The sudden and rapid weight loss had frightened Rachel Hatch@@http://directory.uoregon.edu/telecom/directory.jsp?p=findpeople%2Ffind_results&m=student&d=person&b=name&s=Rachel+Hatch@@, but she didn’t know what to make of it. At 90 pounds and constantly plagued by inconsolable hunger and thirst, she tried to tough it out.
Then a change in vision occurred practically overnight. Everything became a total blur. Her logical response was simply to get an eye exam, as it seemed excessive to consult a physician.
“One day, I just didn’t get out of bed at all,” @@is that a weird thing to do?@@said Hatch, a University junior who at the time of the event was a freshman. “My roommate called the RA, and they walked me to the local urgent care. The staff diagnosed me at first glance and had me spend a weekend in the (Intensive Care Unit.)”
Hatch is one of more than 25 million Americans affected by diabetes.@@http://www.diabetes.org/diabetes-basics/diabetes-statistics/@@ Only 5 percent of those affected are, like Hatch, Type-1 diabetic, and of that group, only half are diagnosed after adolescence@@http://www.diabetes.org/diabetes-basics/type-1/@@. What happened to Hatch two years ago occurs in roughly one of 250 people.@@I CAN’T DO THIS KIND OF MATH.@@
“There’s no good time to be diagnosed, but the earlier it happens, the better you can adjust,” Hatch said. “I know I’ll get to a point where it’s all second nature, but it’s still really hard.”
To raise awareness about this disease and provide solidarity among its sufferers, Hatch and other students have formed a local chapter of the national group, “Students with Diabetes,” appropriately retitled “Ducks with Diabetes.”@@http://www.facebook.com/groups/uodiabetics/@@
Type-1, or juvenile diabetes, is triggered by an autoimmune response that stops the pancreas from producing insulin, the chemical responsible for regulating blood sugar. Type-1 diabetics are totally dependent on external insulin. Type-2 or adult-onset diabetics usually still make some insulin, but the body is resistant to its proper use.
A diabetic’s responsibilities include maintaining an assisted supply of insulin and testing blood sugar levels 4-6 times a day. A high enough reading results in a dose. Factors such as exercise and other psychologically stressful stimuli can also disrupt appropriate levels, and the consequences of this can easily be a constant state of alert.
Fortunately, the stereotypical tools of a vial and hypodermic needle are quickly becoming a thing of the past. With the advent of a portable electronic insulin pump, the disease can be regulated using infusion therapy, where doses are delivered through an IV-like tube.
Denise Crowder, another member of Duck with Diabetes, tries to take the challenge with a grain of salt.@@http://www.facebook.com/shortyyy@@
“That’s what makes it so much fun — accounting for all the variables,” Crowder said, who was diagnosed at the age of four but has kept an upbeat attitude.@@yeah, diabetes is soo much fun@@
Her mother initially performed her injections until she began the task herself at the age of seven. By 12, she had acquired a pump. Crowder feels that she has had a long time to normalize her behavior around the disease.
“There are a lot of misconceptions about diabetes. People always ask me, ‘are you sure you want to have that piece of cake?’ I can eat sugar. I just have to take insulin to cover it.”
One of the goals that pushed the formation of a group for diabetic students like Hatch and Crowder was to have an unspoken common understanding of this lifetime complication. Students have created a social setting in which they don’t have to dwell on the explanation and treatment of their condition.
Ducks with Diabetes is currently planning a potluck dinner for the month of February and is looking forward to a series of celebrity visits by athletes and other competitive professionals who have overcome the obstacles of the disease. The purpose of all of this special attention, ironically, is for people to try to live normally.
The group plans to develop its momentum alongside this term’s introduction of a diabetes class for credit. University Health Center pharmacist Julie Dewsnup@@http://pages.uoregon.edu/uoshc/aboutus/staff/dewsnup.html@@ and colleague Dr. Vickie Skellcerf@@http://pages.uoregon.edu/uoshc/aboutus/staff/skellcerf.html@@ are the first instructors to teach such a course at the University in five years. FHS 199 “Special Study — Diabetes Management” @@https://duckweb.uoregon.edu/pls/prod/bwskfcls.P_GetCrse_Advanced@@is an instructor approval-required course for those diagnosed with diabetes, those who have an affected family member or those planning to enter the healthcare field.
“I don’t think most people understand how intense and potentially overwhelming it is to be a college student managing a chronic disease,” Dewsnup said. “They’re dealing with the absence of something that everybody else takes for granted. These students are all really amazing people.”