Section 2: Pinpoint Your Priorities In College Location
When going to college, proximity is everything for students with food allergies. Here are some things that may be helpful and lifesaving to be close to.
Being near an Allergist
For students who get allergy shots, need frequent asthma checks or allergy visits, being near an allergist can be convenient, especially if you are going to be living far from home where an emergency trip for a change of medication or for a weekly dose of allergy shots is not going to work. The good news is, many universities have hospitals associated with them and fairly close to campus. The allergist associated with the hospital are often at the top of their field and most up to date with current procedures. Make sure to check with your insurance to be sure your visit will be covered before making your first appointment. And make sure you know what lab you can use for blood testing to be covered by your insurance. It may help to have a parent go with you to your first appointment to help fill the doctor in and also for some moral support for you. Don’t get rid of your allergist at home, just in case you need him or her during the summer or on breaks! If your home allergist is part of a major medical center that uses the Epic chart system, you can get a Care Everywhere ID number. This will allow your school allergist - if he or she is at a major medical center - to share and access records with your home allergist. Should you be taken to a hospital emergency room for a reaction while you are at school, on vacation or anywhere, The emergency room doctors can access your medical records with the Care Everywhere ID. And, if you have a health care power of attorney - to allow your parents to discuss your health care with any providers - that will be in your records - allowing an emergency room to contact your parents. More on the Care Everywhere ID and Health Care Power of Attorney in upcoming sections.
Being near Home
Being near home can have it’s perks, your parents are there in case of emergency, you don’t have to travel far or find all new doctors, favorite restaurants, favorite stores or any other amenities you have at home. If your parents are close enough, they can even bring you meals as an alternative to dining hall food.
Being near a Hospital
We all know the twenty minute rule when it comes to seeking emergency care for allergic reactions in a prompt manner. Like the allergist, many urban schools have hospitals near by and same with many rural universities. Don't just ask is there a hospital nearby? Ask: Is there a hospital equipped to deal with something like an anaphylactic reaction that is life threatening or will they stabilize you and helivac (helicopter transport) or ambulance transport you to a larger more state of the art hospital?
Being near a Pharmacy
While most schools have on campus pharmacies, if you are a a student who takes a lot of prescription medicines on a regular basis or you have a pharmacy preference, then you may want to consider going to a school in close proximity to a pharmacy. If you use a big box pharmacy at home that has a branch on campus you can transfer your prescriptions fairly easily but keep this in mind: chain-owned city pharmacies receive the same allotments of medicines as suburban and rural locations with fewer customers. Your home town pharmacy may always fill your prescription right away, a city or school pharmacy may need more days so submit refills before you actually need them. Some versions of medications contain allergens. Ask the pharmacist to make sure the version of the medication they give you doesn't contain your allergen, and it may take them days - or more - to get the version of the medication that you can take. So again, when you move your prescription from home to school pharmacy, allow as much time as possible so you don't run out of maintenance meds. If you have any questions about inactive ingredients in medicine, Daily Med, which is run by the NIH is a great resource for searching your medicine and looking at the inactive ingredients.
Being near a Rescue Squad with Paramedics
There are two kinds of ambulances; there are BLS ambulances and ALS ambulances. BLS ambulances stand for basic life support. These ambulances are staffed by two Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs). In most states, EMTs can do everything except give medicine, start IVs and put advanced airways in. ALS ambulances or advanced life support are usually staffed by at least one paramedic - which is equivalent to a nurse - and an EMT. In some rural areas because Paramedics are more costly to hire than EMTs, they only have BLS trucks and one or two floater Paramedics. This means, if you have a reaction and need more epinephrine or go unconscious and need an advanced airway to help you breathe, you may have first responders unable to perform these tasks and may have to wait until a paramedic who may be an hour away can arrive to help. You may want to consider being close to an ALS ambulance squad, so in case of emergency, you have the best help possible.
Being near a Grocery Store
For many food allergic students, the convenience store on campus isn’t going to cut it when it comes to their main source of nutrition. Being near a grocery store is especially important if you plan to cook for yourself. Make sure you are near a grocery store that carries a wide variety of allergy friendly food and brands you rely on at home. Even if you are not planning on cooking for yourself, being near a grocery store can be convenient and cheaper then the convenience store on campus. If your school isn’t near a grocery store or you are afraid that you will not have proper transportation to get to a grocery store, there are some online options that deliver your groceries. Just make sure to try them out ahead of time before relying on them as your main source of food.
