Care Team Spotlight: Nurse Practitioner Lindsey Gurry

Turning a Type 1 Diabetes Diagnosis into a Career Helping Others

Lindsey Gurry was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes during her senior year of high school at age 18. She was on the crew team and had been rowing one morning without any issues. Later that day, however, she passed out in church during her brother’s confirmation.

The classic signs of excessive thirst and fatigue were there, but it was not until days later, during her scheduled college physical, that she was told she had type 1 diabetes. Her blood glucose was dangerously high at more than 800 milligrams per deciliter.

During that time, Lindsey developed a strong relationship with her nurse practitioner, whom she admired very much. They spoke openly during Lindsey’s teenage years, and she appreciated how thorough and attentive her NP was. Lindsey never felt rushed during office visits.

Lindsey attended Suffolk University as planned, taking liberal arts classes, but transitioning to college life while still learning to manage type 1 diabetes with insulin injections and frequent blood sugar checks was stressful. After her freshman year, she decided to pursue a career as a nurse practitioner specializing in helping people with diabetes.

She transferred to UMass Boston, where she completed her undergraduate education and earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. Lindsey spent 11 years working as a full-time nurse at Rhode Island Hospital and Mass General, including five years in Boston as the diabetes research nurse at MGH.

Lindsey became a diabetes educator and was able to make a living helping people manage diabetes. She began wearing an insulin pump in her early 20s and found that her own experience helped her relate to patients with type 1 diabetes, while she was also highly effective in educating and supporting people with type 2 diabetes.

While working full time and managing her own diabetes, Lindsey earned her Master’s in Nursing degree by completing the Nurse Practitioner Program at Regis College.

About Lindsey Gurry, MSN, NP

Lindsey enjoys spending time outdoors with her husband and their two young girls. Before meeting her husband, she took ballroom and Latin dancing lessons and participated in a few competitions. She and her husband also took lessons together and performed a choreographed cha-cha dance at their wedding. Lindsey still loves dancing and hopes to return to it someday.

During her limited free time, Lindsey enjoys exercise and weight training. Living with a chronic disease like diabetes can sometimes make people feel as though they lack control over their life and body. For Lindsey, lifting weights helps her feel empowered and in command of her body. She also finds that, in her experience, strength training can help with blood sugar management.

• Best Part of New England: Cape Cod and the beaches
• Favorite Food: Italian
• Favorite Movie/TV Series: Dirty Dancing & Friends

Inpatient Diabetes Blood Glucose Management at UMass Memorial

Lindsey joined the Inpatient Diabetes Blood Glucose Management Service team during the pandemic. The role allows her to care for people living with type 1 and type 2 diabetes while they are hospitalized for a variety of reasons, while also providing diabetes education to those who need it.

Helping Hospital Providers and Care Teams Treat Diabetes Issues

The Blood Glucose Management Service is a specialized team that provides consultation to providers at UMass Memorial hospitals in Worcester. The team is consulted for diabetes-related issues outside of standard treatment, including patients who use insulin pumps, patients who require concentrated insulin, people with uncontrolled blood sugars, and people experiencing diabetic ketoacidosis.

The team also provides diabetes education for people newly diagnosed with type 1 or type 2 diabetes and helps patients and families understand what they need to know before leaving the hospital.

Providing Diabetes Care and Education at UMass Memorial Hospitals

Nurse practitioners in Massachusetts have the authority to diagnose and treat patients. They also prescribe medication, insulin pumps, and continuous glucose monitors.

As a nurse practitioner living with diabetes herself, Lindsey brings both clinical expertise and personal understanding to her work with hospitalized patients. The checklist of items she wants all people living with diabetes to understand includes:

• Checking blood sugars using a blood glucose meter
• Recognizing and troubleshooting high and low blood sugars
• Symptoms of hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar, and how to treat it using the Rule of 15
• Proper administration and storage of insulin, when insulin is needed
• Safe needle disposal