A few weeks ago my sister called me and asked if I would be willing to help her with a project her group was assigned with for her classes in university. I, of course, told her I would help. Her group was doing a project on physical and mental disabilities that hinder learning in school, or something similar. Her group was assigned, wait for it. . . Diabetes. I am a type 1 Juvenile Diabetic. I have been since I was 4 years old. There is nothing to me that doesn't revolve around Diabetes. The sheer coincidence of this is astronomical.
Of course, I immediately got started working out a rough draft on the essay I was going to write on how my school life was effectively screwed up by diabetes. Within 2 weeks I had a 1500 word essay on the subject. But of course, I was stupid when I sent the email and immediately deleted the email after I 'sent' it, and deleted the video.
Within two days I hadn't heard from her so I asked her if she got the email. She didn't. So I got down to it and rewrote it. Didn't have time to do the video though. Called her, asked her if everything was alright.
ALL SHE WANTED WAS JOT NOTES.
So, being the dutiful brother I was, I revised the entire 600 word essay and did it in jot notes. 3 times I did that email. I hope she's happy. Anyways, I thought I'd take up some more space by posting the email here;
"When I first started school, I clearly remember people not understanding me when I said I was diabetic. They automatically assumed that because I was different, I was dangerous. So many of the other kids who didn't know any different avoided me or teased me. This could have been avoided much earlier by having the teachers prepare the students by explaining to them what Diabetes was.
When first starting school, having students tease me regularly made me feel horrible about myself. Diabetes was something that was out of my control. Having the teachers make me stand in front of the class to explain what was different about me usually had the effect of making me feel like I was less than the other students, or for lack of a better term- a "freak". I myself would have preferred if the teachers didn't tell the other students about my diabetes so directly and explained it to them in a better way.
When I was first starting school I had to use direct insulin injections with a syringe. I was a young child, it was hard for me to remember to do that when I was eager to go outdoors or to try and make friends. If I forgot, I was usually sick within a few hours. Having a teacher take a greater role in my diabetes management would have been a great help for this.
People also didn't understand diabetes in the school environment. Many of the teachers only had a passing understanding of diabetes. Several times I've had to fight to make my teachers understand when I was having an emergency with my blood sugars or my insulin pump. Substitute teachers especially. This could have been avoided very easily with some proper education. And usually, I did keep most of the problems away by being prepared. I kept a case or a small pack filled with sugar for low blood sugars, test strips, for checking my blood glucose when I felt sick or low, and usually ketone strips just in case of emergencies.
In school, there were many things that I needed to have, but didn't because of my own folly, or a collective mistake. Many times I got low on insulin while in the middle of class, and had to call for Mom to bring me another change of set for my pump to last the day. There should have been somewhere for me to store supplies that I know will be a safe place.
I am almost finished my last year of high school now, and there are still people who have known me for almost my entire school life, but don't know anything more than the bare basics of diabetes, if I had an attack in school, there would be very few people who would know what to do to help me.
My pump is normally attached to one of two areas in my body that i use regularly. My lower stomach and my upper hind thighs. So because of that, the tube from the reservoir for insulin in my pump is usually hanging around my thighs. It regularly gets hooked on desks or handles. In school where there are many objects that have the potential to hook onto my pump, I have to be careful all the time. On several circumstances I've had things or people hook and pull on my tube hard enough to pull off my site.
Also, with the changes in blood sugar I experience, I regularly feel my emotions changing rapidly, this makes it very hard for me to talk to people when I'm having problems with my sugar."
Of course, I immediately got started working out a rough draft on the essay I was going to write on how my school life was effectively screwed up by diabetes. Within 2 weeks I had a 1500 word essay on the subject. But of course, I was stupid when I sent the email and immediately deleted the email after I 'sent' it, and deleted the video.
Within two days I hadn't heard from her so I asked her if she got the email. She didn't. So I got down to it and rewrote it. Didn't have time to do the video though. Called her, asked her if everything was alright.
ALL SHE WANTED WAS JOT NOTES.
So, being the dutiful brother I was, I revised the entire 600 word essay and did it in jot notes. 3 times I did that email. I hope she's happy. Anyways, I thought I'd take up some more space by posting the email here;
"When I first started school, I clearly remember people not understanding me when I said I was diabetic. They automatically assumed that because I was different, I was dangerous. So many of the other kids who didn't know any different avoided me or teased me. This could have been avoided much earlier by having the teachers prepare the students by explaining to them what Diabetes was.
When first starting school, having students tease me regularly made me feel horrible about myself. Diabetes was something that was out of my control. Having the teachers make me stand in front of the class to explain what was different about me usually had the effect of making me feel like I was less than the other students, or for lack of a better term- a "freak". I myself would have preferred if the teachers didn't tell the other students about my diabetes so directly and explained it to them in a better way.
When I was first starting school I had to use direct insulin injections with a syringe. I was a young child, it was hard for me to remember to do that when I was eager to go outdoors or to try and make friends. If I forgot, I was usually sick within a few hours. Having a teacher take a greater role in my diabetes management would have been a great help for this.
People also didn't understand diabetes in the school environment. Many of the teachers only had a passing understanding of diabetes. Several times I've had to fight to make my teachers understand when I was having an emergency with my blood sugars or my insulin pump. Substitute teachers especially. This could have been avoided very easily with some proper education. And usually, I did keep most of the problems away by being prepared. I kept a case or a small pack filled with sugar for low blood sugars, test strips, for checking my blood glucose when I felt sick or low, and usually ketone strips just in case of emergencies.
In school, there were many things that I needed to have, but didn't because of my own folly, or a collective mistake. Many times I got low on insulin while in the middle of class, and had to call for Mom to bring me another change of set for my pump to last the day. There should have been somewhere for me to store supplies that I know will be a safe place.
I am almost finished my last year of high school now, and there are still people who have known me for almost my entire school life, but don't know anything more than the bare basics of diabetes, if I had an attack in school, there would be very few people who would know what to do to help me.
My pump is normally attached to one of two areas in my body that i use regularly. My lower stomach and my upper hind thighs. So because of that, the tube from the reservoir for insulin in my pump is usually hanging around my thighs. It regularly gets hooked on desks or handles. In school where there are many objects that have the potential to hook onto my pump, I have to be careful all the time. On several circumstances I've had things or people hook and pull on my tube hard enough to pull off my site.
Also, with the changes in blood sugar I experience, I regularly feel my emotions changing rapidly, this makes it very hard for me to talk to people when I'm having problems with my sugar."
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