Ep124. Beyond the Diagnosis: An Anaesthesia Trainee's Journey with Type 1 Diabetes

I chat with Dr Evan Kumarakurusingham, an anaesthesia trainee who was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes as a child. We explore how this has influenced his approach to patients, decision to pursue anaesthesia his approach to training and exams.

This episode emphasises the importance of representation, peer support and being proactive about maintaining good health.

Other episodes you might like are:

Ep115 on the ASA's wellbeing offerings with Dr Lan-Hoa Le

Ep23 Peer Groups with Dr Kushlani Stevenson

Ep108 The importance of having a good GP with A/Prof Magda Simonis

All of these episodes and more can be found on the Wellbeing of Anaesthetists playlist

Interested in more chats on nutrition and exercise? Let me know on podcast@asa.org.au

Some AI generated episode highlights:

03:40: Evan describes his diabetes diagnosis at age 8 in Sri Lanka, noting it was later than typical for his Tamil Sri Lankan ethnicity, and the challenges of managing insulin with syringes and vials in a low socioeconomic area.

07:50: Evan discusses his denial phase from ages 16-22, when he pushed diabetes to the back of his mind, followed by reassessment and goal-setting that shaped his current maturity and approach to self-management.

08:52: Evan explains how a major hospital admission unrelated to diabetes in his mid-20s prompted him to reconsider his career path, ultimately leading to medicine after initially leaning toward the arts.

09:33: Evan reveals how his experiences as a chronic illness patient informed his desire to become a compassionate clinician, allowing him to understand patient frustrations and connect with those in denial about their conditions.

10:31: Evan discusses his practice of disclosing his diabetes to patients, particularly those about to undergo anaesthesia, using it as a rapport-building tool and challenging the old medical school teaching against personal disclosure.

18:05: Evan credits meeting Professor David Story, a type 1 diabetic and President of the college, as a pivotal moment that solidified his confidence that he could succeed in anaesthesia.

18:52: Evan outlines his exam preparation strategy, using short one-hour study blocks with scheduled breaks for eating and exercise, prioritizing glucose stability over marathon study sessions.

22:29: Evan emphasizes the importance of having a good regular GP and creating a long-term plan early in training to manage stress-related impacts on chronic illness during high-pressure periods.

24:27: Evan discusses future flexibility post-specialization, noting that avoiding consecutive night shifts will be crucial for managing his diabetes, as nights significantly disrupt glucose levels for a week afterward.

Key Takeaways

Chronic illness can be a catalyst for empathy and patient-centered practice; early healthcare experiences shape clinicians' values and professional identity before formal medical training begins.

Career planning must account for individual health needs; eliminating unsuitable specialties based on realistic self-assessment is strategic, not limiting.

Representation matters profoundly—seeing senior colleagues like Professor Story successfully managing diabetes in prestigious roles provides concrete evidence that ambitious goals are achievable.

Proactive health management during high-stress periods (exams, rotations) requires structured planning around nutrition, exercise, and glucose monitoring, not sacrificing these essentials for study time.

Modern disclosure practices differ from older medical culture; building rapport with patients through authentic connection, including selective sharing of relevant personal experiences, enhances therapeutic relationships.

Quotable Moments

"I think that you have to be really good with people and a really strong communicator to be able to take someone who's probably at one of the most scariest times in their life and then in the shortest amount of time, make them comfortable with the fact that you will be making them unconscious."

"I didn't want the condition to be a reason why I couldn't do something because there's so many amazing people who have diabetes, Olympians, for example, that don't let it stop them."

"If you look after your diabetes, regularly check your sugars, you'll probably end up being healthier in the long run than someone without it, assuming that your sugars are normal. Because it's always something that you're thinking about rather than something that you just think once every three months."

"If you do have diabetes or a chronic illness, I think anaesthesia is a fantastic specialty and something that you should definitely consider and not rule out."