kind of obvious.
But you also want to make sure that you have plenty of low treatment supplies.
So glucose tabs or gel icing and glucagon for those really severe lows.
And then also other things that you can use to treat like juice boxes or fruit cracker,
sports drinks, those kinds of things.
Like Cassie mentioned, sometimes it's easy for these things to disappear in a dorm room.
So sometimes a surefire way to always have a low treatment around is to use glucose tabs, right,
because they're a little less appealing to your roommates, who might be hungry
and looking for something to eat.
You also might want to keep some things on hand for if you're having higher blood sugar.
So some water bottles or tea or fresh veggies that you can kind
of snack on that are lower in carbs.
Also having your sick day supplies.
So having sick day guidelines.
And some people find that it's helpful to store those in a container with like regular soda
or fluids that contain carbs, as well as your ketone strips.
So it's like a sick day kit that you can access when you need it.
And then also just keep some snacks and food options in your room
for when you're hungry in general.
I did want to mention when we were talking about low treatments
that there are now multiple glucagon options available.
You may be most familiar with the glucagon emergency kit,
which is down the first one on the lower left.
That has been the most used option in the past.
But now there's a G-VOC pre-mixed injectable.
So that glucagon doesn't require that you mix it.
There's not that step of having to dissolve the pill and then draw it up.
It's ready to go.
And it comes in either a pre-filled syringe
or this hypo pen that's pictured here, that works much like an EpiPen.
So no one would ever see the needle.
They just pull off the red cap and push the yellow end on to administer the glucagon.
So it just makes it a lot easier.
There's not kind of the fumbling with the glucagon that there has been in the past.
And then Baqsimi is also a nasal powder glucagon that can be given to raise the blood sugar.
And it works just as well as the other glucagons.
This form requires that you -- it requires no mixing.
There's no needle.
Super easy for someone and way less intimidating to do in an emergency.
So each form works the same way with the same speed.
And then also think about who might need to give you glucagon in an emergency, right.
And train those people on how to give it and where you keep that medication,
so that they would be able to access it easily in an emergency.
And then talk them through the steps that they would need
to call 9-1-1 if they need to use that.
Each product has videos and training materials on the Internet.
Or we'd be happy to talk to you about that when you come in for your clinic visit.
We also want to talk about communication.
So you need to set expectations about sharing information and also know how
to share information with those who need it.
So are you generating diabetes data?
Almost everyone is at this point, right.
If you're using a glucometer or a CGM or a pump,
you are creating information about your blood sugars.
Now is a great time to think about who you want to share it with
and how you want to share that information.
And if you're sharing it with them, how and when you want
to communicate with them about diabetes.
When do you want mom or dad to text?
When should they call you?
When is that okay and when is it not?
It's a great thing to kind of establish before you're getting mad at your parents for,
you know, nagging at you about your blood sugar all the time.
College Diabetes Network has some information about this.
You know, it's kind of like contracting, right.
So as the student, you would agree to do these things -- wear medical ID, you know,
take care of yourself in certain ways.
And as the caregivers, then they would promise not to maybe, you know,
get mad when you have a number that's out of range or something like that.
And then, you know, figuring out what can be said, who's going to bring those things up,
and when you're going to talk about it is a great idea.
Another part of communicating is sharing information with others --
so your roommates or friends that you're going to meet.
What diabetes information will you share?
What do they need to know and what do you want them to know?
You know, good things to talk about are what is type 1 diabetes; what does it mean for you;
what happens if your blood sugar is high; what happens if it's low; what might they need to do
to help you; and what are other things that they can consider;
or what are other things you want them to know.
So sharing this information with your friends, your roommates, RAs, that can be really helpful.
And then how do you want this information to be used?
You know, making sure that you're clear about that, too.
So some tips for when you're having the talk is --
you know, for some people humor is a great way to diffuse tension.
So use your humor or whatever works for you.
Make sure you feel comfortable and confident about the information that you're sharing.
You know, this is your information to share and share it in the way that you want to.
I think starting simple and adding details from there can be really helpful
for friends, so that they're not overwhelmed.
And you don't have to tell them everything all at one time,
just the most important information.
