Navigating Crohn’s & College During a Pandemic

College student Kaitlyn Trevathan shares advice on balancing IBD, school…and everything else going on in the world.

经过莎拉埃利斯 卫生师
Kaitlyn Tevathan.
Courtesy of the subject

Kaitlyn Tevathan.is a 20-year-old Junior majoring in biology at Erskine College in Due West, SC. She recently returned to campus after a summer of quarantining at home with her family, while also adjusting to life after a new Crohn’s diagnosis, which she received on February 3, 2020. We spoke with Kaitlyn about how she has adapted to all of these changes, and what it’s like being a student with a chronic condition right now.

So, you’ve recently started back to school. What has your semester been like so far?

It’s been going well. We have to stay six feet apart, and biology labs are only two hours long now, as opposed to four, because they split the class half and half. Campus wide, they have a temperature check-in each day. We have an app where you select what symptoms, if any, you have that day. Each student without symptoms or a fever receives a sticker that teachers, cafe workers, and coaches check to admit us to things like classes and meals.

Being an athlete is tough–I throw shot put for the track and field team–because we have to wear a mask all the time during practice. But other than that, it has felt like a surprisingly normal campus experience.

告诉我们你的Crohn的旅程以及它如何影响您的大学生活。

我的症状开始了我的新生年度。我去了校园医生，他们告诉我我有结肠癌。所以，在我可以进入一个GI专家的一个月之前，我以为我有癌症，这是可怕的。在我终于诊断出来之前，我每隔一周都回家克罗恩病earlier this year. I’ve never had a semester of college where I’ve gotten to stay at college the whole time.

This year has been great–a few weeks ago, I found out that I’m in microbial remission! Which means my colon is clear, but I still have symptoms. It hasn’t really changed my day-to-day life because I still have to take my medication, do my essential oils (I usedoterra油帮助我的恶心和消化问题），做瑜伽，并尽量保持轻松和平静。但我现在开始能够多吃。我可以吃一个三明治和午餐或晚餐的一面，不觉得我要把它扔到全面，在我在整天都无法保持小吃以外的零食之前。

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我有这个想法从@ucrohn_kahlia # myinvisibleproject Don’t be so quick to judge. Get to know someone before you form your opinions about their lifestyle and choices. I have heard so many things over the past 2 years. I have heard that “your only 19, you shouldn’t have Crohn’s,” or “don’t let your diagnosis consume your life”, “or you don’t look sick” so many times, it blows my mind. Just because I’m at an event or in class dressed up, doesn’t mean I don’t feel like crap on the inside. When I cancel on you, I genuinely want to be there but cannot get out of bed. You’re right, on any given day, I may not look sick, but if I forget to take any of my meds in the morning, it is a struggle for me to make it through my day. You may see me for a few minutes a day or once a week, but you don’t see me when I’m in my bed, curled up in pain from a flare up. My point is, not every illness or disability is visible to the naked eye. You don’t know everyone’s story or what they are going through. Don’t judge or assume things about other people’s life. Instead, try to support them in any way you can and be kind. People may look normal on the outside like me, but on the inside they are fighting a battle against their own body every single day.

A post shared byKaitlyn’s Crohns Adventures(@trusting.my.gut) on

自从你回到校园后，你感到担心你的Covid-19风险吗？你做了什么来保持安全？

I switched to an apartment this year on campus, so I live with three girls and we share a bathroom. We sometimes have specific friends over whom we know are taking COVID seriously, and we’ll ask them, “Are you symptom free? Did you get cleared by a temperature check?” We all have to feel comfortable before we decide to let them come in. Once they leave, we normally spray everything with disinfectant and do all the dishes.

Because my Crohn’s symptoms put me at higher risk for COVID complications, I have to go to a separate location on campus to get my temperature checked, which is kind of inconvenient. But it’s worth it in the end, for safety reasons.

我知道你搬进了校园住房，第一次与你的室友一起生活。你是如何与她谈论你的病情的谈话？

我的两个室友也是我的队友，所以他们已经了解了前几年我要做的事情。我的另一个室友是一个随机匹配的。在她签名之前，我通过电子邮件发送给她，“我们希望您成为我们的室友。但是，我希望你知道我确实有克罗恩的疾病。它影响了我的整个消化道，所以我得到溃疡，真的很恶心，呕吐和其他症状。这就是这意味着什么，如果你不想和我们一起空间，我完全得到它，但这就是我的生命。“

She was like, “That’s cool, thanks for telling me!” It hasn’t caused a problem yet. I don’t normally tell people my whole life story up front, but from a roommate standpoint, it helped us be able to open up quickly and start that friendship.

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Let’s talk college roommates! • • This year I am living with two teammates in my apartment, but the girl in my room (the one pictured) was a random roommate that none of us had ever met. And let me tell you, being open and telling her from the beginning that I have Crohn’s and what that means has really helped our relationship over the summer while trying to get to know each other. I know it can be hard to share, but if she’s going to live with you, she’s going to find out. Telling her early on, before moving in allowed us to open up with each other and really get to have some amazing conversations before ever meeting in person. • • I was diagnosed while at college and this was the first time I have had to tell someone new that I wasn’t already friends with, but I am so thankful I did. If you are a freshman in college, the best advise I can give you is to be open with your roommate(s).

