I don’t even know where to start! Its being a crazy month. Meeting new friends, starting my first job and attending lectures. (In that order!)
Moving in
Moving to uni is one of the scariest things I have done in my life - a different type of scary to hospital appointments, travelling Europe and public speaking! ;) After packing my tiny Citroen C1 and my mums massive car to the brim (something my mum was delighted about after complaining about all my stuff in the spare room!) Esther, my sister, and I finally set off! We headed across during the day to set up my room whilst my mum and dad were to join us later as my dad was working. Driving down the motorway to Hull in the mist of our rave and excitement I joked to Esther, ‘I hope I haven't forgotten anything!’ Carrying on driving, laughing and joking I stopped.
‘Oh no!’
‘Whats wrong?!’
‘You know i told you i’d had nightmares about forgetting my Insulin… I forgot my Insulin’
*cue phone call to the parents*
Reckitt D
Meeting my flatmates was a lovely experience, apart from a few we had all been chatting on a group chat through Facebook getting to know each other in anticipation for uni to start. After a brief unpacking and saying goodbye to my parents and sister we sat in the kitchen to get to know each other. After circle time, ‘Hi I'm Lydia and I'm from Doncaster’ everyone was chatting like we’d been friends for months.
‘Is that an Omnipod?’
*cue head swivel and cartoon jaw drop*
I turned around to my flatmate Jasmine.
‘Yeah?!’
‘My sisters Type 1 Diabetic and has an Omnipod aswell!’
Its amazing how in a completely new situation, with thousands of people, someone understands your condition. My biggest fear, even though I talk to people about it all the time, was telling my flatmates about my Type 1. But by the end of the first night everyone else knew a lot more about my diabetes, after they all witnessed a slightly tipsy cannula change in the nightclub toilets, after it got knocked off. Classy.
Lectures and routine
Coming to uni has been a completely different routine for me and as a result this has effected my diabetes management horrendously. At home during Sixth Form I had a set routine everyday.
Wake up at 6
Sixth Form for 8
Break at 11
Lunch at 12:40
Gym at 6
Dinner at 8
Bed at 11
Skip forward to University and routine has run away with my liver. Working at a nightclub and going out meant that i was not going to bed until around 4 and waking up around 10. Thats fine, I survived on not much sleep during A Levels. But with ever changing lecture times, often running over lunchtime and doing sports on an evening, I struggled to test my sugars on a regular basis. I felt constantly exhausted. No matter how hard I tried to find a routine, with constant dashing around and with freshers being full of last minute plans, I just couldn't find one. When I did manage to test It would be during lectures when I would have terrible lows of 2.2 and be on the edge of passing out. (Don’t ever tell me Type 1 Diabetes is not serious.) Now Im using a cgm to try and find a routine (and going to bed at a sensible time!)- something I hope will start to fall into place.
Asylum
Asylum is the university night club at Hull and freshers week was crazy! I got my first job in the nightclub as an Ents Assistant and I couldn't have asked for a better job. Ive met so many people on campus and in the nightclub and I work with some lovely people. Theres never a dull moment! I went to lots of the freshers events such as the ‘Back to School Disco’ which was packed and was a great night out - which lead to maybe some not that great decisions such as liquid chalking part of my hair pink! Other events I worked in Box Office selling tickets or in the cloakroom. Although I was working I met so many nice (although slightly intoxicated people!) and got to know the bouncers who were really scary ;) (cant ruin their reputation!). My bosses have been really good with my Type 1 Diabetes allowing me to take a break whenever I need to check my blood sugars and correct them if they are too high or too low.
Pulling with a pod
Ok so this is a weird one…
Remember my blog post about being chatted up in Salzburg by my pump…It happened again!
HAHAHAHAHAHA HELP!
Dancing on the dance floor in Asylum a guy I was chatting too asked what was on my arm,
’Im Type 1 Diabetic and Its my insulin pump’
I wasn't going to lie to him I have nothing to be ashamed of. Anyway, he was drunk, I was tipsy and he was trying to find a common ground, ’I had the meningitis jab’ he said. Bless him - how cute ahaha.
Working on the tills you also get lots of ‘happy’ people asking about it. Some of the remarks;
‘I hope your arm gets better’
‘Ah my sisters got Type 1’
‘Is it a radio?’
‘You’re sweet enough already' (YUCK)
So after a whirlwind month of fun, freshers and finding my feet Im excited for the rest of the year!…Apart from the exams!
Lots of love, The Backpacker and the Pod xxx
