Can anyone help - College living and Disability Services not helping.

[Tinker'n'Fun]

I just wanted to update my thread and thank everyone again for all the replies. My sons room was changed to a double on the first floor closest to his classrooms.

The university was very accommodating once we found the proper people to speak with.

Now we just have to go to the Orthopedic on Monday night to get the final results of the MRI and schedule the surgery.

Again, thank you to everyone!

 

[bidnow5]

Glad to hear good luck with the surgery

 

[Tinker'n'Fun]

We had the follow-up with the surgeon this evening. His ankle showed extensive repeated sprains and damage.

He does have a little bit of the ligament attached. If this is the case in December the surgery will be easier. They did notice some other problems that were not discussed before. His ankle is filled with fluid so that will need to be addressed and a few other things that I did not understand to be honest.

We are scheduling the surgery for the week of Dec 10 - 14th. The surgeon can even do the surgery that Friday night but he leaves for the Bahama's the next day. Said his wife does all the packing so he would even be happy to be out of the house.

My son can do light activities with just the brace but must me taped by a coach if he wants to play in a real game.

He said that the ankle will not ever heal on it's own. Like a cat with 9 lives he is getting close to the 9th. life. He told him if he is out drinking (he is going away to college) that he really wants him to make sure the brace is on.

We are really hoping that is will be just the scope and tightening instead of a full reconstruction but we won't know until the surgeon is in and looking.

We all feel better and we are getting ready for all the changes. My son sent thank you letters to everyone who helped with the room and we will personally go and thank them when we get into town.

If anyone has any suggestions and or help with the actual surgery and recovery I would appreciate that.

 

[WheeledTraveler]

I absolutely would not schedule the surgery for the night before the surgeon leaves for the Bahamas. It might be nice for him to be out of the house, but if there end up being any complications, you're going to be stuck getting information/advice from a doctor who doesn't know your son. I'm not sure if your son will be in the hospital overnight or if it's an outpatient surgery, but either way I wouldn't do that last night. Personally, I think you're best off scheduling as early as possible in that week.

I had surgery the Monday & Tuesday before my neurosurgeon was supposed to go on vacation (he left that following Saturday). Now mine were quite a bit more involved than your son's will be, and my neurosurgeon doesn't normally do those surgeries so closely together. They were originally scheduled for Monday & Wednesday, but when he realized he was going away the following Saturday, he moved the second one up so that he would probably be there the entire time I was in the hospital, etc. I'm very glad he did because I would not have wanted to deal with any other neurosurgeon and if he'd spread them out as planned, I might have been in through Saturday (as it was, I was in through Friday). I honestly can't imagine having to deal with a different surgeon for questions post-op and my experience has been that I always have questions the first few days after (even from outpatient surgeries) that I just don't think of until they come up.

 

[Schmeck]

My son can do light activities with just the brace but must me taped by a coach if he wants to play in a real game.

Wait a minute - are you saying he is cleared to play sports, but he can't walk around campus or do stairs?

 

[lanejudy]

...My son can do light activities with just the brace but must me taped by a coach if he wants to play in a real game. ...

Unless your son is officially a member on one of the school's athletic teams, or red-shirted, do NOT expect a coach or athletic trainers to be willing to touch him or allow him to use team facilities. (College coaches don't tape, the athletic trainers do it.) You don't indicate what sport, and it does seem odd that he's cleared to play sports if "taped by a coach" when he's having so much problems requiring close room accommodations. But all that aside, for liability reasons the school's coaches and athletic trainers will not do anything for him. If he needs gym equipment or anything to help with his rehab, it will have to be the facilities open to the general school population, not the athletic teams.

 

[Tinker'n'Fun]

Wait a minute - are you saying he is cleared to play sports, but he can't walk around campus or do stairs?

No sorry that came off wrong when I typed it. Everyday things - use a brace. Anything that is above normal walking - tape it. Say he is doing a walk for Diabetes - tape it. Going out for a night - tape it.

He is done with all sports until after the surgery and he gets the final report. Sorry if this was confusing.

 

[Tinker'n'Fun]

Unless your son is officially a member on one of the school's athletic teams, or red-shirted, do NOT expect a coach or athletic trainers to be willing to touch him or allow him to use team facilities. (College coaches don't tape, the athletic trainers do it.) You don't indicate what sport, and it does seem odd that he's cleared to play sports if "taped by a coach" when he's having so much problems requiring close room accommodations. But all that aside, for liability reasons the school's coaches and athletic trainers will not do anything for him. If he needs gym equipment or anything to help with his rehab, it will have to be the facilities open to the general school population, not the athletic teams.

