My husband and I are officially empty-nesters. The kid who was diagnosed at age 4 with psoriasis and age 5 with psoriatic arthritis is now a Wayne State University Warrior.
It seems like just yesterday we were in the process of setting up his first 504 Plan in elementary school. Now, he’s visiting the college’s Student Disabilities Services office to make sure he can navigate college life as easily as possible while managing his chronic diseases.
Campus is located in Detroit and only about an hour from home, which is close enough for him to come home for a weekend visit, but far enough away to keep mom out of his hair. Andy has three other roommates who seem very supportive of him and his needs. (I’m sure it helped a bit that he was the one to bring the refrigerator for all to use, as long as there is enough space to store his medication.)
Speaking of needs, about a week before moving into the dorms, I was very nervous about sending the boy off to college. He had started to flare with both his skin and joints. His knees were swollen to the size of grapefruits, and his thumbs weren’t looking good either. His skin that had been clear for more than a year suddenly was getting plaques again. Now that he’s 18, he needed to talk to the doctor’s office himself to get back on the right plan. No more mama calls. It was time for him to fly solo.
Thankfully, the staff at University of Michigan Pediatric Rheumatology Clinic – in particular Nurse Anne – were very helpful and Andy was started on prednisone to take the edge off while awaiting insurance approval for Stelara. Within a few days, he went from needing help to get out of bed to taking me on an hour walking tour of the Wayne State campus without slowing down. Of course, Andy’s excited about this new adventure.
It’s really too bad that Andy can’t stay on prednisone long-term. It works so quickly for him, and it’s his cheapest medication. While Andy doesn't usually see the common side effects with the medication, doctors won't allow him to stay on prednisone for long term. According to the Mayo Clinic, prednisone side effects include:
Glaucoma
Swelling in the lower legs
High blood pressure
Mood, memory, behavior changes
Weight gain (Andy could actually use this one!)
Cataracts
High blood sugar
Increased risk of infections
Thinning bones
Suppressed adrenal gland hormone production
Thin skin, bruising and slower wound healing
Ok, so the list of side effects is rather long, so he'll just reap the benefits as long as he can until his doctor pulls the plug on this course of treatment.
Of course, none of this will stop Andy at college. Of course, I’m anxious about how he’ll do and how his psoriatic diseases will fare. And of course, we’ll both be just fine.
Welcome to college life, and welcome to adulthood.