So for sick days, we talked about that sick day kit
and keeping your sick day plan on hand at all times.
That sick day guidance is going to be in the mailing that we send to you.
You also may want to know the location of the closest emergency department,
just in case you become ill and need to seek treatment.
And then when you're sick, you want to check your blood sugars frequently,
drink plenty of fluids, and ensure that you're given insulin.
I think the biggest thing with sick day, right, is if you are not feeling well,
don't just check your blood sugar.
Make sure you're always checking ketones with that.
Because a normal blood sugar alone doesn't mean that things are in the clear.
So go ahead and follow the sick day plan.
If you're ever in doubt, you know, we are still here 24 hours a day to answer those questions
to help you get through sick day management.
We've talked a little bit about sick day supplies.
So something that has carbs, you know, things that are easy on the stomach.
So crackers, broths, things that will keep well in a dorm room are nice to have around.
Cassie already touched a little bit on drinking and diabetes.
And like she said, we in no way are condoning the consumption
of alcohol by people who are underage.
But we do know there are opportunities that present themselves at college.
So if you choose to drink, you need to understand how to do so safely.
So one important thing to know is that having a low blood sugar
and being intoxicated can look similar.
And so letting your friends know, hey, if I'm not acting like myself please, you know,
ask me if I should check my blood sugar, or help me, you know, get some food,
something to help bring my blood sugar up.
And also having been consuming alcohol can reduce your ability to tell when you're low
or to thoroughly think through how to treat a low.
So just be aware if your decision-making is inhibited, that you've kind of had a plan
in place for someone to help you take care of yourself.
So tips to stay safe.
So preventing hypoglycemia.
Knowing that you're going to need extra snacks or possibly a reduction
in insulin doses if you're drinking.
We want you to check your blood sugar frequently if you choose to drink.
So you can use your CGM as a tool, but also have your glucometer available in case you need it.
Know that those lows can last well into the next day.
So, you know, be checking your blood sugar more closely.
And like Cassie said, perhaps set an alarm if you need to get
up to check your blood sugar in the middle of the night.
Or alert someone to help you with that.
We want you to wear that diabetes identification at all times, especially when you're drinking.
Letting your friends know and having someone who's looking out for you
and then also having plenty of low treatment on hand.
And another thing to think about when you're going away to college is registering
with your campus disability resource or academic achievement office.
That's why we provide the disability paperwork to you so that you can give it to them.
This paperwork is really important and registering
with the office can be important to do ahead of time.
So you want to do this before your classes start.
You know, just registering with them doesn't mean that you will ever have to use your plan.
But in case you are having a sick day on a day of a test, or your blood sugar is out of range
and your performance is going to be affected, you want to have this paperwork on file
with the disability office so that you have the protections that you deserve,
so that you can perform as well as you need to in your classes.
Things that you may also want to think about are technology alarms.
So will your CGM or your pump be beeping?
How will they handle your cell phone if that's your CGM receiver?
You're probably familiar with these things from your high school tests as well.
You also want to have the ability to check your blood sugar during lectures, or to have carbs
or water during those lecture times.
Also, taking exams, right.
So having those accommodations around when you wouldn't need to take an exam
because your blood sugar is out of range.
And then if you're sick, to be able to reschedule those.
And then mental health.
So we know that college is a super exciting time.
But all of these changes and especially with everything that's going on and the way
that everything looks different right now can increase stress, anxiety,
and can really impact your mental health.
We know almost everyone with diabetes would benefit from speaking
to a counselor at some point in their lifetime.
And so we want to encourage you to seek support as needed from your parents,
from on campus resources, friends, or your diabetes provider.
All right, are there any questions?
I'm going to go ahead and go on to the next slide, but feel free to either interrupt me
or to chat questions if you need to.
So just wanted to promote the use of My Chart.
So it's a great way to stay connected with your healthcare team,
even if you're further away or not at home any longer.
So My Chart gives you instant access to your medical information.
You can sign up for My Chart at uwhealthmychart.org,
or call the My Chart help desk at the toll-free number shown here.
So 877-768-0732.
And they can help you get connected with My Chart.