Low energy kids in college

<p>Wow–getting tuition and fees refund sounds awesome! Wish that were a common thing but have not heard if it happening before.</p>

<p>Just want to add that although we are obviously grateful consumers of mainstream medicine (insulin and other meds have saved lives in our family, every day), an issue like “low energy” can sometimes be investigated by an alternative, integrative, or functional medicine (whatever you want to call it) MD or DO, chiropractor, acupuncturist, Reiki, nutritionist, yoga and Tai Chi etc.</p>

<p>Our primary care MD recommended a functional medicine doc who recommended going off a lot of foods and then “challenging them” by trying to go back on each food, one at a time. This resulted in my daughter removing dairy and gluten from her diet, which resolved a lot of inflammation. Also they can test for yeast, and do a 24 hours saliva test for adrenal function. These tests can be followed up with mainstream testing, but can point in that direction, and sometimes show things that don’t come up in other testing.</p>

<p>I used to be a skeptic but some alternative approaches really do seem to help. It can be hard to find the time with other stuff going on. If I could pick one thing for low energy, it might be dietary changes-?</p>

<p>My daughter is an introvert who has struggled with depression and needs to sleep on a pretty strict schedule. She asked to be put in a quiet dorm and apparently got one. Her roommate also sounds like a quiet type, so I think this will be a good match.</p>

<p>I wouldn’t call her low energy, though; as long as she is well-rested (no all-nighters for her) she has plenty of energy. She can’t handle being around loud people for very long, though, so I hope this dorm really is as low-key as they say.</p>

<p>I am also the mom of a t1 diabetic. S will be entering college in a few weeks. I’m kind of a wreck about the whole thing, but so far, things with his college seem positive. The office of disabilities has been good about asking what he needs and communicating with him about necessary paperwork. He also got an email from the head of food services with a lot of good information. And the dr at the health services was very nice to me when I emailed. He answered my questions and did not call me a helicopter mom, even tho I was clearly hovering.</p>

<p>I remember in the first months my daughter had a low that made it hard to walk across campus in time to make class, so she was late. And her pump tubing clogged another time, so she got too high overnight, vomited, and missed class. And her pump stopped working entirely a few months later: she was at a party and a bunch of techies tried to help to no avail. </p>

<p>She still gets up herself one or two times a night, to check her blood sugars, which can affect her rest, but keeps her safe.</p>

<p>The main thing she wanted, in terms of accommodations, was simply that her lateness or absence or fatigue not be misinterpreted.</p>

<p>compmom,</p>

<p>That last line is jaw-droppingly true! That’s what I want, as well. I feel like I’m a whiner (ok, maybe I am) but when I go over the litany of things that my son is dealing with (T1, vision disability, hearing loss, depression, adhd, low energy, tendency towards dehydration), it would be comical if it weren’t real life. We are often late for appointments. Sometimes it’s cause my son can’t get out of bed. Often it’s diabetes related. Occasionally, it’s due to fatigue from dehydration. I am glad some people seem to understand.</p>

<p>HImom, I <em>love</em> the idea of my son seeing the Us doctor for a complete understanding of my son’s conditions. We can bring all the documentation from the various docs (endo, psych, ENT, ped, etc), so they know what they’re dealing with.</p>

<p>Do you all find local doctors for your kids? I would think my son would need an endo. We have good insurance (as of now) but I didn’t yet get local docs for my oldest who’ll be a soph. in college.</p>

<p>compmom, I would <em>love</em> for my son to get tested and to adjust his diet but he’ll not agree to it right now. He was on a severely restricted diet for the first 8 years of his life as he had severe food sensitivities. I’ve pulled him back off of dairy but would love to explore no gluten, yeast, etc. I suppose I could approach it again but last time I did, he was emphatic about not giving up his fav. foods. (He loves food with wheat in it) I guess he feels he’s gone through enough and he doesn’t want to be deprived anymore.</p>

<p>One battle at a time, I guess…</p>

<p>Actually, years ago before diabetes, he was seeing a DO who was taking him through the process of getting rid of his dairy and gluten sensitivities but we never finished the process-lots of $$…</p>

<p>13th floor, hang in there and definitely share here if you need support. There is another thread floating around about T1 kids in college. Maybe a google search will turn it up.</p>

<p>Massmom, a quiet room would probably be a must for my son.</p>

<p>Each of my kids was seen by 3 internists at the med school campus that has a free shuttle bus connecting it with the undergrad campus. All the docs promised to be available to my kids. One of the docs who saw D recommended a specialist she thought could help D but D waited until she was having severe stamina issues before contacting that doc about 4 years later. He was very helpful. </p>

