| Editor's Note: Caitlin Emmons is a freshman at the University of California at Santa Cruz. |
| Caitlin's College Blog By: Caitlin Emmons I can’t think of anything worse than being sick and stuck in a dorm room. Even if your parents were annoying when you lived at home, there is something very comforting about just being at home when you aren’t feeling your best. I learned this the hard way, like most of the lessons I am teaching here. For the last month I have been battling case after case of tonsillitis, abscesses (gross medical term for trapped pus) and colds. This week it hit it’s climax but let’s start with the prevention techniques before we get to the gory parts. 1. Take vitamins. I cannot say this enough. Emergen-C tastes good; drink it at least once a day. It gives you vitamin C, a great immune system booster. But it also gives you vitamin B which is a healthy energy enhancer, always a plus in college. Try to take a multivitamin once a day. Some people will have weird stomach reactions to “uncoated” vitamins so if you find yourself feel queasy after taking the pill look into finding a “coated” alternative. Echinacea is also a great immune system helper and can be bought at any health food store or a local grocery store. Lysine is an amino acid that helps to strengthen this system, too. 2.If you think you are getting sick, sleep. Your body cannot fight off infections if it’s making up for lost sleep so get yourself to bed. When I first started getting ill this was the first thing I did. I spent almost 26 hours in bed over the course of a weekend. 3. See a doctor early. Most campuses have health centers or there are urgent care centers near by. In some cases you really do just have a cold and have to let it run its course but other times it is a very serious issue. In my case I went to a doctor the day after I started feeling sick (Sunday). I was having a lot of trouble swallowing and was in a lot of pain. They told me it was viral tonsillitis and tested me for strep. The tests came back negative so all I could do was relieve my symptoms with pain killers. 4. Follow up. If a doctor tells you to come back in, go back in. In my case when Wednesday came I was still in a lot of pain and nothing I was taking was helping anymore. I went to my campus’s health center and once again got tested for strep. Once again the test was negative and they told me it was viral, aka they could do nothing. I felt better most of the weekend, but then Monday night I got really sore again. By Tuesday morning I could barely open my mouth and could not talk. I called the health center immediately and made an appointment for that day. 5. Do your own research. If you go into your appointment with some idea what is going on you will be able to help your doctors and yourself. I know my body pretty well and was able to look up a lot of my symptoms before even seeing the doctor. This allowed me to at least partially know what would be done once I got there. Sadly for me, my viral tonsillitis had become a secondary bacterial infection, known as an abscess. The details are gory but it is basically like having a blister in your tonsillar pillars, the fleshy columns on the sides of your tonsils. I was taken for blood tests, mono and a white blood cell count. Mono came back negative, yay (this was the one piece of good news). But my white blood cell count was elevated so they knew it was a bacterial infection. Luckily, because I had gone in right when it started they were able to treat me with antibiotics and steroids. 6. Be attentive. I wish I could say that after being treated with antibiotics I was completely recovered, but it only seemed that way. I was symptom free for two weeks! Then just a few days ago my symptoms came back. I went to the health center immediately. I got tested for mono…. again…still negative! This time, however, the doctor set up a consult for me with an ear nose and throat specialist to get the abscess treated. As I said, you know your body. If something feels off, even if it’s minor go back to the doctor asap! 7. Call your parents or find a good friend. I was pretty sure that I was going to have to have minor surgery on my tonsils once the abscess had redeveloped. Fortunately, I only go to school six hours away from home so I was able to have my mom come up and take me. These are scary things that no one should have to go through alone so if you can’t have a parent with you find someone you trust to be there for you and take care of you. My surgery was definitely one of the most painful experiences I have ever gone through, and I cannot imagine doing it without my mom. 8. Finally, stay in touch with your professors and teaching assistants. If you get seriously ill you will miss class. I missed a total of 18 classes while I had tonsillitis the first time, three weeks ago. And I missed another three when I had surgery. During my first bout I emailed all of my professors from the beginning and kept them updated. This allowed me to get extensions on my papers and midterms, something I could not have survived without. There is a reason they make you get lots of immunizations before moving into a college dorm, it is a place festering with germs and bacteria. Getting sick is generally inevitable but you can avoid some cases of it. Your body is your temple; so protect it with all things possible. Pay attention to even the smallest symptoms and get medical help. Finally, don’t feel like a baby for calling home, as they say home is where the heart is…. but it is also where the health is too! |
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