Looking into Travis Van Rheenen’s dorm room, you’ll find something surprising in his closet – a big box of bandages, needles and syringes.

But Van Rheenen, freshman in mechanical engineering, isn’t pumping his body with steroids. He has type 1 diabetes.

Diabetes is a disease that destroys the body’s ability to produce insulin, which in turn makes the body unable to maintain consistent blood sugar levels.

As part of National Diabetes Awareness Month, Van Rheenen talked about the struggles associated with the disease, especially for those in college.

One issue for college-age diabetics is the effect alcohol has on a diabetic’s body.

“Alcohol mixes with the insulin in the body, causing it to not work correctly,” Van Rheenen said. “It can cause swings in blood sugar levels.”

Van Rheenen said this is extremely important to understand because this is a college campus.

“I think this is important because when there is drinking going on at parties, and a person is trying to serve a diabetic alcohol, it can potentially be very dangerous,” Van Rheenen said.

Jennifer Synder, nutritionist at Mary Greeley Medical Center, 1111 Duff Ave., also explained the difficulties of having diabetes in college.

“College students want to fit in,” Synder said. “For example, if a student with diabetes wants to go out with a group of friends and get some pizza, he or she has to think twice about it.”

But the effects of diabetes extend beyond social outings.

“It can also affect learning abilities,” Synder said. “It is sometimes hard to understand what is being taught at the moment.”

An extremely low or high blood sugar level can cause the body to slip into a diabetic coma, in which a person slips into a state of unconsciousness because of complications related to diabetes or the improper treatment of diabetes.

Insulin is very important to the body of a person with diabetes.

“Basically, my pancreas doesn’t work correctly, so I have to find other ways to get insulin into my body,” Van Rheenen said.

To help control this Van Rheenen carries a device in his pocket that measures his blood sugar, glucose and insulin levels. The device also pumps insulin into his body every five minutes.

There are two types of diabetes diagnosed in the United States; the majority of diabetics have type 2 diabetes, and a small number, including Van Rheenen, have type 1 diabetes. The difference between the two lies in the different levels of insulin in the body.

The hardest part for Van Rheenen is keeping his blood sugar level under control.

“When the blood sugar level gets too high, I have to take a shot of Insulin, which takes 15 minutes to work,” Van Rheenen said.

During this time, his body experiences a startling change in energy levels.

“The sudden drops make you feel like you’re falling off a cliff,” Van Rheenen said. “It’s like an energy drink crash, except way more intense.”