The Challenges of Keeping Our Kids Healthy at College

I’ve learned many things since sending my son off to college for the first time. I’ve learned just how crazy a college student’s life can be. The endless hours studying. The late nights and lack of sleep. And, the stress and pressure of making big decisions on your own.  But what I didn’t know was how unhealthy college campuses can be. And, what a challenge it can be to keep our kids healthy at college.

Recently, I experienced something I’ve never experienced before. I watched my son lie ill with a 103-degree fever. He was sick to his stomach. He was coughing and gasping for air. And, he was taken by ambulance to a nearby hospital.

And it was all due to a virus he caught on his school campus.

The Downside of Communal Living

Of course, I’m wasn’t naïve to think he’d never get sick at school. I knew there would be the occasional cold, sore throat, or stomach bug. But I wasn’t expecting illnesses such as scarlet fever, mononucleosis, viral meningitis, and the adenovirus. The latter, was a virus I had never heard of before but one that was rampant on his college campus. One that attacked my son’s immune system so much that it landed him in the hospital.

“Welcome to the world of communal living,” said the doctors and nurses who took care of him. These illnesses that he was exposed to were not foreign to them. In fact, they considered them typical in the life of a college student. They compared living at college to being in a virtual petri dish or in an infectious disease zone. Consider a dorm with over 500 kids living in close quarters. Dining halls packed to the brim. And, add to that kids going to class with fevers, coughs, and colds because of the pressure to stay on top of their studies despite how they feel.

I knew there would be risks to living in such close quarters, but I didn’t think the stakes would be so high.

When in Doubt, Check it Out

It all started out so simple.  It was just a common cold – or so we thought – that eventually turned into an ear infection.  No big deal, right?  After his quick trip to the health center on campus, we assumed he was in the clear. However, his cold lingered and so did his cough. So much so, that it kept him up at night, often into the wee hours of the morning, leaving his body exhausted and run down. And leaving his immune system compromised.

So, the following weekend, we brought him home for some much-needed rest in his own bed followed by a visit to the local doctor. The doctor prescribed array of medications to treat the lingering ear infection and the new diagnosis of bronchitis.

OK, we’ve figured it out. He’ll soon be on the mend.

When it Lingers Too Long

But, fast forward a week later, and he was no better. He called me on a Friday night asking what else he could do to make his symptoms go away. I knew something was wrong. The medicines weren’t helping, and he couldn’t get an appointment at the school’s health center until the following week. We suggested an urgent care center near campus.

Our parental instinct kicked in, along with the prompting of the Holy Spirit, and we knew we needed to help. Something wasn’t right. This had gone on too long.

The next morning, my husband woke up at the crack of dawn and drove three hours to be by his side.

A checkup by a new urgent care doctor resulted in a change in medications. They asked him each time what underlying medical conditions he had. There were none. He was seldom ill. And, he never took this many medications either. He desperately needed rest so he came home once again. And, for this I am forever grateful.

Because by the grace of God – he was at home, in our care – and thankfully not alone at school – when his condition took a turn for the worse.

When a Mom’s Care Is Not Enough

If you’re a mom you know that it’s the worst feeling in the world to watch your child be sick but not be able to help. I experienced that first hand. I had never seen my son so sick before. Not even when he was a little baby. Therefore, when his condition got worse that night, I knew the situation was out of my control.  We needed to call 911. 

I did my best to calm my son down. Meanwhile my mind was in a state of panic. I felt like I couldn’t pray and that’s what I needed to do most of all. Instead of a ‘formal’ prayer that wouldn’t come, I kept repeating the name Jesus over and over as we waited for the paramedics to arrive.  I felt relief wash over me as they entered our home and quickly tended to his every need.

I watched the paramedics put him in the ambulance and drive away. Fear and panic were still there but so was a feeling of comfort as I knew he was in good hands. And God was right by his side.

I knew that this was no coincidence that he was at home with us when this happened instead of being alone at school. God knew he needed us and we needed to be there for him too.

