Asthma & College – Going it Alone

I’m sticking my head up, briefly, from this sea of boxes and packing tape to share a guest post with you. Danielle of Life with These Lungs is a college student in Canada who writes about managing her life, her school, and her asthma–a future that awaits my own asthmatic kid. Please go visit and leave a comment on Danielle’s blog when you get a chance.

I’m Danielle. I’m nineteen years old and in my second year of university. A year and a half ago, I moved away from my hometown to start off in a program I was very excited about. Needless to say, this move brought about many changes for me and within me. My health and my asthma management were turned upside down in the process and I am still trying to iron out the kinks.

All through high school, my asthma care worked well. My mom, my doctors, and my school worked closely together to make sure of that. My mom called the shots on everything, not because she didn’t trust me, but because she could read me like a book. We just got so comfortable in our routine, and I never really had to say a word.

Leaving home, I was pretty stable. I knew a lot about asthma, I knew how to get my prescriptions renewed, and I knew how to find a doctor. Somehow none of this helped me to deal in the actual moment.

Unfortunately, my asthma was much less controlled in my newfound city, something which I had half-heartedly anticipated, but not prepared for. My management skills certainly were pushed to the limit that first year.

It just didn’t seem to click with me at what point in the game I needed to act. I always felt that it was too soon, and I always left it too late. As a result, I resorted to prednisone more times than I care to remember. I had a hard time calling my parents to tell them I wasn’t well. Though they were always very calm about my breathing, I knew that it worried them tremendously that I was in trouble and so far away.

I had a hard time telling the new friends I made about my asthma. Any friends I had before were used to seeing me flare up and they knew about everything my condition involved. Somehow at this age I was very uncomfortable explaining it, so I kept it to myself. The friends that I spent the most time with ended up seeing it happen anyway, and most of them were confused and scared.

Each time I have an attack without my mom I smarten up a little bit more. I’m noticing signs, emerging patterns, new triggers, things that seem to help. In other words, I’m gathering up information to help me deal. I’m learning to suck it up and get help faster, and I’m getting over my shyness about it. I’m proud of everything I’ve accomplished with school, but I believe that I’m more proud of how much I’ve learned about taking care of myself. But of course, there is always room for improvement.

Another guest blogger will appear here soon, but there’s plenty of room for more. Help your favorite Asthma Mom out, and send a guest post of your own.