<p>It reassured me knowing that the med records were available and they each had 3 docs they had met who would be willing to see them. We came to campus about a week prior to school starting so they could see the docs and meet the head of disabilities.</p>

<p>I did try getting the kids to restrict diets but they rebelled, so I gave up after a brief and not very helpful trial.</p>

<p>Hey, just bumping this thread to find out how everyone’s doing with their low energy/T1 kids.</p>

<p>We are heading into college applications and still wrestling with these issues, still wondering if college will happen.</p>

<p>Were any of your kids scared/unsure about college? My son doesn’t want to “be behind” but he’s not sure he’s ready. We’re talking about a gap year. I still like the idea of 3 classes a semester, but still wondering how that works as far as need-based aid.</p>

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<p>Full time student status for financial aid purposes is commonly defined at 12 credit units in the semester or quarter (check each school’s web site). This may be 3 courses if each course is 4 credit units, or 4 courses if each course is 3 credit units.</p>

<p>However, 12 credit units per semester or quarter will typically mean that 10 semesters or 15 quarters are needed to graduate if the student does not use useful credit from AP or college courses taken while in high school.</p>

<p>It might be too early to worry about his energy levels in college. You don’t say what age but that he has at least two years left of high school. There is a tremendous amount of maturity happening between 15 and 18. </p>

<p>My eldest always needed more sleep than average. She’s an introvert… not shy at all. Loves company and energetic when in school and activities. Absolutely must have large amounts of solitude to recharge. It was at it’s worst from about 13.5 to 15.5 but by 16, she’d really turned a corner in taking care of her herself. She started to seek out healthy food alternatives, watches her iron levels (she’s not fully anemic but prone low iron and it makes her drag.) She started to exercise on her own in moderation, going to sleep at 10 so she could get at least 9 hours (which is the lowest I’ve ever seen her able to maintain during her life.) Her ability to cope when in a draining environment grew and she became much better at delaying her immediate need for solitude without falling apart. She just really got to know herself and what she needed.</p>

<p>I can’t say if your son will follow the same pattern but most kids really do grow immensely during this time. While he may not seem ready to leaving for college at this second, he will grow and some of your worries and frustrations will be totally moot. I’m not saying to ignore the issues you see but keep in mind that his ability to adapt and cope will develop and what he needs physically in regards to sleep may change a bit as he grows up.</p>

<p>sbjdorlo I will PM you. If a reduced courseload is due to documented disabilities and the school agrees to it, there is no effect on financial aid. A student can often do part-time work as part of a continuing education program too, or community college. There are many ways to go.</p>

<p>Make sure to get tuition refund insurance if relevant. Make sure to register with the disabilities office. Your son will have to do much of this himself. Often a dean will be the main contact once there.</p>

<p>In terms of roommate or single room, type 1 poses the extra concern that our kids might have a bad low while alone with the door shut. My daughter made the decision to take this risk due to her other health issues requiring quiet and rest. She is now going to Europe for 2 years, for a master’s, after taking 6 years to graduate. </p>

<p>The anxiety is tough but we have to let them go, each step of the way. I remember the first time my daughter went on a bus w/school w/out me or a nurse. Now I watch her get on a plane for Europe.</p>

<p>I am grateful for this thread and all the good suggestions. </p>

<p>My D starts college this week. She is insulin resistant with other endocrine, autoimmune and anxiety issues thrown in the mix. Extreme fatigue and other illnesses are common problems. She had to take a gap year in HS due to health problems so I’m really anxious about college.</p>

<p>I’m especially anxious because instead of opting for a school with a major medical center, her doctors and home nearby, D choose a small school in a rural area over 7 hours away. The campus is huge and spread out. The school also has a strict attendance policy. Writing this makes me think that D and I lost our minds during the college selection process! </p>

<p>On the positive side, it is a very nurturing community. The school has “care committees” set up to monitor and assist students like her. And, D will be in a great centrally located dorm with a roommate (she didn’t want a single) who shares some of her health issues. Most of her classes are early in the morning. Her plan is to nap afterward while her roommate is in class. So far, the school has been wonderfully accommodating. I hope it continues because it may be the key to her success. </p>

<p>The comment regarding limitations really struck a chord with me. D is more ambitious than her body permits which has created problems in the past. I think she is finally coming to terms with her limitations and the need to pace herself. </p>

<p>I will be holding my breath, worrying, and praying it all works out! I’m glad I’m not alone! </p>

