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I've swallowed my pride and decided to apply for disability services here at school. They can offer me a few resources that I do not have access to otherwise. Most importantly, they give me the ability to register early for class and to notify my professor's that there is a legitimate health issue that I deal with.

The past two semesters, I've considered doing it, but I've also thought it was too embarrassing. But finally, things have gotten to the point where I'm realizing that it's not embarrassing, it's reality. So I've taken the initial steps to go through with it.

First, I want to state the exact reasons why I'm asking for the service. My school has 40,000+ students. The number is only growing. When that many students are registering for classes, the classes tend to disappear quite quickly. The best times or best professors go in a matter of minutes on some days.

This can be, and has been, a real problem for me. I'm constantly stressing over my schedule. Not only do I have to manage getting all the required classes, but I have to manage the times and stress level of the classes. For instance, this semester I have classes that put me at an awkward time for breakfast and lunch. So I'm having lows constantly in the middle of my second class (despite basal changes).

On top of the diabetes, there are my other health issues that add in a completely different factor to getting the right classes. My first semester, I had 8am classes that I could not make because my early morning fatigue was unbearable. I'm best between 10 and 12 and 2 and 3, which unfortunately are the best times for everyone else. If I don't get those times, it leaves me stressing to make it to class on time and sometimes even make it to class in general.

Now, on to my journey to get disability status. I called my endocrinologist’s office this morning to ask for the letter that my school requires. It has to have the basic diagnosis, verifying tests, and functional limitations that have brought me to the point of asking for disability. I know there are dozens of other students who use diabetes as a legitimate cause for disability, so I really didn't think it'd be an issue.

But apparently, I was an alien asking for an unknown item. Disability status? You need special help? I felt ashamed. Embarrassed. Overwhelmed. I decided it was too much effort so I'd move on to my next doctor (because maybe they'd be more understanding).

Successfully, the next doctor (the doctor I see for my bio-identical treatment) was empathetic. His office didn't seem to think I was an alien. Now, I'm just waiting on a phone call back to verify all the minute details before sending it into my school.

Once I hung up the phone, I started wondering if I was really that rare. I know of other diabetics who use disability services specifically for that reason, but apparently my doctor's office doesn't think that it's a legitimate reason. Maybe it's the term disability. Maybe if we could have a different label, then people might accept diabetes as a reason. After all, I'm not a disabled person.

But what would that label be?