Back to School!

Ah! September is here! Back to school, back to the books, and if you've got diabetes, there are a few more things on the to-do list to think about.

TEACHERS:

If you haven't already had a teacher ask you to put your "pager" away, then don't be surprised if it happens. Insulin pumps make plenty of noises like a phone or pager and look awfully similar, too. In some ways, it's nice, because people will assume it's a pager and not ask lots of questions. Unfortunately, your teacher might think you're playing around with your pager when you're actually trying to take care of your health.

Some teens have reported have teachers try to grab the pump right out of their pockets! Ah!

So how do you prevent this kind of mess? At the beginning of the year, inform each of your teachers that you have diabetes and what you need them to understand so that you can take care of yourself best. If you want to do this through a letter that you write up with your parents, that'd be a great idea so that everything is written clearly and on record for your teacher.

Your list might include:

• Teaching them the signs of LOW and HIGH blood sugars and how they can help you during either situation.

• Permission to eat a snack during class whenever you're low.

• Permission to change your tubing or give yourself an injection during class.
  

• Permission to get up and get a drink of water or use the bathroom during class (if you're high).

VERY IMPORTANT: The 504 plan -- which can, for example, give you permission to retake a test if you're high or low during the original exam time. Read about this in Svati's post HERE.

STUDENTS:
A huge reason why anyone in your class may use mean humor to talk to you about your diabetes or your special priviledges or your medical equipment, is because they do not understand. When we don't understand things, we tend to be afraid of it or at the very least, very very uncomfortable.

Educate your friends and your peers. Teach them about your diabetes. You could even ask your teacher if you could give a presentation during science class.

The more my friends learned about diabetes during junior high and high school, they more supportive they were about the disease. They gave me high-fives when I checked my blood sugar and even counted carbs sometimes just to learn more about nutrition. Either way, it's a big part of my life, so if I want to include my friends in my life and really let them get to know me as well as I know them, I've got to include them in my diabetes life, too.


OTHER SCHOOL STUFF:
--Back-up supplies. Bring a small box of extra syringes, pen needles, pump supplies, alcohol swabs and (in the refrigerator) insulin for you. You need to have quick access to any of these things in case something goes awry in the middle of the day when your parents might be at work and you can't get home to fix your pump or get more syringes.

--Glucose tabs. Ask your teacher to store some in her desk for you. Keep some in your cubby or locker.