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You couldn't wait to go off on your own... off to the dreamland of college with its abundance of freedom and good times. Of course, that's until you started sniffling. And those sniffles turn into sneezes. Then the sneezes bring on a fever and headache. Verdict: You've been bitten by the flu bug... and so have your roomies. When your feverish cries of "Mom?!" "Mom?!" go unanswered (you are, after all, miles and miles away!), what are you to do?

Sick, Sicker, Sickest
Picture this: Three under-the-weather buddies crammed into a tiny dorm room that's filled to the rafters with balled-up tissues, crinkled zinc lozenge wrappers, and mugs with dried-out tea bags stuck to the bottoms. And yes, I'm among the sick. It had been two hours since my last dose of aspirin, cough syrup, and decongestant, and as the most medicated member of the bunch, it was my turn to play Mom. I trudged to the bathroom to refill my friends' water bottles, with which I gave them a handful of pills. I heated up some soup and went looking for video tapes to borrow. Afterward, we settled back to the glow of the TV and tried to forget how much we wanted our mommies.

By the time we kicked the flu, we'd seen every movie available on the dorm floor, as well as perfected a rotating medication cycle. (Not to mention having read countless cheesy magazines.) We used up three boxes of tissues laughing, crying, and blowing our noses. We were ultimately miserable, but our collective misery bonded us. Being sick had never been so much fun.

Misery Loves Company
Your parents may not be around to take care of you at college, but who says you have to suffer alone? "The guys I live with, they're not friends, they're like family," says Dennis Alves, a senior at Emerson College, Boston, MA. "If they're sick, I look after them."

Although dorm life can be great, it's also considered a breeding ground for germs. To take a detour from catching the sick bug, avoid sharing dishes, towels, or water bottles, and consider getting a flu shot.

Even if the bug catches up with you, group life can still be a great source of comfort. Someone can smuggle food out of the dining hall for you, or drop by with tissues and cough drops. Friends can also help by running to the drug store to fill your prescription or by sharing their class notes. And the more you keep up with your schoolwork, the less you'll have to stress about playing catch-up later on.

Drug Dos and Don'ts
In order to take good care of yourself, there are some basic rules you should follow.

"Students will often take medicines that they have had before, or that they got from a friend," says Dr. Edward Wheeler, director of health services at Brown University, Providence, RI. Alert: This is potentially dangerous. You should never take someone else's prescription medicine, or even your own leftover prescription drugs, without seeking medical advice beforehand, says Wheeler. Whether you're taking a prescribed drug or an over-the-counter (OTC) one, be sure to use as directed. And, Wheeler reminds, stay away from alcohol if you're feeling sick. Not only does it interact with some drugs, but drinking also weakens your immune system.

Try keeping some basic OTC medicines on hand just in case you're caught with your defenses down. Anne Brewer, a junior at Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, NY, says she always keeps a painkiller with ibuprofen in her room, along with some cold and sinus medication. You might also want to have something on hand for an upset stomach, like Pepto-Bismol. If you're worried about price, Wheeler says, it's usually OK to buy generic brands, which can be just as effective.

Cooking Up a Cure
Experiment with comfort foods and home remedies to help you feel better, such as Vitamin C, zinc, hot tea with honey, chicken soup, and other herbal remedies. "My mother swears by Echinacea," says Anne, "so I usually have herbal Echinacea pills that she sends me.

Is There a Doctor in the House?
There may come a time when OTC medication, rest, and hydration aren't enough to make you feel better. That's when you should visit your school's health center. Keep the center's phone number handy, and make sure they have your medical records on file, including immunizations and allergies. Wheeler says it drives him crazy when sick students wait too long to come in. "We always encourage students to go ahead and give us a call if they have an illness." A nurse can evaluate you over the phone, help you make an appointment, and give professional advice about what you can do to feel better, he says.

Most visits to student health centers are covered by the health fee included in your tuition, and the doctors and nurses there are sympathetic to your plight. "Part of our role," says Jane Powers, R.N.C.S., M.S.N., director of health services at Emerson, "is to assist students in learning how to care for themselves and to make good decisions to stay healthy."

Try to enhance your doctor-patient relationship at a busy student health center by establishing a trusting relationship with one provider. This way he/she can become familiar with your medical history and take care of you on an ongoing basis if necessary.

An Ounce of Prevention
"I know this sounds corny," says Wheeler, but the most important things you can do to stay healthy include "sleeping, eating well, and getting regular exercise." You may not be able to get the recommended seven to eight hours of sleep a night, but there are other options.

"Manage your time well," Dennis suggests. "Set aside some time every day to sit down, and if you like to read the newspaper, read the newspaper. Do something that calms and soothes you." Increased levels of stress take a toll on the immune system as well. Anne advises you to "be aware that you'll be prone to getting sick during finals time, so take preventative measures. You have plenty of time later in life to be stressed."

Most of all, try to keep a healthy balance between work and play. You're in school to get an education, but much of what you'll remember may come from life outside the classroom. And if you're healthy, you can tackle it all!

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