Thank you for this information. He will need to get on the phone and ask the school how they may be able to help him. I guess I could set up a Physical Therapy visit when we are down there. The doctor just stated that the "coaches" will be able to tape him. I never thought that they wouldn't. In high school the trainer would tape him even when it was not soccer season when he had a sprain. Never thought about the liability while in college.

Thank you, he will have to get this figured out!

 

[GadgetTheInventor]

Yikes! If I had read this thread before my ankle surgery (avascular necrosis) during college, I would have been terrified that my life would have been forever ruined.

I had mostly wonderful experiences during college with being accommodated. I was fortunate enough to have developed relationships with my professors before being stuck in my "moon boot", and they went beyond their job description to make sure that one of their top students was not held back by mobility issues.

Some suggestions for your son:

1. Develop relationships with housing staff and professors so that when a problem arises, you are a face and not a number. This is good even without a disability, but imperative if you have one. Your professor doesn't have to allow you to be late for an exam, but if he knows that you are a top pupil and would never be late otherwise, you are going to be able to walk in 30 minutes late for an exam and still be allowed to take the test. Don't ever advertise that you can do this though.

2. Don't hide your disability from your friends or professors. People will accept you if you have a good sense of humor. I was so exhausted after my surgery and had a mid-term on the far side of campus that I bummed a ride from the rec. center director...door-to-door service! People respected my limitations and made accommodations so that I wouldn't be left out.

3. I do not recommend taking a semester or year off for an ankle surgery if you are a driven student. I developed MRSA twice during the year after my surgery and loosing my study cohort group multiple times was terrible for me academically. When you are off-schedule, you also end up taking classes with people who failed the first time...a horrible situation for a driven student. It also looks terrible on your resumé...I am still judged harshly for my "gap" during interviews.

4. Make friends with people who have cars on campus, and also have campus police's number in your phone. If you are in pain and can't walk, call your friends and if all else fails, call campus security and have them give you a ride. Just don't make a habit of it and bake them cookies as a thank you.

As for needing to be on a bottom floor in case of a fire....butt scoot down the stairs if your life is in danger. Don't go overboard with requests, because realistically they all cant be met like was previously mentioned.

Lastly, check-out getting a knee-high walking boot from your doctor. I majored in Natural Resources at a very hilly, outdoor college with field classes that required miles of walking and hours of standing...and I was only able to manage with that boot. My ankle was completely unstable and the boot allowed me to climb hills off-trail.

I still haul that boot to WDW and break it out after a hard day if my ankle needs to rest.

 

[Schmeck]

Thank you for this information. He will need to get on the phone and ask the school how they may be able to help him. I guess I could set up a Physical Therapy visit when we are down there. The doctor just stated that the "coaches" will be able to tape him. I never thought that they wouldn't. In high school the trainer would tape him even when it was not soccer season when he had a sprain. Never thought about the liability while in college.

Thank you, he will have to get this figured out!

The college is offering PT? If so, that's a pretty generous college, unless he is getting his health insurance from the school. Or is your son being seen by a physician/PT practice close to school?

 

[SteveMouse]

I would also not expect the school to provide any individualized medical or medical-related, like taping, service outside of a student health clinic unless the student were on an intercollegiate team sponsored by the school and actively engaged in a sponsored activity. As a pp suggested, there could be substantial liability issues.

 

[Tinker'n'Fun]

The college is offering PT? If so, that's a pretty generous college, unless he is getting his health insurance from the school. Or is your son being seen by a physician/PT practice close to school?

Wow, I am really having a hard time with words today. I will set an appt. with a Physical Therapist close to the University. I am sure they can recommend a solution for my son. Cab fare up to 5 miles from campus is free.

I was led to believe that the University would be able to do that but others here stated not to expect it. I am still going to have him call and ask if anyone at the clinic can handle the taping. I am under the assumption that usually trainers/coaches do this and not medical personnel. It will get worked out just some more calls.

As I said before it will be up to my son to call and get it set up. I will handle all the appointments and such here where the surgery is taking place and he can handle all the particulars down in Florida.

 

[SteveMouse]

Wow, I am really having a hard time with words today. I will set an appt. with a Physical Therapist close to the University. I am sure they can recommend a solution for my son. Cab fare up to 5 miles from campus is free.

I was led to believe that the University would be able to do that but others here stated not to expect it. I am still going to have him call and ask if anyone at the clinic can handle the taping. I am under the assumption that usually trainers/coaches do this and not medical personnel. It will get worked out just some more calls.

As I said before it will be up to my son to call and get it set up. I will handle all the appointments and such here where the surgery is taking place and he can handle all the particulars down in Florida.

