The COVID-19 pandemic has thrown so many new obstacles at all of us. In a previous blog, we shared updates regarding CIM programming in the pandemic and tips on staying happy and healthy while social distancing. Since more time has passed, in this blog, we’re exploring how diabetes has affected experiences in the pandemic and also how the pandemic affects life with diabetes.
I was inspired to write this post after I felt panicked one day because I went low while riding the city bus. It was at a time when very few people had been vaccinated and the bus was extremely crowded. I was wearing not one, but two masks, and the idea of taking both off even for a few seconds to quickly pop some glucose tabs sent me spinning. Delaying treating my low blood sugar felt dangerous, but so did taking off my mask! Of course, my dropping BG didn’t help clarify my judgment.
The low-on-the-bus fiasco felt so unique to living with diabetes during a pandemic, it had me wondering what other experiences the T1D community was having during these “unprecedented times”. So I asked y’all on Instagram!
Eleanor on a walk, July 2020
Like me, Shannon shared a similar experience with a low BG while out during the pandemic: “I have definitely waited to get to my car to treat a low while grocery shopping as I wasn’t sure how clean my hands would be and didn’t want them touching the dex going into my mouth!”. It’s hard to remember to carry everything now–hand sanitizer plus masks, glucose, glucometer, phone…brb, getting a bigger bag.
Another big change in diabetes management during the COVID-19 pandemic was the switch to virtual endocrinology appointments. Everything has its pros and cons, and accordingly, there were some mixed opinions about telehealth.
Kira says, “I actually kind of like telephone endo visits…less anxiety about appointments!”. Being able to zoom in to appointments from the comfort of your own home can be so helpful for calming nerves! Alternatively, another community member shared that while work from home has generally made them blossom, this didn’t translate to telehealth and they hate their virtual appointments. Rachael was somewhere in between these two opinions: “I both like and dislike my telehealth endo appointments…I love not paying for parking or having to take time out of my day to go to the hospital for it, but I also feel like I get a better quality appointment in person. For example, I’m a little nervous about the fact my feet haven’t been checked in about 2 years.” It is definitely difficult to replace the physical exam aspect of endocrinology appointments with telehealth.
Rachael also talked about how living with T1D affects risks associated with the COVID-19 virus: “I think living with diabetes has made me more anxious about the virus in general than most people I know because I know that there is the potential for much larger consequences for me if I contract it. With the ICUs full…even something generally survivable like DKA could be more fatal than normal, which scares me too. I’m more vigilant about distancing and masking than most people around me too.” I related to this sentiment–the pandemic made me realize that I’m used to thinking about my health more than most of my friends that do not live with a chronic illness.
While the possibility of contracting COVID-19 as a person with diabetes is really scary, community members diagnosed with T1D during the pandemic shared that spending more time at home made the adjustment easier. Marley said, “I think it would have been more overwhelming needing to adjust to new diet habits and injecting insulin while still commuting to work and being busier.”
Those that have been living with diabetes since before the pandemic also agreed that working from home gave them time and space to focus on managing their blood sugars. And Lo said that the pandemic is all they’ve ever known as a T1D, making it hard to draw any comparisons!
Left: Marley in the hospital being diagnosed, Right: Marley posing with a T1D Warrior bag
Finally, Michel shared: “I miss my in-person time with the T1D community.” We couldn’t agree more and can’t wait to adventure again together soon! Until then, we will continue connecting online and at virtual slipstreams 🙂
