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.