For most young people, going off to college is a much anticipated and exciting transition. But for many of the nearly 300,000 children living with some form of juvenile arthritis, this exciting journey toward independence and self-discovery comes with a great deal of anxiety.
I know the feeling well. The summer before my eighth grade year, I was diagnosed with juvenile arthritis, specifically juvenile idiopathic arthritis, the most common type of arthritis in children and adolescents. As a result of the chronic condition, I have arthritis in all of my joints and it’s most painful in my ankles and hands. Living with a disease rarely associated with young people can take a huge physical and emotional toll, as it did for me during middle and high school. I missed many days of school and struggled with the side effects of my various medications. I let go of my dream of playing on the high school girl’s tennis team and missed key events like prom. I said, “No” to so many things in high school, but I decided I wasn’t going to let the same thing happen when I went off to college.
Today — on this World Arthritis Day — I find myself a college freshman at Salem State University in Massachusetts, realizing how far I’ve come and how glad I am that I took this plunge. I’ve been shocked by the amount of support I’ve received from my fellow students and teachers. People that have only known me a few weeks have been incredibly understanding and eager to learn more about me and my disease.
Of course, challenges persist. The pain in my joints, particularly my hands and ankles, makes writing and walking around campus rough on some days. The New England fall weather has been challenging, too, since the onset of my symptoms seems to be directly tied to the rainy weather and storms we’ve had this past month.
Still, I’m finding ways to manage and deal with my arthritis so I can say, “Yes!” to more of the experiences I looked forward to having in college. The following are a few tips based on what I’ve already learned that may be helpful for other college students living with arthritis — or another chronic disease:
1. Get to know your roommate before school starts. Your roommate doesn’t have to be your best friend from home, but he or she should be someone who is understanding of your challenges and willing to listen and adjust to your unique needs. I think this is probably true whether you’re living with arthritis or not. To get to know my roommate in advance, I met her through the university’s Facebook page and communicated with her over the summer. I told her about my disease long before we moved in together so she knew what to expect.
2. Use your resources. For me, one of the greatest benefits of college has been the resources available to all students. From a technology standpoint, being able to use a laptop to take notes is great. Otherwise, the arthritis in my wrists would make writing lecture notes particularly difficult.
Additionally, the student resource centers and disability services can make sure you have what you need to be a successful student. This includes counseling services — so you have another person to talk to if things get particularly challenging or you’re just feeling homesick. Again, this is something I think could be beneficial to any student.
3. Introduce yourself and your disease to your professors. I get it that telling your teacher about a medical condition could be kind of awkward or embarrassing. When I first got to school, I wasn’t going to tell any of my professors about my arthritis. But then I realized that there were going to be days when I wouldn’t be able to make it to class or times when I would need to use my laptop to take notes. I didn’t want them to think I was skipping class or ignoring their lecture.
So, I introduced myself to all of my teachers and gave them a heads up about my illness and what it could mean. They were all understanding and willing to accommodate me. I also got an opportunity to get to know them better through these conversations.
4. Listen to your body and prepare for battle. As I mentioned before, my arthritis tends to flare up just before a big storm or weather front moves through. As annoying as this can be, I’ve learned to treat weather conditions as my own personal arthritis barometer. If I’m starting to feel awful, I make sure I take my medication and call it an early evening to rest up for the next day.
Also, I’ve found many events held for college students are scheduled for later in the day or in the evening. However, arthritis wears your body down throughout the day, so I don’t always have the stamina to attend everything. I keep this in mind and make sure to prioritize the events I most want to attend, while resting my body on the other evenings. When you’re living with a chronic disease, you have to listen and take care of your body to stay active, versus pushing too hard and putting yourself out of commission.
5. Develop a treatment ritual. I still receive injections to treat my arthritis at Boston Children’s Hospital every two months. It’s about an hour drive and I usually feel pretty tired after receiving the treatment. I could see this as an annoyance and try to pack my schedule around it, but I’ve turned it into a ritual and an opportunity to catch up with my father. My father drives 1.5 hours to school to pick me up and takes me to Boston Children’s and then takes me to dinner afterwards. Once I get back to school, I usually spend the remainder of the afternoon or evening resting so that I’m good to go the next day.
6. Become an advocate. Sometimes my disease can make me feel helpless. But being in a new place with young people who are eager to help and learn more, I’ve realized I have a huge opportunity to raise awareness and funding to cure arthritis. I’m beginning to look at opportunities to bring attention to arthritis and fundraising on my campus, perhaps eventually by bringing the Arthritis Foundation’s Jingle Bell Run/Walk to the campus and surrounding community.
I know this is just the beginning and I have a few years to go in this journey, but I’m incredibly excited by the opportunities. I’m joining clubs, already thinking about studying abroad, getting excited to cheer on my school this hockey season and planning to take part in all of the Halloween festivities in the Salem area. This is exactly where I want to be right now, and I hope my experience can inspire others living with juvenile arthritis or any health condition to do the same.
Alayna Travaglione is a freshman at Salem State University in Salem, Massachusetts. At age 13, she was diagnosed with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, which she continues to battle today with the help of a team of doctors at Boston Children’s Hospital. Alayna hopes to spread awareness about juvenile arthritis and become a mentor to children and teens battling rheumatoid arthritis as well as helping those with other chronic conditions thrive.
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Living with Arthritis as a College Freshman originally appeared on usnews.com