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你的年龄的人倾向于误解克罗恩的东西是什么？

我去了两年没有诊断，而第一年我有症状，很多人认为我可能会吃饮食障碍。我在一个学期中丢失了大约30磅的速度，从无法持有食物。

但现在我已经被诊断出来了，了解我的克罗恩，我的大多数朋友都想知道它。当我不能因为我的情况而做某事时，他们非常了解并想了解更多关于它是什么以及它对我意味着什么。

Do you have any life hacks or tips that have helped you navigate this transition with Crohn’s?

Eat healthy! Also, I find a friend in every class who is a good note-taker. I’ll tell them, “Hey, I have Crohn’s disease, so I have to go to the bathroom a lot, and there are days when I can’t get out of bed. If I ever text you for notes, can I count on you to send me good notes?”

早期与你的教授交谈。你要错过课堂;这是不可避免的。我很幸运，我的教授非常了解并愿意帮助。当我生病时，他们会造成一个原谅的缺席，即使我没有医生的纸条。

我也在一个与IBD的一群大学生的团队聊天，人们拥有各种各样的住宿为自己设置。有些教授不允许您在课堂上去洗手间，他们将在他们可以去的地方进行住宿。他们有一个个人便条，就像TA或学生助手一样，他们生病时会为他们带来笔记。

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“We are students who are IBD warriors and we stand together! We’re trained for this” • • Today is World IBD day. A day to raise awareness for things like Crohns and Colitis. However it can also be a day to celebrate. This sounds weird, and a year ago I probably would not have said this, but part of me is thankful I was diagnosed with Crohns Disease. I have met some of the most amazing people from around the world because we share something in common, we all have IBD. • • About a month ago @youngibd created a groupchat of teenagers/young adults with IBD. Before them, I was so lost and felt like nobody understood me, however they remind me every day that I am not alone and that people understand. If you saw any of us pictured above on a normal day, you would not be able to see the constant pain we are in or the fear of a random flare popping up that we live with; you would see a 16-25 year old enjoying life and hanging out with their friends. • • The medical definition of Crohn’s disease is, “a chronic inflammatory bowel disease that affects the lining of the digestive tract. Crohn's disease can sometimes cause life-threatening complications.” This digestive tract includes anything from you mouth to the anus. It is an invisible illness that doctors cannot cure, but can treat the symptoms of. When someone has Crohn’s they may suffer from •”Pain areas: in the abdomen, joints, lower abdomen, or rectum •Pain types: can be mild or severe •Gastrointestinal: bloating, bowel obstruction, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, or flatulence •Whole body: fatigue, fever, or loss of appetite •Anal: fissures or bleeding •Also common: cramping, depression, flare, mouth ulcer, slow growth, or weight loss • • None of these are symptoms are visible to the naked eye, but that doesn’t make them any less real. A lot of us that have a separate account try to keep our posts positive, but what you don’t see a lot of is the agonizing pain, the crying over canceling plans you looked forward to, the relationships and friendships lost because “your disease is too much to handle.” You also don’t see the mental struggle that comes with not being able to eat foods you have eaten your whole life.

A post shared byKaitlyn’s Crohns Adventures(@trusting.my.gut) on

你是IBD学生团体聊天吗？挺酷的！

Yes! In April of this year, I made an Instagram account purely for Crohn’s because I had been finding people through the social media community. I wanted a page where I could share my journey to help pay it forward, as well as see what other people are doing. One of the girls I met through there, we clicked very fast and decided to make a GroupMe for other students with IBD, so we can share advice and encouragement. It started as 10 people, and now we have 50, ranging from freshmen in high school to seniors in college or just out of college.

It’s great. On结肠镜检查准备日，有人会说，“嘿，我要经过准备，任何人都有一些鼓励吗？”每个人都会把那个人抬起来说，“喝一根稻草，吃一些冰，吃冰棍，你有这个。”我喜欢它。我们甚至没有人见面。

如果有人读到这是希望加入的，请致电My Crohn的帐户@trusting.my.gut在Instagram上，我会加你！

任何其他智慧的智慧为年轻人导航克罗恩的诊断？

一天一次。很差劲,真的s, but it gets better. You’re going to have your down days–but at the end of the day, it’s still your life. Own it. Your Crohn’s disease doesn’t own you.

This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.

莎拉埃利斯
遇见我们的作家
莎拉埃利斯

Sarah Ellis是一种健康和文化作家，他们涵盖了从避孕机会到健身趋势的慢性健康状况。她最初来自纳什维尔，田纳西州，目前居住在纽约。她已经为Elite每日，伟大的学者，Mindbodygreen和其他人写了写作。当她没有写作时，莎拉喜欢跑步，素食食物，充分利用她的图书馆卡。

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