<p>Hi, I am new to this board, although I have been reading lots of threads here.</p>
<p>My S is a junior at the top public HS in our state. We are looking for LAC(prefer instate) or UC's that will accomodate a gluten free diet(no wheat barely or rye or anything made or contaminated with them.) that is medically necessary for Celiac disease. He also has diabetes type 1. Do any of you know of schools that are willing to cook a diet this restrictive so he can go away to a four year school. He has local California schools on his list, but is also iinterested in LAC's like Lewis and Clark or Linfield.
He has a psat of 216 and SAT of 2160(740 Verbal, 700 math, 720 writing. He has a GPA somewhere in the 3.1 to 3.5 range unwaited, Has Honors English and AP's( doing well with A's and B's, us history, psych, statistics, english) three this year, two next year. We had planned to apply to Santa Clara which is close by, and near by UC's(B and SC) with the hope that he would either live at home, so he can eat, or we could take his meals over a couple times a month. Currently our other son who has Celiac too is at UCSC, and we make most of his meals, he does limited food prep in his tiny kitchen. Our chief concerns are that our son will have much to adjust to with just being a freshman, diabetes is a full time job 24/7 and he has done an exceptional job there, we don't want that to slide down, adding meal prep, shopping and planning to this seems too much for the first year.</p>
<p>Welcome sweetkidsmom! I have a diabetic child who will be going away to school this fall, so familiar with those worries and issues. My niece, who is not diabetic but has celiac disease, is heading off to college as well. They are currently making final visits, with meetings with food service. I will let you know what they find out.</p>
<p>once you decide on colleges, it may be a good idea to call and talk to the dietician. My son has milk and nuts allergy and before we made the final decision, we did have a talk. It seems that now most schools are aware of dietary restrictions due to medical reasons and are willing to accomodate special needs.</p>
<p>One of my friends with Celiac's managed quite well at Tufts; another has severe food allergies and managed well at Framingham State.</p>
<p>Both of them made finding a campus with a lot of options, who were able to do special meal prep, a REQUIREMENT in college search. They didn't just say, "Oh, this campus is nice, I hope they will accomodate me," so much as immediately crossing off a college that didn't help them. FSC is a very small school which is used to accomodating people with food allergies; Tufts is larger but does not outsource their dining. They are also good about cooking things on a separate grill or getting cereals straight from the box.</p>
<p>EZDUZZIT: I am looking forward to hearing back from you. Please let me know how it goes with your child too. I am relieved we still have another year with our S at home.</p>
<p>I am thinking about calling some of the schools dietary people to see what they are open to. Haven't called any yet. </p>
<p>Funny about the cereals, its the one aisle we avoid, malt flavoring is from barley. But we get GF cereals from other sources.</p>
<p>A friend's S is at Stanford, and the university has been able to accommodate his gluten-free dietary needs without any problems. And he says the food's quite good and varied.</p>
<p>I am very familiar with the gluten-free diet, and my daughter who has a severe milk allergy (not a lactose intolerance!!!) is currently a freshman at Case Western Reserve Univ in Cleveland, OH.</p>
<p>Some things to keep in mind: Schools often change the company that provides food service...just because the food service manager this year says that they are willing to work with your son, do not assume that the same company will be around next year!!! Maybe check to see how long of a contract the school has with a food provider?--not sure if they will tell you...</p>
<p>Try to find a school that provides freshly-made meals instead of reheated frozen meals...They are more likely to be able to understand the requirements of a gluten-free diet. Gluten and milk products are both used freely as fillers in many prepared foods, which makes these allergens difficult to avoid. My daughter has enjoyed the food at Case because the food is freshly made. They have great salad bars, fresh fruit, and vegies--they even have soy milk for her breakfast. Some schools also offer made-to-order omelets and stir-fry. </p>
<p>I know at Case they had found a supplier of wheat-free bread for one of the students...I am not sure if the bakery truly was gluten-free (anyone that knows about food allergies understands that using the same equipment to mix wheat flour, and then later wheat-free flour, subjects the dough to allergens...) but they did mention that they had worked with the parents. With more students having food-related allergies, I think that food service people are more knowledgeable than a few years ago, but they might need to be further educated about the gluten-free diet...</p>
<p>I am not sure how sensitive your son is to gluten...I know celiac patients must avoid all gluten but will he have a drastic reaction if he is exposed to the tiniest amount? or is the damage to his intestines something that will continue but that he might not be aware of? Would the college need to have special pans for his food to prevent contamination???</p>
<p>Consider stocking your son with goodies that he can snack on: gluten-free cereal and noodles etc. Check to see if there is a local health food store close to campus where he can restock. College kids love to snack, and it would be best if he had food that he could snack on so he does not feel left out--plus college kids really do care about each other and are willing to learn about other kids special needs. My daughter's friends at college go out of their way to make snacks that she can have---even though she doesn't want special treatment!</p>
<p>As much as possible I would recommend letting your son decide what he is capable of...Is he mature in handling his diet now or does he need more time? After college he will be on his own handling his health issues...If you show confidence in his ability to handle them now he will feel your support.</p>
<p>My son who has diabetes is a college junior. You might want to talk with the college's Office for Disabilities about your needs. My son's school allows refrigerators in the dorm but no microwaves; I hoped to receive a waiver but was refused. I was very worried freshman year but it all worked out. In retrospect, it would've been helpful if his school had dorms with suites and kitchenettes; he lived in the dorms for two years.</p>
<p>I think some schools will let you be off the meal plan if the dining hall does not mesh with your needs. So you could consider that he not do a meal plan as another alternative. Though not everyone'd be up for that!</p>
<p>This has been a nice experience, posting about our s's GF diet and college. Thanks to all of you for taking time out to post a response.I'm feeling better about this, and my s is looking a little more at ease too.</p>
