Anna Wurdeman, then 11 years old, was in the midst of getting ready for a family vacation when she started feeling sick.
"Even my teeth ached since my body was attacking them for energy. I was so dehydrated. I couldn't even read a book, even though I loved them. They took me to the ER and the blood sugar was too high for the meter to read," the sophomore speech pathology major said.
Every day since, Wurdeman has had to monitor her blood sugar around meal times and before she sleeps each night.
Wurdeman has Type 1 diabetes, a lifelong disease marked by high levels of glucose, or sugar, in the blood.
There are three types of diabetes: Type 1, Type 2 and gestational diabetes. Type 1 diabetes, usually diagnosed in childhood, occurs when the body makes little or no insulin. Type 2 diabetes, once called adult-onset diabetes, occurs when the pancreas does not make enough insulin to keep blood glucose levels normal. Gestational diabetes is high blood glucose that develops at any time during the pregnancy of a woman who does not have diabetes.
March 25 marks American Diabetes Association Alert Day, a one-day event encouraging people to take the Diabetes Risk Test.
Denise Amschler, professor of physiology and health science, said that diabetes is not a thing to be taken lightly. Since the 1960s, the percent of overweight children has doubled and now half of the diabetes cases diagnosed in children are Type 2, formerly known as adult-onset diabetes.
Key symptoms of Type 2 diabetes are fatigue, infections that don't heal and family history. The risk factors are age, sedentary lifestyle, ethnicity, gestational diabetes, family history and obesity, especially around the stomach area.
On the other hand, Type 1 diabetes stems from a genetic predisposition for the disease which is then triggered by a virus, Wurdeman said. Because Type 1 can be hereditary, her two younger brothers will get yearly checkups until they turn 18 to make sure they do not have the disease.
"It's manageable, but I wouldn't wish it on anybody," Wurdeman said. "It makes some things complicated. I did marching band in high school, and the weather affects your blood sugar, so I had to be careful."
Wurdeman uses a glucometer to regularly check her blood sugar, takes insulin shots daily and watches what she eats. Occasionally, she has to use more insulin if her blood sugar gets too high. If it gets too low, she will get pale and shaky and must eat sugar so she does not faint.
"It's a really bad feeling," Wurdeman said, describing when her blood sugar gets too low. "You hate the world and just want to lock yourself in a room with a box of juice."
Before coming to college, Wurdeman had her family to help monitor her health. The main difference now, she said, is that her family worries more. But Wurdeman said she has things under control.
Though it can be difficult, Amschler said students are not too negatively impacted when it comes to dining on campus.
"In the cafeterias, there are plenty of salads and healthy foods where you can cut fats and refined sugars if the desire is there," Amschler said. "You have to be mindful. Different individuals are going to vary. Balance is key."
Wurdeman understands that balance. When she was previously on a more limited eating plan, she had to cut carbohydrates. As a result, she switched from regular soda to Diet Coke.
Diabetes is a multi-organ disease, so if it is not taken care of properly, it can causes kidney failure, nerve damage or even damage to the eyes.
For diabetics, Amschler advised checking blood sugar often, including before and after exercise and not to skip meals.
For the general population, she suggested that the diabetic diet is certainly one to keep in mind.
"The diabetic diet is one of the healthiest," she said. "It's a balanced diet low in fat and refined sugar and would benefit everyone."
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