Living on Campus With a Chronic Pain Condition

Happy Friday!!

I hope you are all doing well. The best thing about today is that it is Friday! I had two classes this morning and didn't have to work which means I started my weekend early (yay!!). Before I go take a little nap, I wanted to write about the benefits of living on campus and how to do that with a chronic pain condition.

For many the prospective of leaving the comfort of home terrifies them. Throw in a chronic pain condition and that anxiety can go through the roof. Most people who have chronic pain also believe that they simply cant go to college. They tend to get this idea from the people around them. Keeping our minds busy actually helps distract us from the pain and keeps the areas of the brain active that can become permanently damaged from the pain if they aren't used.

Tips to Succeeding with Chronic Pain Conditions:

1) When you are on the tour of the college ask many questions. This may be about how big the campus is, about their Disability Services, how accessible things are, ect.
2) Talk to the Dean of the Field you are going into. This is important to do on the tour portion. You don't want to go to a college and then find out that the Dean isn't going to help you if you required accommodations. As a Nursing Student and someone who has RSD with a SCS implanted I know I will need accommodations when I do clinicals. Talking to the Dean, let her know this in advance. that I will not be able to lift patients due to my SCS but will be able to trade off and do something else in place of it.
3) Choose a major that YOU want to do. Many people may believe that physically or mentally you may not be able to handle a certain major. The best major to pick is what you love and what you are interested in.
4) Become familiar with the Disabilities Office Early. Having accommodations is leveling the "playing field" for us who need it. They are there to help you, so take advantage of it. The earlier you set your accommodations up (usually a couple weeks before school starts, you usually only have to do it once) the better. The school is able to get the paper work out to your Professors and set up the accommodations you need. I have accommodations and take full advantage of them, especially since my pain gets worse in the winter months.

Living On Campus:

In addition to what is above here are tips to living on campus.

1) I recommend living with a roommate. There are medical singles available at some colleges and also regular singles. I believe though that living with someone helps you become more social and helps you learn to live with someone else.
2) Get out and enjoy Campus Life! There is so much to do on campus depending on where you go to college you just have to find whats going on. If you are going to college where you don't know anyone then go and mingle at the Activities Fair, Join a Club, ect. The more you get involved the more people you will meet.
3) Stay on campus a few weekends: The last college I went to almost everyone went home on the weekends and this one people pretty much stay. Staying on campus a few weekends will help strengthen the bond between you and your new friends plus it will make you less home-sick.
4) Bring Comforts From Home: I know many of us with chronic pain have a hard time sleeping and well add a dorm bed and it makes it worse. Bringing a mattress topper, sheets and blankets where you like the touch and color will help tremendously.
5) Decorate: My room at school and room at home look nothing alike. In a dorm it may seem hard to put your own creative touches to the room when your not allowed to paint and nails and pretty much a no. I love to get peel and stick wall decorations from either the Dollar Store or Family Dollar. Each year I get different ones so my room is different every year. I also bring pictures of my family, boyfriend, friends, and dog. To make it feel like the space is mine.
6) The best thing about living on campus is that if you need to nap then you can nap. You are able to rest, do homework, pretty much anything between classes without having to drive. I love my 5-10 min walk to class each morning especially since I don't have to fight over a parking space.

If you are not able to attend college, doing puzzles, sudoku, and / or reading are great ways to keep your mind distracted from the pain of RSD, Fribro, ect. and keeping the brain active.

Being Labeled as "Sick"

When someone is searching for a diagnosis for their chronic pain or they are already diagnosed they are automatically labeled a "patient". When someone is labeled a patient they get this mindset that they are sick. Normally when someone goes to the Doctor they are truly sick. The definition of being sick is your body's immune response fighting against bacteria that either causes pneumonia, influenza, the common cold, ect.


People who are being treated for their chronic pain feel like they get into a rut. Once you get into the unending Doctor's appointments and daily medications you do truly feel sick. It gets to the point that people wonder if its ever going to end and if a depression starts this feeling of "sick" gets ingrained even more.



A lot of those who have Chronic Pain there family and friends tend to "baby" or not expect much out of them. This leaves them in the patient or sick roll. With Chronic Pain especially RSD it is hard to do everything you want or need to do. For those with advanced RSD family members may have to assist them with their daily activities. Even those with less advanced RSD many family members may see that their sister, daugher, loved one; is not able to do what they once were able and get the "sick" or patient mindset.




I have never thought myself as sick. I have RSD but I am not sick. RSD is a dysfunction of the nervous system. We may not feel well at times due to our pain but we can still enjoy ourselves. We can love our lives and have Chronic Pain. Thanks to medical advances people with pain both acute and chronic are living more full filling lives.