College--Do you feel confident your kid is carrying Epi?

[Macabre]

Those of you who have or have had college kids, have you felt confident your son or daughter carried epinephrine with them at all times?

I know my kiddo goes through periods of forgetfulness. I worry about college.

There was the story in the last two years of the Georgia college student who died after eating in the cafeteria. He had one EpiPen on him and the needle bent or something like that.

I don't worry so much about DS eating in the cafeteria, but I worry about having Epi with him.

[CMdeux]

I don't worry too much about it-- now, I DO worry about her getting her purse grabbed, leaving her without them, because she does tend to set it down sometimes and not pay enough attention in settings like a study lounge/library.   


But actually CARRYING, no-- this is a HUGE advantage that girls have over boys at adolescence.

[GingerPye]

DD always carries her epi and has for years --- and has been really good about it.  Until last year when I figured out she was only carrying one.  At some point she decided she only needed the one.  I (unfortunately) got in her face and let her know that she MUST carry TWO epis at all times.

DS is another story.  I don't know that he is carrying his epibag during the school day.  He takes it with him; he brings it back home.  When I ask he says he is carrying it, but it is said with a "look" on his face that makes me question whether that is true. 

eta:  Sorry, my kids are still in high school.  I guess I shouldn't have posted.

[buttons]

My DS is a sophomore, and yes I do worry.  He was never really a forgetful kid, but I think that once he got to college he began to carry his pens in his backpack instead of in his pockets.  He's not wearing his old cargo pants, but rather more slim fit jeans, so maybe even with the new pen design he prefers that.  They do fit in the pocket though.   Last year at family weekend, he was at the dining commons without his backpack, and yes - no pens.  OMG.  Not what I wanted to discover.  More discussions.  Pocket!!  But who knows day to day - that time that's outside the normal routine?

He was just home for a month, and I confess to asking him a few times when we were out, and he did have them.  He knows he should have them on him all the time.  He's a conscientious person and careful.  But gah.   I worry, yes.

[Macabre]

GP I'm glad you posted!

[starlight]

I didn't at times. 

It was a case of all my friends in the dorm would just go down to the cafeteria with just their ID's (all the money was stored on them). I was a new transfer halfway through the year, wanted to fit in, didn't want the hassle of lugging my purse around for the 30 minutes we were down there. I haven't had a reaction since I was 5ish (I'm 31 now), and I navigated my HS cafeteria safely so I figured, eh. Stupid? Yeah.

[Macabre]

See, this terrifies me. 

It's exactly this.  And when you throw alcohol into the mix?  Even the best judgement gets clouded. 

I just think I can't send my kiddo off to college.  EVER. 

[hedgehog]

DD is a freshman, and I did not have to worry about her with an epipen.  But now she got one because of that reaction she had last week.  Not that she needed one for that reaction.  Even though it was really ugly, only one system involved. But that one system was bad enough, that the doctor is concerned about future reactions.  Add to that the fact that she has no known allergies, bt has had occasional mystery hives and rashes, so we know there is something that she does react to.  And I know she won't be carrying it all te time.  I just hope tat if she ever needs it, it is available.

[GoingNuts]

Oh yeah, I do worry. 

HE is very conscientious about it 95% of the time.  The other 5% he is absent minded as young folks tend to be, and without a purse to carry?  Yeah, I would bet that he has forgotten at times. 

Last year on parents weekend he came over to meet us, then told us he had to go back to his dorm because he "forgot something".  Guess what he forgot.    HE justified it by saying, well, we weren't going to eat until later anyway.    Not acceptable.

I just recently got him to start wearing his Medic-Alert again, BTW.  He had refused to wear it for more than a year, saying he "lost it" and refused to get a new one.  I convinced him that on a college campus if someone found him vomiting or unconscious, they would think intoxication, not anaphylaxis.  I don't know if that's what got through to him, I'm just grateful that something did.

Forgot to mention - he carries  2 Auvi's, and keeps spare Epipens in his room. 

[CMdeux]

With girls, I think that what helps DD to remember it all the time is twofold:


1.  She's had VERY severe reactions when she wasn't eating, wasn't obviously exposed...

2.  She wears her epis in a small cross-body bag-- it's part of being dressed to go out of the house, get out of the car, etc.  Her phone is in there, her wallet, and her inhaler.  That's it, really-- it's not a bulky bag.


The first part is a contributing factor in her never ever having ANY thought that she doesn't need one on her because she won't be electing to take risks... she knows that EVERY outing is a risk for her, period.  That second part is critical to actually DOING it, I think; because yeah, if it were a "purse" or a "backpack" it would be easy to forget in the name of not looking like a dork.

[chase]

My son is a freshman in college.  If he still had the Epi Pen and not the Auvi-Q, I'm sure it would be sitting in the dorm room at times.  He carries the Auvi-Q and I'm sure he always has it.  He never forget his phone LOL and he keeps them together.  He DOES wear a medic-alert bracelet as well.
When researching colleges we always asked to speak with the food service director/head chef.  Schools fell off the list if my son didn't feel certain he could safely eat in the dinning hall.

[Former Member]

Freshman in college.  Carries two epipens in her purse everywhere.  In the dining hall they are not allowed to bring their purses in and are supposed to leave purses and backpacks in a locker right outside.  She brings her purse anyhow.  If it is a new person at the cash register, she opens her purse and shows them why she has to bring it. 

[maeve]

2.  She wears her epis in a small cross-body bag-- it's part of being dressed to go out of the house, get out of the car, etc.  Her phone is in there, her wallet, and her inhaler.  That's it, really-- it's not a bulky bag.

DD has been doing this for the past 2 years. She's in 7th grade. She uses a small LeSportSac crossbody. Like your DD, she has her inhaler, phone, and EpiPens in it (as well as assorted crap--gum, money, etc.).

[maeve]

Freshman in college.  Carries two epipens in her purse everywhere.  In the dining hall they are not allowed to bring their purses in and are supposed to leave purses and backpacks in a locker right outside.  She brings her purse anyhow.  If it is a new person at the cash register, she opens her purse and shows them why she has to bring it. 

That's so strange.  Why would they not be allowed to bring purses or backpacks in the dining hall.  I and many of my classmates often did reading during lunch or breakfast. Sometimes we had just a brief period of time to sneak a meal in between classes (and this was on a small 28 acre campus).

[Macabre]

So CM and Maeve--since your kiddos are not in college yet--when you responded were you essentially saying that you don't worry about this so much because of their current practices?