Dreaming of a life without sugar
Campus Times
March 5, 2004
Whitney Wickham, a ULV student double majoring in music and theater, is
a type one diabetic. She was diagnosed last summer and tests her blood twice
daily. If her blood sugar levels are not monitored and regulated, the consequences
could result in a diabetic coma or even death.
The pen only makes a clicking sound as it punches the needle into Whitney
Wickham’s finger. She twitches in a short shock of pain, but this kind
of pain is already routine to the 19-year old University of La Verne sophomore
as Wickham has to endure it twice a day. A thick drop of blood swells out of
her finger. Into this drop, Wickham puts a little stripe, which she then sticks
into a pocket-computer. After a countdown of five seconds, the number 97 appears
on the LCD-screen.
Relieved, Wickham puts the computer back into her bag and continues studying
just like nothing happened.
Wickham was diagnosed diabetic in the summer of 1999. Her doctors diagnosed
hypoglycemia, a simple lack of blood sugar.
But since this summer, Wickham knows that her body does not produce insulin
in proper amounts, a hormone that converts and regulates sugar into energy and
Wickham is in danger of high and low blood sugar.
This is why she has to run the painful test routine twice a day, sometimes
even more often.
“I hate it, I despise that machine,” she said. “When I am taking
a shower or when I am washing my hands very long, you can see all those little
marks all over my fingers where I poked myself.”
The test shows her the scale of her blood sugar. A normal person operates
on a healthy blood sugar scale from 60 to 95, whereas Wickham normal numbers
lie between 90 and 110.
“But at least I am lucky and don’t have to take insulin,” the
double major in music and theater said.”I just have to be careful about
what I eat.”
If Wickham does not take care of her blood sugar, she runs the danger to fall
into a diabetic coma, which could end in death.
“That happens with extreme highs or lows of 400 plus or under 40,”
she said. “I’ve never been to that point, but I’ve been close.”
To keep her blood sugar in healthy range, Wickham has to watch very carefully
what she eats.
Glucose, sugar or carbs, like in pasta, white bread, juice or any kind of
candy, can kick her numbers up, whereas avoiding carbs and eating too much proteins,
like in meat, could lower her blood sugar into dangerous areas.
“I have to counteract one with the other,” Wickham said. “But
if I eat one candy bar, I would have to eat a 12 ounce steak afterwards to balance
my sugar.”
And she is not alone with that problem at ULV.
“On an average, we see one or two students a year and assist them with
managing their diabetes,” said Cynthia Denne, director of the health center.
“I am sure that there are others who choose to continue under the care
of their private physicians,” she said.
Especially those diabetic students who live on campus face tough challenges
every day at ULV. “I have a hard time finding anything
I could eat at Davenport,” Wickham said. “So I end up eating what
I shouldn’t eat, mainly dishes with too many carbs. I have to eat a lot
of protein snacks after meals and I hate those.”
Director of Dining Services Aaron Neilson does not agree.
“We offer a good variety of options for carb-conscious students,”
he said. “Those students can eat a burger without the bun from the grill,
salad from our salad bar or cheese from our deli bar.”
The University also plans to offer the help of a registered dietician. More
information on students’ nutrition are available online at http://dining.ulv.edu.
Asked about what kind of healthy food she likes, Wickham has to think for
a long time. “That is a hard question,” she said. “I haven’t
had something good and healthy in a long time.”
In addition to the food services, ULV offers physical support at the Student
Health Center and emotional support at the Counseling Center.
Another challenge, the diabetics have to face is their fellow students and
the faculty’s reaction on the disease.
“It is really embarrassing to test my sugar in the classroom,” Wickham
said. “People freak out, they either gaggle around me or show their disgust.
One of my teachers interviewed me for half an hour why somebody of my age has
to do things like that.”
She advises students to treat her and other diabetics on campus like everybody
else.
“Continue what you are doing. I can handle it myself unless it is a major
emergency,” Wickham said.
In case of one of those emergencies, the needs help. She gets shaky, disoriented,
sweaty and irritable, her heartbeat raises, she starts passing away and she
gets what she calls the ‘get-out-of-my-face-syndrome’ where she will
not accept any help. “In this case, ask me what I need, find my computer
and test my blood sugar,” she said. “If it is low, I need juice and
if it is high, nuts or peanut butter.”
According to Denne, a diabetes diagnosis is often delayed, because some of
the symptoms seem harmless. She lists frequent urination, excessive thirst or
hunger, unusual weight lost, increased fatigue, irritability and a blurry vision
as the first signs of the disease. Information on diabetes, including a diabetes
risk test are also available online at http://www.diabetes.org.
“The best we can do for our family members or friends that have diabetes
is to become educated about the disease and to offer support and understanding,”
Denne said.
Even facing the struggle with her blood sugar, Wickham is happy that the disease
does not keep her from exercising, she just has to check her blood sugar afterwards.
“I am fine if I take care of myself,” the former figure skater said.
“It’s all about knowing your body, so you can do what everybody else
can.”