I'd validate the "free taxi" as well. Many schools offer safety escorts on or very near campus, but that's a different story. You will also want to address insurance issues to determine whether services provided in Tampa are "in network" with respect to his insurance. I would thoroughly expect regular PT visits would be a good thing, both before and especially after the surgical procedure.

 

[Schmeck]

Wow, I am really having a hard time with words today. I will set an appt. with a Physical Therapist close to the University. I am sure they can recommend a solution for my son. Cab fare up to 5 miles from campus is free.

I was led to believe that the University would be able to do that but others here stated not to expect it. I am still going to have him call and ask if anyone at the clinic can handle the taping. I am under the assumption that usually trainers/coaches do this and not medical personnel. It will get worked out just some more calls.

As I said before it will be up to my son to call and get it set up. I will handle all the appointments and such here where the surgery is taking place and he can handle all the particulars down in Florida.

I hope you don't think I'm picking on you I'm just trying to moderate your expectations, I think? Once a student is out of high school, most health services that were once covered by an IEP or other school source are gone. While things are slowly changing, most colleges expect their students to be able to handle going to college without a lot of support. They are considered adults, and are expected to handle all issues on their own.

If the college has a medical center, then buying health coverage through the college is worth the $$$. My older daughter just graduated from MIT. They had a mini-hospital, with inpatient rooms, etc. She got to spend a night there her freshman year when she got that lovely swine flu. She was 100% covered for the night with just the basic policy.

I wish we had purchased the full coverage policy the following year. She played rugby, and broke two fingers and got a concussion (not at the same game). One finger required surgery with titanium screws inserted. It cost us over $2000 OOP from copays and % coverage in our health plan.

We signed her up that next year for MIT's full plan. It cost about the same as having her on our plan. Of course she didn't break anything else. That's OK.

Younger daughter's campus does not have a hospital-like clinic, so we kept her on our plan. There's a branch of our usual health center two blocks from her dorm. She just needs to pick her doctor in September.

 

[Gracie09]

Wow, I am really having a hard time with words today. I will set an appt. with a Physical Therapist close to the University. I am sure they can recommend a solution for my son. Cab fare up to 5 miles from campus is free.

I was led to believe that the University would be able to do that but others here stated not to expect it. I am still going to have him call and ask if anyone at the clinic can handle the taping. I am under the assumption that usually trainers/coaches do this and not medical personnel. It will get worked out just some more calls.

As I said before it will be up to my son to call and get it set up. I will handle all the appointments and such here where the surgery is taking place and he can handle all the particulars down in Florida.

Not to lay it on but you should not expect the college to provide anything thing not directly related to his academics or housing. So taping an ankle so he can go out or play a pick up game is not going to happen. And logistically I don't see how that would work. At 8 on a Friday they decide to go to a party I stead of a movie so he what? The trainers are probably gone for the night unless there is a late game and then they would be busy. I suggest he learn to tape his own ankle. I had friends in high school and college that did this.

 

[lanejudy]

... I was led to believe that the University would be able to do that but others here stated not to expect it. I am still going to have him call and ask if anyone at the clinic can handle the taping. I am under the assumption that usually trainers/coaches do this and not medical personnel. It will get worked out just some more calls. ....

I believe your surgeon, or whomever suggested the school coaches, is mis-informed - unless he/she has a connection at that school. Depending on school size, that type of thing might be done at a high school or maybe a small private college. But very highly unlikely at a large university -- the athletic department would be playing "doctor" to every kid with a sprained ankle. (And I don't mean to lump your son into the "general sprained ankle" crowd, but if they allow 1 with a doctor's note they'd have to allow all, and that would take the trainers away from the teams.)

As a PP mentioned, if your son's university has a large-scale student health services, he might get his taping done there. Maybe, depending on hours. Just "oh, I want to go tonight, I need to go get taped" is going to be challenging; even "I signed up for the Diabetes walk on Saturday morning so I'll need someone to tape it for me early" might not be that simple. If his school offers an athletic-training program, he might be able to make friends with one of those students who wouldn't mind someone to practice on. I think it was sophomore year before being assigned to a team that we were always practicing on each other.

PT is likely to have to be arranged privately, again unless the school's student health services is that large a program.

Good luck! Just when you think it's all figured out, there's new twists to work through.

 

[jimmysmom74]

I will completely agree, the coaching staff and/or trainers will not be taping or assisting a student who is not on their team. You would have to have some kind of "connection" for that treatment. Not to mention, the hassle this would be for your son to try and find someone willing to do this on a regular basis. Although I completely understand your concern for him going away.

Maybe you can ask the doctor or therapist to teach your son how to tape his own ankle. I had an injury as a gymnast in high school, and they taught me to do it myself. Although my injury was in no way as severe as your son's sounds. If he gets a roommate that would be willing to do it or help, that would work too. Hope this helps. Good luck.

