Posted by Vanessa Little on October 15, 2021
Hi, it's Vanessa from the PAC! School is busy right now, but fellow-PAC-member, Fionna and I made time to sit down and record a podcast episode where we chat about personal experiences we've each had changing our IBD treatment plans and how this fits into school and life for us.
In this episode, I (Vanessa) share about how I made the choice to switch from an infusion to an injectable medication in preparation for going to college. Until recently, infusions were a consistent part of my life, so I also talk about my infusion routine and some of the feelings I had making this big shift.
Fionna shared her experience moving from an ingestible treatment to an infusion while in college (but at home due to COVID) because the medication she'd used successfully for a long time had stopped working. She also talks a bit about why she made the choice to travel from college, once in-person learning resumed, back home to receive those infusions.
In this episode we share the names of medications we use/have used because they are part of our personal IBD journeys. If you hear something during our chat and think "hey, maybe that would work for me!" - make a note and bring it up with your Dr. We made all our treatment change decisions with our care teams and families. Another thing - if you're thinking about making changes to your treatment plan because it will work better for you at school or because of another life-change - start those conversations early! I started the process with my care team a year before I even head to college. These things can take time.
There's a lot of things to consider around big transitions - members of the PAC co-produced a guide that can help you think about some of those things and plan ahead. Check out The Transfer Toolkit >>
We hope you tune in for Episode 16 of imPACt and feel free to share this episode with someone who you think might benefit from listening to patients talking about real life with IBD 💚💙
Here's where to listen:
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