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SBU | Wellness > Health

Winter Break: T1D edition

Jordan Swift Student Contributor, St. Bonaventure University
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at SBU chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.

As winter break was coming to an end, I discovered that I was dealing with some medical issues. 

So, let’s start from June of 2025. 

In June, I had switched doctors. My doctor wanted a whole new panel of bloodwork to get a baseline of where I’m at. When I got my blood work back, my A1C levels came back at 7.7 (normal range is 4-6). From there, my doctor had wanted me to start with a diet and exercise change to see if that would bring it down.

Throughout the holidays, my family had told me that it looked like I was losing a ton of weight. I decided to go back to the doctors on Jan. 8 and found out that since June, I had lost 16 pounds! The doctor ordered more blood work, and my glucose levels came back at an alarming number of 588.

For those who may not know, that could have put me in a diabetic coma or caused me to develop Diabetic Ketoacidosis (DKA). So, at that moment, my mom rushed me to the hospital, where my dad was able to meet us. Before I was even admitted to the hospital and had more blood work done, the PA came in and immediately told me that I am a Type 1 Diabetic.

In the back of my mind, I knew that’s what she was going to say, but it still took me by surprise. I ended up getting a room in the emergency department, where they gave me two bags of sodium chloride and then injected me with 16 units of insulin to bring my numbers down. The lowest number I got was 198, but I was consistently in the mid-200s.

While I was there, they gave me insulin before I ate. Saturday morning rolled around, and they were still unsure whether I would have to stay the night again or if I would be able to go home.

After speaking with the doctor, he was confident enough in me to know that I could inject insulin into myself when needed and that I would do what was necessary to keep me below 300. With that being said, the doctor released me around lunchtime to go home.

That night: 1/10. I was finally able to get down to 186 before bed and injected myself with 10 units of my stabilizer. Throughout the night, my levels dropped to 102 and then rose back up to 118 and 150. 

At that time, I was doing a sliding scale. Basically, I was giving myself insulin based on my blood sugar before meals. Now, no matter what, I’m giving myself two units of insulin before meals. This means focusing on getting a minimum of 30 carbohydrates. 

So, for only having about a week to adjust to my new lifestyle before coming back to school, I’d like to say I’ve been kicking butt. It hasn’t been easy, but I’m adjusting.

To say that my winter break was interesting would be an understatement. 

However, I am very grateful for the support system that I have had thus far. Between my parents’ immediate family, boyfriend and his family, grandparents, aunts and uncles, and close friends, I can say that this will be an easier journey for me. 

T1D will not define who I am! 

Jordan Swift

SBU '26

Jordan Swift is a second year writer at Her Campus at SBU chapter. She plans on writing about current trends, different events that have happened in her life, movies that she likes to watch, and how they relate to her life. Jordan is excited to get to know all her fellow Her Campus sisters. She can't wait to read all the creative writings that her chapter of Her Campus has to share with others in the world.

Jordan can be described as a senior at St. Bonaventure and is currently in the 3+2 program, with her undergraduate major being Public Health with an Occupational Therapy concentration. She has hopes of becoming an Occupational Therapist for adolescents in a school district. She has shadowed several different Occupational Therapists and has grown to love the profession.

When Jordan has free time, she looks forward to spending time with her family and friends, going on hikes, listening to music, watching movies, such as "Matilda" and "Hocus Pocus", and going on different spontaneous trips. She enjoys volunteering at local SPCAs, as well as volunteering at food banks.