<p>all of the above advice jells with what my niece learned on her final visits. A really small school might not have enough dining options for your son, like made-to-order food and many veg options. My niece's chosen school (medium size) will not allow her to keep anything homemade in their freezer but they are a little more flexible on store bought stuff. The dorm has kitchenettes on each floor where she could keep her own toaster, and there are combination fridge/micros you can rent for the room. She was thrilled to find a Whole Foods just down the street.</p>
<p>Are you involved with a support group in your area? My sis has found hers to be a great source of info. She is aiming for "best available", in the hopes of having a great college experience as well as continued good health for her D. </p>
<p>I know as a parent of a diabetic child that I'm having a terrible time with so much that will be out of my control. I will be a basket case next fall, I'm sure.</p>
<p>Best of luck to your son. I so admire these kids for all they accomplish in spite of these challenges.</p>
<p>My DD is also a diabetic who will be going away this Fall. Another concern is that she have a roommate or suitemate or two or three who can make sure she wakes up in the case her sugar goes too low during the night...I had the endocrinologist write a letter to this effect to the school and I will also inquire about a refrigerator for her room...fortunately the children's hospital is only two blocks away and has a good pediatrics diabetes program</p>
<p>Saintofme -- My junior college S is diabetic. Based on his dorm experience, I think a microwave would be useful too -- for Ramen soup, popcorn as a snack, Easy Mac. His frosh dorm had a cafeteria in it which thrilled me but at last minute they assigned him to dorm quite a distance from nearest cafteria. I was upset but it did work out ok in the end. He had a roommate the first two years and part of the third; now he rents an off campus studio apt by himself and will do so next year. Again, it's worked out ok even though I was hesitant about the arrangement.</p>
<p>Another thing to consider is does the food service stay open all day? At some schools they close the cafeteria after the breakfast rush, the lunch rush, and the dinner rush...sometimes they will reopen it in the evening for snacks, but with a diabetic, it seems to me that it would be very important that the student have access to the cafeteria whenever they want...just because they stayed after class, they should still be able to grab a meal...not all schools have that nice of an arrangement...</p>
<p>Kosha -- Hours of food service are an important consideration. Even though frosh year my son's cafeteria was not nearby, a brand new cafe with snacks and light food was adjacent to his dorm. The cafe was open late. Can't remember if he could use his meal plan points there or not. Also his school is in an urban area and the downtown area is not too far away in the event he missed meals at the school cafeterias. Plus most school dorms have vending machines -- not always healthy snacks though.</p>
<p>I wish there were some way for the school to match up diabetic kids with students who have some experience with the disease- after living for 17 years with two diabetic brothers, I'd be quite at home with a diabetic roommate. I'm guessing it might also give parents some peace of mind knowing that their kid's roommate has an understanding of what their child needs to stay safe and healthy.</p>
<p>You should realize that universisties are not legally required to provide for specific diets: food allergies are not considered a disability. However, almost every university can and will accommodate with information and products. Food courts prevalent at many schools provide quite a large variety of options. You must be sure to speak with food service manager and/or food service dietician at the school about special needs, and they will advise you about how their food options can work for the required diet.</p>
<p>Thanks for the good advice about the microwave. My DD is going to attend Penn. Maybe I should ask for her roommate to be a nursing student. It could be a great experiential learning process in a way. Fortunately there are a lot of food establishments nearby including a 24 hour diner but I wouldn't want her out by herself late at night in that neighborhood.</p>
<p>Saintofme - fridges are definitely allowed in Penn dorm rooms. I'm not 100% sure that microwaves are allowed by themselves, but you can definitely rent a fridge/microwave combo through the university for the school year. This is also a convenient option if you don't want to deal with transporting and storing it over the summer.</p>
<p>There's a 24hour supermarket right on the edge of campus as well, which provides somewhat better food than the Philly diner.</p>
<p>I understand your concern about the area around campus late at night, and there do seem to have been several robberies lately, but I've never personally felt unsafe in the area. Also, it's not usually too hard to find people willing to go on a Freshgrocer trip at any time of night, and if you want to be extra safe the university provides walking escorts at night.</p>
<p>To the OP - I really sympathise with your S! My Mum is a celiac and one of my close friends is diabetic, and she struggled a bit trying to eat regularly during her freshman year. Maybe you could look for somewhere that has a co-op type program where they use locally sourced products (and might be more discerning about their cooking practices) or, if your S is OK with doing some of his own food preparation, maybe look for colleges where students can opt for a communal living type dorm, where the residents prepare food together. They do exist, but I'm not sure how many of them are open to freshmen.</p>
<p>Oh yes, and since Celiac is actually an auto-immune disorder (different from <em>just</em> an allergy?), I would think that it might carry more weight when requesting special treatment, especially with the additional complications from the diabetes.</p>
<p>Elizabeth -- How generous of you -- since you have 2 diabetic brothers -- to be willing to room with someone with diabetes. That would certainly make me, the mom, feel great but I know my rebel S would not feel likewise!!</p>
<p>For those of you with diabetic kids going to college, a few hints:
-- File a Rx for diabetic supplies with a pharmacy near college at time
of move in. We do this every year and it's always worked out well
even though some stuff is bought here at home when S is home.
-- If your child is on the pump, make sure s/he has some syringes for
backup in case of emergency. Darling son called in middle of night
from LA saying his waterproof pump stopped working after time in
the hot tub & he did NOT have syringes. He also did not have tel
number for pediatric endocrinologist here & was panic stricken. It all
worked out fine by calling the MD who called a 24 hr pharmacy. His
blood sugar numbers were a bit higher for 24 hours but he learned
how to deal with such an emergency and come through it okay.</p>