College with CF

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anonymous

New member
Is there any information you can tell me about going to college with CF? I would be very interested in knowing any details? And am I right in assuming that these would apply to any boarding school? (This is for a student who would be living in a dorm.)
 
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AbsintheSorrow

New member
I don't know at all what kind of questions you want answered, but I have attended one year of college so far (going back in September) 2 hours away from home with CF. Email or IM me anytime and ask more specific questions and I'll be happy to answer anything. I'm very open. AbsintheSorrow = my AIM name. AbsintheSorrow@yahoo.com
 
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Mockingbird

New member
I'm not sure what kind of details you are looking for. Basically I think you'll be pretty much on your own, though. It will be up to you to take your medication, buy your medication, see the doctor, eat enough food, etc. In my college experience, my roomates have been fine with the fact i have CF. I've stayed in wellness dorms, which means i shouldn't be having roomates that smoke, but sometimes i have. It has been up to me to deal with that. I guess what i'm getting at is living in the college dorms can be cool, or it can really suck. For me, it was complete suckville all the way and now that i'm about to graduate I'm cranky and bitter toward all of my roomamtes. =-) Anyway, when start living at the dorms, and if it turns into complete disaster, it really helps having someone to vent to. My e-mail is jarodbulthuis@hotmail.com. Jarod22 with CF
 
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anonymous

New member
I think the hardest is the beginning...I chose to never live in dorms, so take what I say as you will. But I believe the beginning is the hardest because you might end up with people that don't like you or what you have to do....Some people suck. But be open and yourself and real soon you will have friends there and you will begin to meet people that you can talk about moving in with that know about your situation. You could(if you have the money) try the route of getting a single room. My cousin did that for a year or more in college. By the way, where are you headed too?Jake21 with CF
 
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anonymous

New member
I would highly suggest registering with the disability office of your school. Also - let your professors know - so they are ok if you have to run out of the room to cough. Especially let your first class of the day professor know - I used to show up late to my first class if my treatments took a long time or I coughed a lot getting ready to go to school - I provided a letter to them from my doc explaining that I have a medical regimen to take several times a day which causes coughing, so sometimes I'd be late to classes. I never had any trouble from there (students wondered of course, why I was allowed to come in late - but you'll find out college students aren't nearly as judgemental and immature as high school students).My college experience was fantastic.Piperpmcp@comcast.net
 
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AbsintheSorrow

New member
One thing about the smoking in dorms... if you say that medically you can't have a smoking roommate and then don't comply, I'd put up a huge stink about it. Don't just deal with it nicely. Be rude and pushy if need be. If they put you with a smoking roommate who won't leave the room to smoke, that is ENTIRELY too much crap that you don't need to deal with. That actually makes me really angry, Jarod, and I would NOT have put up with it if I were you. <img src="i/expressions/rose.gif" border="0">
 
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Mockingbird

New member
Hello, Emily. =-) It made a lot of friends angry, me having smoking roomates. I didn't actually have to put up with any cigarette smoke; nobody smoked around me. I just had to deal with the smell every now and then, which can be bad enough. Yes, i agree about being rude and pushy about that sort of thing. I was going to put something about that in my first post, but if I did I would be a hippocrite. I guess I'm just tired of having to ask for things like no smoking and such. So, when someone comes in smelling like cigarettes... or when i'm standing outside and someone comes up to me with a cigarette, or any kind of situation like that, i just leave. Please nobody follow this; I'm not giving advice here. Because I live this way I am very frustrated and very unhappy. (sigh) What started out as a friendly reply has turned into a complete rant. i guess i need to. This world has broken my spirit. i know it has. I don't care anymore about being happy. I'm just going through the motions every day, wondering how long things are going to stay this way, and when something really bothers me i leave, because it doesn't matter where i am. It all feels the same. It is like everyone else has their lives, while i am simply floating through, and if someone is smoking... well, they should smoke, because after all they have their lives, and I have no business getting in the way of that. Ha ha, what a backwards mind I have! =-) Of course i know this is all wrong. Like i said before, i'm tired and broken. Though I try to pretend to be strong (and a lot of people--silly them--believe the lie), inside i know I've been this way for quite a while, and it is only getting worse as time goes on. So, everyone, the lesson is: don't put up with any crap, and for goodness sake don't end up like me. =-) As for me, i'm sure I'll pull myself out of this muck eventually. Then, I bet I'll be throwing things at anyone who even dares to think about smoking around me. Come to think of it, that might not be such a bad idea. It would make people think twice about smoking, anyway. =-)Jarod22 with CF <img src="i/expressions/rose.gif" border="0">
 
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AbsintheSorrow

New member
Hey Jarod, I go through thougts and times like that all the time. IM me sometime, okay? AbsintheSorrow. We can chitchat about people suck. <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif" border="0"><img src="i/expressions/rose.gif" border="0">
 
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Mockingbird

New member
Emily, Thank you so much. =-) Unfortuately, i'm stuck on public computers, though, which means I can't download AIM. =-( Maybe if i'm able to sucker one of my friends into letting me use their computer for a bit... but otherwise i won't be able to. Anyway, i just wanted to let you know i'm not avoiding chatting with you. =-) Take careJarod
 
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idajune

New member
I graduated this past May from college as well. My experience was a good one. I spent the first two years at home going to the community college, then moved an hour away for the last year and lived in the dorm. I asked to live in a single room, however I did have age on my side and status as an junior coming in. I believe that if you have a medical reason for having a single room they will accomodate you. I can't imagine having had roomates and doing my vest and other treatments without issue. I guess I would have felt I was interfering by coughing when they were trying to sleep, or some such thing. The best advice I can give is to contact the school, housing as well as the nurse or medical office - they will know what your options are. Just be sure to join in with the students your age, entering as a freshman - don't sit in the room, having friends makes a big difference in college life. Have faith all will turn out as it should, and a great experience it will be.
 
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anonymous

New member
If you are going to college, have CF and do not want a roomate then remember these three words: Disability Support Services or DSS. While yes I realize that many people do not see CF as a disability, that is beside the point. Every major university in the United States has a DSS and they will accomadate individuals with CF. It requires a doctors note and release of specific medical records, but once you prove to the University that you have Cystic Fibrosis, the university will accomodate you. In other words, you will receive a room without a roomate and most importantly a sink and if your lucky perhaps a bathroom.
 
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usngreer

New member
I didn't actually do the dorm thing, but some additional advice I can give you through personal experience is don't work yourself too hard to pay for college. I commuted to a community college for a year and half and my parents couldn't help pay. On top of that I had to be a full time student to stay on my mom's insurance. Since it was a community college I was going to it was a bit cheaper so I thought I could work my way through college instead of taking out loans and such. I had three jobs at one point, and basically started working myself to death. I got sick every single semester and my classes suffered for it. I wasn't even able to complete half the classes I took. The beginning of my second year I did finally take out a loan. My body is still trying to recover though. Sure you'll have to pay off some loans for awhile, but the interest rate usually isn't that high, and what good is a degree if you aren't there to use it??Tiffany 21 w/CF
 
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