 

[Tinker'n'Fun]

I just want everyone to know I don't feel picked on or anything like that. The amount of information I am getting is invaluable and I really do appreciate it all and am taking it all in.

He will have the insurance the school provides while in school. His insurance would not be primary while in school. When I was thinking of him getting it taped I was assuming he will be doing this ahead of time and if he doesn't then he would be the one who will or can suffer.

After the surgery there will be no need. So just one semester. I am sure we can figure this out.

As for the cabs, yes they take them anywhere within 5 miles, grocery shopping, malls, the party area, etc. They are required to pay a tip of $1 - $3 depending on how many students are in the cab. I did look into this one and it is about all I can answer from the responses today! 1 for maybe 8. Not a great batting average. We will be back to the drawing board on Monday.

 

[WheeledTraveler]

As I understand it, he will have both the school plan and stay on your plan, correct? Quite honestly, I'd expect him to be able to get better PT off-campus than on-campus even if he does have access to it on-campus. If he can get the coverage for off-campus PT, it's worth considering even if there is on-campus PT.

I also think it's worth having a conversation with him about whether doing things where he'd need to have the ankle taped is really a good idea right now. He may be medically cleared to do so with the ankle taped, but that doesn't mean it's a good idea. There are plenty of things I'm medically cleared to do (and we're talking on the level of ability to walk, etc. not extreme things), that aren't a good idea for me to do. Considering how bad the current damage is, he really doesn't want to make it any worse before the surgery because he doesn't want to do anything that might make surgery go from "can do between semesters" to "need to do now" and there goes the rest of his fall semester. That's definitely a worst case scenario, but I know from personal experience that it's possible to damage your ankles even while taping and bracing it without doing anything extraordinary.

If he does choose to tape and do things like play pick-up soccer (which is what it sounds like is the sort of thing you're talking about), I agree with those who say that he should learn to tape himself. It's very easy to do, the supplies are cheap, and he could learn it within 5 minutes from a PT or athletic trainer. If you happen to have any way to contact the athletic trainer he used in high school, you might be able to get that person to teach him. Then you don't have to worry about his not having access to someone who can tape the ankle. It also means that he doesn't have to plan as far ahead. Chances are most of the times he'll need it taped will be fairly spontaneous. Unless he's going to go get it taped every day, far better for him to be able to do it on the spur of the moment himself.

 

[Tinker'n'Fun]

As I understand it, he will have both the school plan and stay on your plan, correct? Quite honestly, I'd expect him to be able to get better PT off-campus than on-campus even if he does have access to it on-campus. If he can get the coverage for off-campus PT, it's worth considering even if there is on-campus PT.

I also think it's worth having a conversation with him about whether doing things where he'd need to have the ankle taped is really a good idea right now. He may be medically cleared to do so with the ankle taped, but that doesn't mean it's a good idea. There are plenty of things I'm medically cleared to do (and we're talking on the level of ability to walk, etc. not extreme things), that aren't a good idea for me to do. Considering how bad the current damage is, he really doesn't want to make it any worse before the surgery because he doesn't want to do anything that might make surgery go from "can do between semesters" to "need to do now" and there goes the rest of his fall semester. That's definitely a worst case scenario, but I know from personal experience that it's possible to damage your ankles even while taping and bracing it without doing anything extraordinary.

If he does choose to tape and do things like play pick-up soccer (which is what it sounds like is the sort of thing you're talking about), I agree with those who say that he should learn to tape himself. It's very easy to do, the supplies are cheap, and he could learn it within 5 minutes from a PT or athletic trainer. If you happen to have any way to contact the athletic trainer he used in high school, you might be able to get that person to teach him. Then you don't have to worry about his not having access to someone who can tape the ankle. It also means that he doesn't have to plan as far ahead. Chances are most of the times he'll need it taped will be fairly spontaneous. Unless he's going to go get it taped every day, far better for him to be able to do it on the spur of the moment himself.

So simple but I never even thought of him learning. He can go to the High School and see the trainer. I am sure he would show him how to tape it. Then we could get the supplies and make sure he is set before we head back home.

I am really not sure if he is going to hit any pickup games. He seems to be slowly realizing what is happening. I can see it in him and in his demeanor. Not to say once he gets down there and we are gone that his 18yo brain will not take over and everything he was worried about will fly out of his ear.

He had been keeping pretty low key since the Doctor confirmed the actual damage and that I was to set up the surgery.

Again, thank you to everyone. I am going to have him take a trip over to the school. They have already started football so the trainer is there everyday. It can't hurt to just ask.