bluecoats88 Posted July 16, 2009 Share Posted July 16, 2009 i marched 1995 Bushwackers with a girl who had diabetes, and she went on to march Cadets in either 1996 or 1997. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sploolaf Posted July 16, 2009 Share Posted July 16, 2009 Jay is absolutely right. Between the three of us we had 11 seasons of experience in the Cavaliers and not a single serious incident. With proper planning, Type 1 diabetes will not interfere with your ability to march drum corps. The key to making it through a season successfully is smart planning, general awareness of how blood sugar levels respond to strenuous activity, and communication. Before you leave for tour, it's important to make sure that you have more than enough supplies to make it through the summer. I always made sure to have supplies with me and extras packed away with the medical staff. Anyone who has been on tour can tell you that anything can happen. Luggage can be left behind, buses break down, cook trucks burn on the side of the road, etc. The key is to have your supplies in more than one place in case there is a major incident that could separate you from one set of supplies. Also, holding current copies of your prescriptions with your things and with the medical staff provides more backup in case of emergency. Next, drum corps is a strenuous activity. Duh. It's crucial that you develop a good sense for how your blood sugar responds to the high levels of activity. I found that the amount of insulin I needed to take in the summer was drastically reduced from the rest of the year because I was so active. If you know how your body reacts to that level of activity, you can proactively prevent any major swings in your blood sugar levels that could take you out of commission during rehearsals or shows. Of course, it's impossible to always get your blood sugar levels right, so it's important that you always have glucose tablets (if you're not provided Gatorade) at the rehearsal field in case you have a low blood sugar. Of course, if you don't have an insulin pump, it's important that you have insulin and syringes nearby at all times too in case you're running a bit high. Lastly, communication is essential. I know some people are self-conscious about having Type 1 diabetes, but a drum corps season is no time to be shy about it. Of course, the medical staff needs to know that you have Type 1 diabetes, but it's also important that the instructional staff, management, and the people you march with know as well. Nobody likes to jump out of rehearsal for any reason, but it's simply unrealistic to think that you'll make it through an entire season without needing to head off the field to check your sugar and take necessary steps to fix your low/high. You'll save yourself a lot of unnecessary trouble if your instructors and leaders know that you may have to take care of yourself from time to time. Also, in the very unlikely chance that you are on the verge of a serious diabetes related emergency, your fellow corps members may be the first ones to notice a problem and alert the necessary medical staff. I'm a very strong believer that so long as you're smart and responsible, people with Type 1 diabetes can do anything they want. If you have any more questions about drum corps and diabetes, feel free to PM me. I'd be happy to offer any advice I can. Good luck with your auditions! Niels Cavaliers FMM '00-'03 In my first year marching, we had three diabetics in the corps. One was the drum major, one was Cavalier of the Year, and one was a horn sergeant.You can march (and excel) with the proper precautions. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eric24 Posted July 17, 2009 Share Posted July 17, 2009 Don't want to get off of this trend but has any drum corps ever had a Medical DR or RN volunteer on tour because they love drum corps or because they have a child the corps? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
g0at Posted July 17, 2009 Share Posted July 17, 2009 (edited) I found your statement kind of interesting. I was a Firefighter/EMT for 25 years and don't know of one person in our department that could have kept up with a Drum Corps member. Nobody but DC drills from 7:30am to 11pm, not football, basketball or soccer. Drum Corp members are AMAZING Athletes. I never meant to get across that Drum Corps ISN'T physically demanding. I was trying to get across was that it becomes a drain over a long period of time. I was trying to relay that it is NOT like most physically demanding sports. You don't have an hour practice and a 2 hour game. IF you have ever done anything extremely physically demanding, you will know that you cannot do it for 12 hours. Drum corps is demanding because it wears and tears at you for an extended period of time, day in and day out. That is all I was getting at. A diabetic cannot go have an intense workout ( And by intense... I mean intense) and expect it to be the same as touring with a world class corps. The reason I mentioned the EMT experience was just to let the poster know that I was coming from a medical background. I run diabetic emergencies all the time. I had to be on a box ( ambulance) for 2 years. I am still puzzled at why you are comparing DCI corps members to firefighters athletically. Edited July 17, 2009 by g0at Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XmenmomX6 Posted July 17, 2009 Share Posted July 17, 2009 (edited) Don't want to get off of this trend but has any drum corps ever had a Medical DR or RN volunteer on tour because they love drum corps or because they have a child the corps? Yeah. I did... although I was volunteering as a cook, I am a nurse with a Master's degree so there were plenty of times I was summoned to help with someone who was ill, fell, hurt, etc. And, yes, I did it because my daughter, who is now aging out with HNC after 7 years in drum corps, was in the corps and because I love the whole drum corps scene! Actually, I know of a doctor who volunteers and drives a semi one or two weeks a year and has for years. I'll bet a lot of the kids don't even know he is a doc unless they know his girls well! His wife also volunteers and is a nurse. We are everywhere! Edited July 17, 2009 by XmenmomX6 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XmenmomX6 Posted July 17, 2009 Share Posted July 17, 2009 This is a very , very good topic and it should be talked about at least once a year to the OP you are getting some reallygood feed back from the MOM and the Pharmacist PM the doc and listen to the MOM . I'm a type 2 diabetic and already lost a leg and an eye , I know what it means to take of yourself and it sounds like you are really trying to take of yourself good for you !! I don't know how old you are but if you have time to march a couple of years or more then why don't you try an open class corps first and see if you can take it before you jump in to a world class corp where the demands are much , much tougher as a general rule . Best of luck to you and one more thing make double sure that whatever corps you join has a full time nurse on tour at all times because you know as well I do that when things go bad they go bad fast ! Rudi By the way, if you mean "me" as the MOM, I am actually a Masters level nurse. So while I am not a PharmD, I had an inkling of what I was talking about. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blakman7 Posted July 17, 2009 Share Posted July 17, 2009 Absolutely! I marched with a guy with diabetes my last year of drum corps. He had a pump that was hooked into his waist. If you have one of those and/or it can be regulated throughout the day, you should be golden. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JayM Posted July 17, 2009 Share Posted July 17, 2009 Don't want to get off of this trend but has any drum corps ever had a Medical DR or RN volunteer on tour because they love drum corps or because they have a child the corps? We typically had two RNs on tour at all times, though not always the same two. More often than not, we had a doctor as well. Some were parents of kids in the corps, some had kids in the corps many years ago, and others (including the head doctor) just love drum corps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CERG Posted July 17, 2009 Share Posted July 17, 2009 I would definitely encourage you to do it... I have marched with many people who were diabetic, had cancer etc.... you just need to be able to take care of yourself and let the corps staff know what is going on. My only advice of not marching would be if you have advanced symptoms of Diabetes. Mainly the nerve damage, suffering nerve death in your feet is common in advanced diabetes. Not saying anyone who has that symptom can't march. I just think most doctors wouldn't recommend it. You wouldn't be able to feel the blisters, cuts, and so on, so there would be an issue of worse injury that just wouldn't be good. But besides that one thing, ya... do it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VictorByrne Posted July 17, 2009 Share Posted July 17, 2009 Yes don't let diabetes stop you from doing drum corps! I marched with a Division III corps but it was still a little difficult, I let my sugar go a little high so I don't run the risk of dropping too low after a 3-4 hour block. It seemed to balance out nicely for me. Good luck to you in your auditions if you choose to make that decision! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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