Here is a checklist you can use throughout this chapter to help you keep your priorities straight when looking at colleges.
Being near an Allergist
For students who get allergy shots, need frequent asthma checks or allergy visits, being near an allergist can be convenient, especially if you are going to be living far from home where an emergency trip for a change of medication or for a weekly dose of allergy shots is not going to work. The good news is, many universities have hospitals associated with them and fairly close to campus. The allergist associated with the hospital are often at the top of their field and most up to date with current procedures. Make sure to check with your insurance to be sure your visit will be covered before making your first appointment. And make sure you know what lab you can use for blood testing to be covered by your insurance. It may help to have a parent go with you to your first appointment to help fill the doctor in and also for some moral support for you. Don’t get rid of your allergist at home, just in case you need him or her during the summer or on breaks! If your home allergist is part of a major medical center that uses the Epic chart system, you can get a Care Everywhere ID number. This will allow your school allergist - if he or she is at a major medical center - to share and access records with your home allergist. Should you be taken to a hospital emergency room for a reaction while you are at school, on vacation or anywhere, The emergency room doctors can access your medical records with the Care Everywhere ID. And, if you have a health care power of attorney - to allow your parents to discuss your health care with any providers - that will be in your records - allowing an emergency room to contact your parents. More on the Care Everywhere ID and Health Care Power of Attorney in upcoming sections.
Being near Home
Being near home can have it’s perks, your parents are there in case of emergency, you don’t have to travel far or find all new doctors, favorite restaurants, favorite stores or any other amenities you have at home. If your parents are close enough, they can even bring you meals as an alternative to dining hall food.
Being near a Hospital
We all know the twenty minute rule when it comes to seeking emergency care for allergic reactions in a prompt manner. Like the allergist, many urban schools have hospitals near by and same with many rural universities. Don't just ask is there a hospital nearby? Ask: Is there a hospital equipped to deal with something like an anaphylactic reaction that is life threatening or will they stabilize you and helivac (helicopter transport) or ambulance transport you to a larger more state of the art hospital?
Being near a Pharmacy
While most schools have on campus pharmacies, if you are a a student who takes a lot of prescription medicines on a regular basis or you have a pharmacy preference, then you may want to consider going to a school in close proximity to a pharmacy. If you use a big box pharmacy at home that has a branch on campus you can transfer your prescriptions fairly easily but keep this in mind: chain-owned city pharmacies receive the same allotments of medicines as suburban and rural locations with fewer customers. Your home town pharmacy may always fill your prescription right away, a city or school pharmacy may need more days so submit refills before you actually need them. Some versions of medications contain allergens. Ask the pharmacist to make sure the version of the medication they give you doesn't contain your allergen, and it may take them days - or more - to get the version of the medication that you can take. So again, when you move your prescription from home to school pharmacy, allow as much time as possible so you don't run out of maintenance meds. If you have any questions about inactive ingredients in medicine, Daily Med, which is run by the NIH is a great resource for searching your medicine and looking at the inactive ingredients.
Being near a Rescue Squad with Paramedics
There are two kinds of ambulances; there are BLS ambulances and ALS ambulances. BLS ambulances stand for basic life support. These ambulances are staffed by two Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs). In most states, EMTs can do everything except give medicine, start IVs and put advanced airways in. ALS ambulances or advanced life support are usually staffed by at least one paramedic - which is equivalent to a nurse - and an EMT. In some rural areas because Paramedics are more costly to hire than EMTs, they only have BLS trucks and one or two floater Paramedics. This means, if you have a reaction and need more epinephrine or go unconscious and need an advanced airway to help you breathe, you may have first responders unable to perform these tasks and may have to wait until a paramedic who may be an hour away can arrive to help. You may want to consider being close to an ALS ambulance squad, so in case of emergency, you have the best help possible.
Being near a Grocery Store
For many food allergic students, the convenience store on campus isn’t going to cut it when it comes to their main source of nutrition. Being near a grocery store is especially important if you plan to cook for yourself. Make sure you are near a grocery store that carries a wide variety of allergy friendly food and brands you rely on at home. Even if you are not planning on cooking for yourself, being near a grocery store can be convenient and cheaper then the convenience store on campus. If your school isn’t near a grocery store or you are afraid that you will not have proper transportation to get to a grocery store, there are some online options that deliver your groceries. Just make sure to try them out ahead of time before relying on them as your main source of food.
Here is a checklist you can use throughout this chapter to help you keep your priorities straight when looking at colleges.
College Priority Checklist | |
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