He was in the hospital for two days and was then sent home. And after some TLC, he is now on the mend. Praise God!  When he regained his strength, it was time to say goodbye again. Time for him to return to school to where unfortunately the sickness still loomed.

With any Trial, There are Lessons to be Learned

After what felt like a lifetime of cleaning and disinfecting our home to be sure that the rest of the family didn’t catch this nasty virus, our house has returned to normal. And, our lives are routine once again. But, for me, so many feelings still linger. I feel guilty for not being able to pray the way I thought I should that day. But my faithful friends reminded me that simply saying the name of Jesus is prayer. There is power in Jesus’ name after all. And, by reading a prayer I found that night in one of my devotionals on healing and holding onto the rosary while I slept that night – that was prayer too. So, I’m trying to be gentle with myself with what was a very difficult time for all of us. I’m realizing that God saw our hurt and he knew my heart.

So, how do we keep our kids healthy at college? I still wonder if there was anything we could have done differently to keep our son healthy while away from home. I felt like we did the best we could. After all, it seemed like we had followed the right steps such as…

Having our son fill out a HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) form. We’re grateful he did this because this form allowed us to have access to his medical records and health information while sick at school. Without this form, you can’t obtain your child’s medical information such as talking to a nurse or doctor about your child’s health without his or her consent. Our son was able to fill out this form, within minutes, at the university’s health center at the beginning of the school year. Some colleges also have the forms available online too.

Knowing the location of the health center on campus.  Thankfully, my son knew the location of the university’s health center, their phone number, hours of operation, as well as the process for making appointments when he first started to feel ill. His health center also offers walk in hours on weekends and a 24-hour nurse hotline to address any health concerns to hopefully keep college kids healthy.

Locating urgent care centers nearby. Our son’s school is a large one. Therefore, the health center tends to fill up quickly and sometimes appointments can be hard to come by unless they are urgent in nature. So, we helped him find the names and locations of urgent care centers near campus that he could walk to or take an uber.

Knowing the location of the closest hospital emergency room. We weren’t sure what type of illness we were dealing with, so we researched the name and location of the nearest hospital emergency room. We knew this was an option if it was something that an urgent care center couldn’t treat.

Considering getting a primary care doctor close to your child’s college campus. This is an option that we learned about following our son’s illness. Since our son is three hours away from home, a visit to our family doctor is not an option if he becomes sick at school. So, instead of being seen by random doctors at urgent care centers, we are considering choosing another primary care doctor close to campus. This way, the doctor will get to know him personally and he cares for his medical needs.  

When in doubt, get it checked out. Our son was persistent. He didn’t wait. He knew that despite receiving medical care, his symptoms had lingered far too long. And, we knew as parents, that he had done all he could. We needed to get involved. He needed our help. And we were happy he reached out to us.

Getting plenty of rest. Why do college kids get so sick? Their immune systems are compromised often from lack of sleep. This, along with close living quarters, is often a red flag for illnesses to occur. What’s the key for college kids staying healthy? Plenty of rest, nutritious food, washing their hands, and keeping their hands away from their face. Easier said than done, I know. But as parents, we still need to preach this to our kids often. All we can do is plant the seed and hope and pray that they’ll listen.

Just Pray

It’s definitely challenging when our kids are sick and are away from home. All we want is for them to be safe and healthy. I’ve found the best way for me to focus on keeping my son healthy is to pray. Because as a parent, I want to fix the situation. But sometimes I can’t. However, when I pray for his health and for those of the students on his college campus, I feel like I have done something. I feel like I’m helping in some way. It brings me peace. I know I’ve done my part and now the rest is in God’s hands.

Plan as Best as You Can

Despite the best-laid plans, kids will get sick at school. Now that my son is on the mend and back at school, we’ve restocked his supply of dorm ‘essentials.’ We hope these items will keep him healthy and maybe even keep future germs at bay. We now know that illnesses will come up from time to time, and when they do, it’s good to have these items on hand.

I hope the checklist below will keep your son or daughter on the path to health during their college years too.

“Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.” – 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (ESV)