My first visit to a pain management doctor was when I was in 8th grade. I was by far the youngest person in the waiting room by about four decades, and I felt that there were few options for me. I believe that one flaw of the American healthcare system is that doctors are so willing to hand a 14 year-old a bottle of narcotics to help with side effects of my medications and nausea, but found it absurd at the time to offer a more natural appetite stimulator and joint pain reliever.
Freshman year of college as I was sitting in yet another doctor’s office, I finally got an answer- a diagnosis. After years of wondering what was wrong with me, I had begun to think that maybe I would never know. Even now that I had a name for this disease, I still had no idea what it was, or what to expect. They say the average person with lupus takes 7-8 pills per day, along with a weekly dosage of methotrexate, plus vitamins to help prevent hair loss. What everyone lacked to tell me was how eating would become a chore, how opening heavy doors and walking upstairs would become a challenging task, that my muscles and joints would deteriorate.
Within the first two months of beginning treatment, I had lost over 30 pounds. After yet another failed prescription that promised to help my appetite, my doctors and I were at a standstill. My stomach turned at the thought of food, but I needed to eat to take my medications. During this time, medical marijuana in Florida was gaining momentum, making this a viable option for me to try. While my doctors obviously encouraged the legal route, they did warned me about the expense of marijuana from medical dispensaries. Between the initial fee, the doctor visits, the patient card and its upkeep fee (all which are NOT covered by insurance), medical dispensaries are expensive to say the least.
Keeping the doctors’ warnings in mind, it was a difficult decision if I should bite the bullet. But, because I lived on campus and was hoping to avoid any conflict, I paid the $200 fees and bought two medical oil cartridges for a steep $87 each- plus a pack of vaporizer pods which consisted of about three grams of flour plant for a hefty $50.
In the months to come, my Sutton apartment had a run-in with res-life, bringing my medical situation into the spotlight. While staff at Rollins tried to assure me that it wasn’t their wish to punish me, I felt like I had a target on my back. I was told that because Rollins receives federal funding, they cannot let my ‘illegal’ actions go unnoticed. After calling the police to confiscate my marijuana and putting me on probation until I graduate, the staff wished me the best, statting that they hoped they hadn’t hindered my treatment plan too much by restricting me from taking my medication in my place of residence.
Since this initial run-in, (where I pled responsible for posession of my medication that they refer to as an illicit drug), res life has continued to “check in” on my situation. Despite the fact that the only illicit drug charge that I was found responsible for was the incident back in October, res-life has come back to my apartment on approximately 8 different occasions. Despite the constant reassurance that the staff had my best interest in mind, the repetitive write-ups I have received for pointless offenses made me feel otherwise.
One charge I received was during a fire drill one evening. Due to the anxiety of having a chronic illness, I have an emotional support cat living with me, Samson. The blaring alarm had scared Samson, and as I struggled to get him in his carrier case, a res-life member stormed into my room asking why I had not evacuated. When the staff member saw my cat, she shoved him in his carrier without my permission and sent me home with a fire-safety hazard charge in addition to illegal substances, after they had pried through our balcony during the drill. After this incident, my roommates and I have found res-life members peaking under our apartment door, they have called the cops on us for having sprinkles of oregano on our kitchen counter, and they have just recently woken me up at 3 a.m. on a Wednesday, (the night of my weekly methotrexate dosage), to ask about a weed smell in the hallway. During this incident, I was charged with fire-safety again (this time for having candles) and illegal substances- because of a weed smell coming from the hallway of Sutton while I was asleep.
Although many members of the faculty have truly demonstrated actual concern, due to this experience my idea of Rollins has been tainted. For simply trying to follow my doctors’ orders and do what is best for me, I was penalized, hindering me from the study abroad opportunity I always dreamed of, and causing me to quit my sorority. Fortunately, because of the incredible friends I have found and the amazing physics department here at Rollins, I do not plan on leaving. But I sure don’t plan on living on campus next year, that’s for sure.