By Katie Potzick
With finals fast approaching, University of Louisville students may be experiencing their fair share of headaches before Winter Break.
But for student Austen Heuser, who is diabetic, what starts as a headache could be an indication of something much worse.
According to Heuser, when her blood sugar gets too low a number of symptoms will begin to crop up, including light-headedness, feeling weak, and difficulty speaking.
“I may begin to slur my speech, I may try to say one thing and have it come out as something completely illogical, and in rare cases I have passed out due to low blood sugars,” said Heuser, a junior sports administration major.
Diabetes, a metabolic disorder that is characterized by resistance to insulin, insufficient production of insulin, or both, is something that Heuser has experienced since the age of nine. She is among many diabetics who face a roller coaster ride of maintaining their blood sugar levels.
However, what may seem like a daunting task is made easier by tools such as a bolus which, according to Heuser, is a dosage of insulin taken specifically for the purpose of lowering a high blood sugar or to counteract carbohydrates eaten at any given meal.
According to Dr. Sathya Krishnasamy, board certified in Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, many of the products that Austen uses, such as the bolus, are new advancements.
“A lot of progress has been made since the discovery of insulin in the 1920s,” said Krishnasamy. “Over the last eighty years medicine has made leaps and bounds. There are new medications, synthetic insulins and a variety of insulin delivery systems.”
With November being Diabetes Awareness Month, doctors like Krishnasamy feel the need to raise awareness in a state that has a high number of individuals with both Type 1 and 2 diabetes.
“If students have a family history of diabetes or are obese then getting a blood test is a good idea,” said Krishnasamy. “Also, changing diet and exercise habits will help, [and] avoid the vending machines.”
For students who have diabetes, according to its director Karen Newton, Campus Health offers behavior and nutritional coaching for students including physicians and nurses to help with health care. She also recommends other Campus Health services such as cooking and nutrition classes, walking groups, yoga and massage.
