Of All The People...

...who aren't accommodating, who would've ever thought the Office of Disabilities would be on the list?

I'm registered with my school's office of disabilities. I take tests there when they have a lot of hand writing, because thanks to the fibromyalgia, the muscles in my hands are too weak to handle extended periods of writing. Basically, I get to type essay-format tests.

I took a final there this week. It was the first time I'd taken a test there. Despite the mix up with my final and the lack of its presence there (and the start time that was delayed by an hour), they were mostly okay.

Except they wouldn't let me bring my epi-pens in the room.

The rule is simple; nothing goes in with you except the materials you need to take the test. Everyone leaves their bag in a room off to the side. No one else has a problem with this.

I explained that I have diabetes and I need to bring my meter. I explained that I have a severe food allergy and need to bring my epi-pen. The woman who runs the office, the one who interviewed me who blinks so much I have trouble speaking around her, just blinked at me.

She made me open up my meter case to show her my meter. She okayed the juice box I asked for permission to bring in. She absolutely REFUSED to let me bring my epi-pens in.

"I also have a food allergy. If someone ate nuts in here, I'd be in the ER right alongside you."

Yes, except she'd have had immediate access to her epi-pens, and I wouldn't have had immediate access to mine.

Allow me to explain.

I've had four very severe allergic reactions, and several more minor but also Very Scary reactions (none of these are counting non-food allergies). They aren't something to mess around with. I'm so allergic that if I'm in the same room as nuts I could go into anaphylactic shock. If someone snuck a Snicker's bar into the room and I was taking a test there, I could die before anyone could find my bag.

What's wrong with letting me bring a set of epi-pens in the room? I can't cheat off of them. I can't use the internet from them. I can't consult with them for answers. All they do is take up an extra square foot on my desk.

In fact, it's distracting when my epi-pens aren't by my side. Outside of the house, they NEVER leave me. They were just down the hall, but it terrified me.

You could tell me that I'm overreacting. Maybe you're right. But until your pulse hits 180 because your blood pressure is so low it can't sustain your body, until your throat swells and you want to bite your tongue off because it itches so much, until you think you might actually suffocate because your chest is too heavy to breathe, and until you can't stop coughing long enough to talk, you can't judge me.

Diabetes is scary. Anaphylaxis is scary. Ironically, the one thing I'm registered for is not scary. It's my least scary chronic disease. They're accommodating me for that and for diabetes, but next time, I will argue with them. Next year, if they refuse me my epi-pens, I will take it up to a higher power.

Next time, I will make sure that they understand that I will not take no for an answer.