Going back to school

[Tío Riñon]

I'm looking into returning to college this summer for graduate studies.  If all goes as planned, I'll be attending out of state.  This will be my first time on campus as a dialysis patient.  I'm on PD, so I self-manage my treatment, but am curious if anyone has tips on what and how to request support services from the university.

I will probably be living in the dorms.  Do I ask for a private bath or special disabled facilities?  Where can I store my solutions and other supplies since a dorm room is pretty small?  Should I request a/c to avoid dehydration? 

Any other suggestions about maintaining a "normal" life?  I'm pretty independent, so I don't want to be known as the kidney guy down the hall.

Thanks for any advice!

[tiredandthirsty]

hi,

i don't have any helpful suggestions for your question, but i just wanted to say MAD POWER TO YOU for doing what you are about to do.  way to kick ESRD in the rear end and reaching for your goals. 

keep trucking. 

hope you get everything sorted out quickly without any hassle and hope you are super successful in your studies.

[Riki]

I'd talk to the registrar at the college you're planning to go to.  They may have experience with this already and have suggestions.  Personally, I'd want a private room with my own bathroom if possible.  It's kind of hard to keep things sterile if there someone else in the room all the time

[Lexxtech18]

I agree with Riki. And I'm not sure how small the dorms are (never went to a Uni) but speaking from experience, I had a small apartment (2 bedroom) and it barely held a 2 week stock of solution boxes. So, that may be a bit of a problem for you... I hope you get things all figured out! And yes, kudos to you for not letting ESRD get ya down! Keep us updated.

[Riki]

I was planning on going to university when I was on PD... having to go on hemo screwed that.  The classes that I wanted are all days, and there is no evening shift for dialysis here

[Emerson Burick]

I'd talk to the registrar at the college you're planning to go to.  They may have experience with this already and have suggestions.  Personally, I'd want a private room with my own bathroom if possible.  It's kind of hard to keep things sterile if there someone else in the room all the time

I agree. It's also nice to have your own bathroom on those days when everything you've eaten decides to head for the nearest exit--at the same time.

[SugarBear]

Hey Kidney Uncle, I would like others have suggested and you will have to investigating the school's infrastructure such as age.  Older dorms have limits on the amount of electrical currents they can handle and I'm sure they will have some larger rooms for those in wheelchairs. When I was in school I saw one of these rooms and they were more spacious to allow the wheelchair to move around, which you could use to store supplies. 

All of the dorms had limitations on what could be plugin such as no hot plates, dehydraters, large refrigerators, etc...  There were people who would ask for an exception and were often grant for whatever reason.  I mention this limitation because with a hemo-dialysis machine like NxStage I don't see the school I was attending letting me use it, too much power demand but I don't know how much voltage a PD cycler uses.

Good Luck!

[WishIKnew]

I just have to chime in and say Good For You!  So proud of you for going after what you want!

As for all the details, I'm sure the university has someone whose job it is to make these kinds of arrangements work.  Find that person and ride their shirt tails. 

To bravely go where no man (or few anyway) have gone before!

To strive, to seek, to find and not to yield!

[Tío Riñon]

Thanks for all the well-wishes.  Just wanted to update everyone on the situation.  I contacted the ADA Coordinator at the school.  I was required to submit a form explaining my disability and desired accommodations along with a note from my doctor.  The process is still in progress, but it sounds like I'll be getting a single room and air conditioning (the dorms don't have a/c normally).  I waiting to hear how they plan to provide storage for my supplies and what options are available for me to drain at night and use the "facilities".

The coordinator has been cordial and supportive so far.  It sounds like this is the first time they've dealt with a PD patient, so there will probably be some new pages in the proverbial handbook after this summer.  I'm getting excited to start the adventure.