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Heading off to college comes with many challenges, but if you have a chronic disease like psoriasis or psoriatic arthritis, then you could be in for a bumpy ride. Here are some tips to make college life a bit smoother:
Schedule doctor appointments and medication refills prior to the start of the semester and make sure insurance and vaccines (whenever possible) are up to date.
Contact your college’s Office of Disability Services (or equivalent) before the first semester. Often advisors can help set up a plan to give you a better school outcome. Most likely you will need to fill out forms, so call ahead and find out exactly what you will need so you can come prepared for the meeting. It’s good to present a doctor’s letter of diagnosis, which should be as specific as possible. Also, make a list of all things that would make school easier to physically manage: extensions for tests / projects when fatigue hits; flexibility when scheduling for classes (maybe early morning is too difficult because of psoriasis regime); parking passes to be close to classes. You can’t always get what you ask for, but there’s no harm in asking.
Tell your individual professors on first day of class that you have a chronic disease that comes with challeges. With so many students, it’s easy for communication to get lost between disability services and your professor. Having a face-to-face chat helps them meet you and better understand what you need. You can even email your professor ahead of time and then follow up on the first day of class.
Stay as healthy as possible and take the necessary precautions to keep germs away. Wash your hands often. You pick up germs everywhere on campus including classrooms, dining hall, elevators, and computer labs. Disinfect your dorm room a roommate is sick. This is especially for door handles, TV, mini-fridge and microwave. Make a habit of keeping your distance from sick students and staff. It’s not easy, but your immune system will thank you for it.
Visit the college health center to introduce yourself to the staff. While they may not be well versed in psoriasis, they will understand that many psoriasis medications can compromise your immune system, making it easier to pick up campus germs and colds. You might be visiting more than you hoped, so good to get in early.
Seek out on-campus mental health services prior to the first semester. Make an appointment with a counselor. Psoriasis alone brings many emotional changes: how to tell new friends/roommates about psoriasis, embarrassment of plaques, and difficult daily treatment regimens. Add in the stress of college classes, being away from home, and perhaps a part-time job, and it is easy to be overwhelmed. If you have already made the connection with a counselor, you’re more likely to reach out for help again later, if or when you need it.
Friends! Build a circle of friends who support you and lean on them when you need their help. The friends you make in college are usually some of your closest for years to come.
Reach out to the National Psoriasis Foundation's Patient Navigation Center is a great resource to help you find doctors, get access to your medication, and help with insurance issues. You can email, call, text or even Skype, which makes connecting with patient navigators very easy. Also, the NPF's One-to-One mentor program can connect you with another psoriatic disease patient who has "been there" and "done that." Just knowing you're not alone is very comforting.
