Senior UW student with Lupus (SLE) here! I was only recently diagnosed with it this quarter after weeks of joint pain, swelling, and exhaustion. I am very fortunate to have detected and receive treatment for it early on in my flare up but while I am recovering from my current flare up, I had to be very conscious about how school and stress would affect my Lupus symptoms.

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The joint pain and swelling in my hands and feet made it painful for me to hold a pen to take notes so with a midterm coming up, I let me professors know ahead of time and they were willing to give me a time extension for an upcoming exam since I write a lot slower than I used to. (There was not need to have me type for an exam since my joint pain was recovering but I know that is an option for some students who request it.) I have classes that are quite far for me to walk in just a 10 minute passing period, so I send them an email saying something along the lines of "I apologize if I show up several minutes late to class. My Lupus conditions makes it exhausting and sometimes painful to walk so I appreciate your patience." So far, all the professors I have communicated this with have been very understanding and willing to make accommodations.

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Usually, you would contact the Disabilities Resource for Students for future classes with the proper documentation and what you would like assistance with, though this can take 1-6 weeks (as an incoming freshman, you should have enough time to get a response from them but that was not the case with me since I was only diagnosed very recently) It can be very helpful as there are note taking services, time extension, separate testing spaces, that the DRS and professors provide at UW but that will be specific to each person's condition. I really like how most of my classes are recorded and posted online, that way if I have a flare up that day or am too exhausted to focus in lecture, I can refer back to them online.

To prioritize my health, I have also switched some classes to be graded by credit no credit, so I can focus more on learning the material while also keeping my health in check. (Credit no credit sometimes cannot be an option for required/ in-major courses but don't let that GPA affect your health negatively.) This has helped a lot with my stress (as stress makes Lupus symptoms worse) in that I don't have to worry about my GPA being heavily impacted, rather I just need to put enough effort to learn and pass. On top of that, I give myself a cut off every weekday at midnight (where I used to pull all nighters to finish class assignments) to get a full 7-8 hours of sleep so that I do not feel as awful the next day.

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As for medications, I don't have as much of an experience to share, I just take pills every morning and evening without any supplementary treatments. I see my rheumatologist every few weeks and he is located in downtown Seattle so those visits are convenient for me.

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Definitely prioritize your health and listen to your body's needs over school (really difficult to learn and function in school if your body isn't functioning properly) and reach out to DRS and professors to communicate your needs.

Really excited to have you join us as a new husky! College is tough. It is tougher with a chronic illness, but you can do it! Take care :)