Preparing for College with a Chronic Health Condition
Preparing to start college or a new semester can be a lot. Add managing a chronic illness or health condition to the mix, and it can feel overwhelming.
Fortunately, with a little advance preparation and knowing about helpful resources, you can get your next great academic steps off to a strong start.
Check in with your healthcare team before leaving for college.
Talk through your anticipated lifestyle, schedule, and place of living.
Ask about any changes you might need to make to your treatment plan. For instance, should you go on longer acting medication? Change the timing of your doses?
It’s also a good time to ask what to do in case of a health crisis- should you go to the campus health clinic, go a local hospital, or call your doctor at home?
Make sure you are stocked on all of your medications in advance, and know where you can get refills on campus.
If your parents have been taking the lead on your healthcare until now, now is a great time to practice communicating and advocating for yourself. Pick one thing to start with to build your confidence. Some examples may be writing down your questions in advance of a medical visit then being in charge of asking them, practicing or scripting a phone call to your clinic to make an appointment, or making sure you have all the passwords to all of your online portals.
2. Learn about resources available to you on campus.
Research where the health clinic and counseling center are.
Learn about student health and disability accommodations at your school- you may be entitled to more than you think! However, each school requires different documentation to access these accommodations, so finding this out in advance is crucial to starting with everything that may help you from the beginning. Dr. Emily Foxen-Craft has helped document requests for accommodations and advocate for the needs of college students with pain, chronic illness, and mental health concerns to help them perform their best.
With today’s technology, you have access to more than what is directly on campus. You may even be able to keep up with your healthcare team from home. At Pediatric Pain and Behavioral Health, Dr. Foxen-Craft offers video sessions across 40 states (https://psypact.org/mpage/psypactmap).
3. Think about where you will live, and plan accordingly.
If you’re living in a dorm, connect with your RA to let them know about your chronic illness. Even if they don’t need to do anything to support you, it can be reassuring to have someone know about what you are dealing with.
If you will be sharing a room, but crave quiet and privacy, get creative. Bring some noice cancelling headphones, ear plugs, an eye mask, a privacy screen for your bed, and a lamp to create more comforting lighting conditions.
What foods and comfort items can you bring with you that would support your health or an illness flare up? Add these to your packing list.
4. Don’t wait to take care of your physical and mental health.
Starting to exercise, sleep better, hydrate, and de-stress - all while starting college? That sounds like a recipe for a difficult semester.
Pick 1 or 2 of these to start working on now, and focus on making small but sustainable changes.
Support is here for you - you don’t have to juggle all of this alone. At Pediatric Pain and Behavioral Health, Dr. Foxen-Craft helps college students like you navigate these big changes and feel and do their best. If you’re interested, you can learn more by checking out the Young Adult page (https://www.pediatricpainbehavioralhealth.com/young-adult-program), or just clicking the Get Started button at the top right (or this link: https://www.pediatricpainbehavioralhealth.com/#contact-form) to get personalized recommendations.
You’ve done new and difficult things before, so try to remember that you’ve got this!
Go [your school’s name]!