<p>Red cups are giving me nightmares as I prepare to send D1 off to college. It really is a jungle out there.</p>
<p>ha HA! The OP said infirmary.</p>
<p>corranged and Booklady, does that go for the day after drinking? I’m usually the designated driver for my friends, so I’ve had to play nurse the day afterwards as well, so this would be something good to know in the future.</p>
<p>I just remembered another life saver that found its way into my first aid kit. Allergy medication. Just because you’re not allergic to anything at home doesn’t mean you won’t be allergic 500 miles away!</p>
<p>ebeeeee, I understand, just try not to get too worried if you see some in various pictures on facebook. ;)</p>
<p>Sally, did you go to my alma mater? I didn’t realize that the pregnancy/STD/mono diagnosis was universal, I thought it only happened at MY school!</p>
<p>I certainly had hoped that those days were long gone, and I’m a little surprised to see that they’re not. </p>
<p>I second the first aid kit. I also included a tick remover, because panicky teenagers can be pretty inept with a tweezers.</p>
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<p>That depends on how long after the drinking you take the pain reliever, and whether or not you’re planning on doing any more drinking later that day! </p>
<p>[Combining</a> Tylenol, alcohol can result in serious consequences](<a href=“http://www.olemiss.edu/news/dm/archives/97/9710/971006/971006N2alcohol.HTML]Combining”>http://www.olemiss.edu/news/dm/archives/97/9710/971006/971006N2alcohol.HTML)</p>
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<p>Regarding the red cups - I’ve always told my children never to drink out of ANY cup that they’ve put down at a party. Even water bottles at a concert, if they leave it somewhere, buy a new one. It’s just not worth the risk of drugs OR of picking up someone elses cup/bottle by mistake.</p>
<p>RR,
Ha…I never look at facebook. In general, I don’t think parents should. Back when the dinosaurs roamed the earth and I was in college we figured what our parents didn’t know couldn’t hurt them.<br>
Now it seems there is WAY too much information.</p>
<p>all college kids should know how to access care in the middle of the night. I learned this the hard way this last year when I got the 3 am phone call from my sobbing 20 year old daughter. She had severe abdominal pain , no money was in the dorm in DC and didnt want to wake anyone up because it was exam time. I had to go on line and find out what her school suggested she do. Luckily it was all online and public safety brought her a cab voucher and she took a cab to the ER where she was found to have a small bowel obstruction and required emergency surgery. She now has $20 in her purse at all times as her emergency cab fare. They should all know their health history, have an insurance card and know the phone numbers of any physicians they see normally.</p>
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<p>Smart thinking.</p>
<p>When my oldest D went off to college, she warned my D to always get her own drink and to never leave her drink alone at a party or in a bar. I thought she was being very paranoid. But it turns out that things have gotten a little rougher than when I was last in school in the mid 80s.</p>
<p>Yup, cab fare smart idea. When I was growing up, it was “always have a dime to call home.” :)</p>
<p>Tell them that the RA’s are PAID to be there for them in the dorms. That is their JOB! Wake them up, no matter what time of night or the emergency. They are trained on what to do.</p>
<p>My D had a gastrointestinal infection last year, and thank goodness her bf, her best friend and the RA all came to her aid in the middle of the night and she was taken over to the ER by the campus emergency crew and they all sat with her until they got it resolved appropriately.</p>
<p>On an unrelated level: Eat right, sleep right, and DONT binge drink are the best advice to all kids. Though that is hard to drill into the heads of 18 year olds going off on their own for the first time and wanting to “be accepted by dorm mates.”</p>
<p>If you do go to student health or the ER and are prescribed any type of medication, let your roommate know-just in case you should have a reaction to medication. You never know what might be prescribed or how you will react to it esp since Drs treating you are not your regular physicians. Medication can affect everyone in different ways.</p>
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I’m sure if she called the local police or campus security, they would have been happy to bring her to the ER. I know that my college’s police have brought students to the hospital when they don’t require medical care in an ambulance but nevertheless can’t (or shouldn’t) walk to the hospital. This would only work if the hospital is on campus or within the patrol area, but that’s the case at many universities. It’s a good thing to keep in mind. The police, especially campus police, are there to help.</p>
<p>In addition to letting roommates know if you are prescribed a new medication, it might also be a good idea to let your roommate know where to find the following information–allergies, contact #s for parents, medications you are taking. If you don’t want to reveal some of that information, you can put it somewhere and let the roommate know where it is (on a card somewhere, programmed in your cell phone, etcl). </p>
<p>S is going to school in a reportedly “rough” area. As a small town kid, he is somewhat apprehensive about it. I’ve tried to tell him that the most important thing is to keep his wits about him and look around him. When you’re walking to your dorm, especially at night but even in the day, look forward and behind you. Be aware of your surroundings. If something doesn’t look right, know where else you can go (back to where you came from, to another building/place where there are people). If you are walking alone at night where there aren’t a lot of people, do not wear your ipod. Keep your ears open. </p>
<p>Remember that if you leave something somewhere, even if for only a few moments, it will be gone (ipod, cell phone, laptop, wallet, flash drive, backpack, textbooks-they are really valuable). </p>
<p>Even jokingly offered to add a pack of condoms to one of our shopping trips. S responded that they have them in all the bathrooms on campus–ouch.</p>
<p>Hit post too soon. </p>
<p>Another thing is to have your kid program the # of the local cab company into their cell phone. If they are somewhere late and can’t get a ride home, they should know how to get a cab in additional having the fare available for emergencies. Somehow taking a cab is a big deal to most kids, and I’ve always said I’d be happy for them to spend $5-10 for a safe ride home, whether it’s because it’s late or if they’ve been drinking or the weather is bad or they just don’t feel comfortable.</p>