<p>Wow, compmom, that’s encouraging!! My son was just saying, after talking to someone at Cal Poly SLO, that he didn’t want to do a program that requires study abroad as apparently at least one program there does. What a difference six years makes! We were just reading an article in the WSJ about late blooming teen boys. We’re still not sure how to address all the issues, but it’s comforting somehow to know we’re not alone in our challenges.</p>

<p>tutletiime, my son is now 17 and beginning his senior year next week with three classes at the local community college (for full time status of 13 units). He is very concerned about the load, and thus, so are we. I think he’s capable, but the low energy combined with slow processing makes things nebulous. He’s had good success so far at the CC, but math is his nemesis, and he’s attempting pre-calculus for the third time, having dropped it twice before. </p>

<p>We just were at the disability office and he got extra accommodations of calculator use during tests, but we both agreed that low energy, slow processing and memory are still unaddressed. Diabetes, vision, and math are all addressed, though, so that is a start. He’s just rolling out of bed right now, at 1:49 pm, so we are far from finding a solution. I know he’s in summer mode, having finished both his summer job and summer chamber music program and he will need to be getting up for his college classes earlier.</p>

<p>This semester will be sort of a litmus test, but he’s not feeling too confident…</p>

<p>I did not know that if a student has a documented disability that would cause them to need to do part time school that it won’t affect financial aid. This is huge. I don’t know if his disabilities would qualify him for that, but I guess I can look into it.sting</p>

<p>I still feel like there’s a piece of the puzzle missing. My friends have suggested further thyroid testing, so that’s next on the medical agenda.</p>

<p>Overtheedge, do you mean your D is T2 diabetic? T2s don’t absorb insulin properly, as opposed to T1s that don’t make insulin (or not much). Your D sounds amazing, though. The fact that she chose this school shows she has confidence in her abilities to handle challenges. To me, that’s huge. I wish her the very best!</p>

<p>@sbjdorlo‌ - she has not been diagnosed with T2 although it is probably inevitable at some point. She takes the diabetic medicine metformin, exercises almost daily and watches her food and weight. All of which have helped her to stay in the “pre-diabetic” insulin resistance category. Her cells don’t respond well to insulin (body is slow to absorb glucose) so she produces too much. Same as T2 just not as severe. She has other endocrine problems that contribute to weight gain. Unfortunately, in an effort to control her weight she developed an ED. She’s done well overcoming the ED, but her health issues have been an exhausting battle for her (and me) these past few years.</p>

<p>I’m not sure whether her decision to go far away is “amazing” or a sign she hasn’t processed her limitations. The school seems like such a good fit though, and she is really excited. Plus, she can transfer to the nearby school if it doesn’t work out. She got a scholarship to the college she is attending, without which it isn’t affordable. So coming in as a freshman was her only shot at it. </p>

<p>She is doing so well at the moment. I just hope the stress of college doesn’t undo her progress. I’m definitely going to be getting that hotel room for her now and then to give her a chance to rest and recharge. </p>

<p>There was a long time before D was properly diagnosed when I too felt like pieces of the puzzle were missing. We finally got some answers although I still sometimes feel we don’t know everything. It’s frustrating, isn’t it?</p>

<p>It can take years and a lot of work, even luck, to get properly diagnosed or (even w/out formal diagnosis) treated. Getting help for kids like ours is like crawling through a field of tall weeds. But it can be done. And when there is enough documentation, the educational establishment does accommodate and things are possible with those accommodations, even apparently small adjutments, that would not be possible without. </p>

<p>I think the medical end of things is really important, and some of the diagnosing may need to be done by an alternative or integrative or functional doc. Finding one in the insurance system helps financially. I think a 24 hour adrenal saliva test can be helpful, for instance. Eliminating foods and then rechallenging can reveal some unsuspected food problems that cause inflammation and fatigue. Melatonin and other natural approaches to sleep (though 10-12 hours for a growing young man isn’t that excessive, for part of the week anyway).</p>

<p>During high school we had a puzzle on our hands that was missing more than half of its pieces, but I would say that by mid-college most of the puzzle had been filled in. The MD’s at our daughter’s university worked as a team and the care coordination was wonderful. Now that she has graduated, she is back in the big bad world of medicine but is better armed with diagnoses and mostly effective treatments. I thank my stars that diagnoses did not go down the wrong road: it could have happened. Unfortunately, this all takes a huge amount of parental energy and research, at a time when kids want to be autonomous, and it is a very tricky balance.</p>

<p>Main message: get appropriate evaluations and pursue accommodations and kids can often soar unexpectedly, over time- even if the flight is a bit slower than others".</p>