6 Items You Need For Your College Dorm Room if You Have Psoriasis

It's the start of a new school year! When I went off to college in 2005, I was covered in psoriasis from head-to-toe. Prior to leaving for school, I grew up as an only child and had a room all to myself. Leaving for college would be the first time I would be in close confines with another person and living with a complete stranger. I was nervous, to say the least, I was afraid of what my new roommate would think about my condition. How would I prevent myself from scratching at night or apply my medicine to where she couldn't see the extent of my disease? Well, the experience between her and I did not go well. Check out my story about it here. In the article, I also provide ways you can inform a roommate of your disease, which are resources I wasn't once aware of myself.

My college experience with psoriasis was an interesting one and I want to share with you 5 essential dorm room items I think anyone with psoriasis should have!

Stain resistant sheets

Having psoriasis comes with a lot of scratching, especially at night and during bed time when the mind is free from the nuances of the day. Your mind has more time to focus on itching thus your hands spend more time scratching at this time. Scratching leads to the breaking of skin, which leads to bleeding. Have you ever woke up only to find blood stains on your sheets? Stain resistant sheets should be able to help you minimize this issue, and prevent blood from sticking.

Printed sheets

Scratching and itching can mean shedding skin. Avoid dark solid colors for your sheets because the dry skin that leaves off your body while in bed will show. Try using printed sheets or "busy" sheets (i.e. ones with patterns or fun prints). This will make your flakes virtually unrecognizable by your roommate.

Handheld vacuum

I remember my roommate cleaning up one day, she turns and says to me, "Why is it so dusty in here. I'm not sure where all this dust is going from..." That dust was my skin (so embarrassing to even admit). If not careful the flaky dry skin can end up all over your room. If your psoriasis is severe, keep a handheld vacuum close by and vacuum your area every few days, to prevent "dust" from spreading.

Gloves

At times we scratch in our sleep without even knowing it. This could potentially be bothersome or annoying to someone, especially one who may not understand the disease. It may be useful to wear a pair of gloves when you sleep so that way the noise from scratching at night won't be so loud. This will also be helpful for you to prevent skin from breaking, which could lead to infection.

Heated blanket

You and your roommate may have a different idea of how cold or hot your dorm room should be. If you have a roommate who likes it cold, this could worsen your joint pain if you have psoriatic disease. I suggest having a heated blanket you can plug in, so your body can stay warm if your room is too cold.

Clorox wipes

When you have psoriasis, you leave yourself behind, literally. You can't help it, the flakes from your skin just seem to make themselves at home to anything in close proximity. Sharing a bathroom with strangers can be quite the experience. I remember one time I overheard my suitemates complaining about the flakes on the toilet seat. They had no idea I had psoriasis. I heard one of the girls yell in the hall, "This is so gross, does somebody have flakes on their a**." I, in fact, had flakes on my butt, lol lol lol... After that comment, I was way more conscientious of cleaning up behind myself in a shared bathroom.

Can you think of other items that would be great for a teen going off to college with psoriasis! Share them in the comments section!