posted
I am almost 19 years old. Taking some classes for my major. If I don't pass the classes I am taking right now, no way I can get into my dream's nursing school. I don't have a second chance. I can't drop any of the classes. I already have 3 withdrawals, and If I have more, I won't be able to get in. I am trying to get into one of the best nursing schools around where I live, and they are very strict.
Every time in class, I lose my tract of thought and lose concentration. Or, I will get a really bad symptom, where I cannot concentrate anymore. Brain fog is killing me. It is just so frustrating. Knowing that before I got sick, it would take me an hour and I would have memorized so much in that time. Now, it takes me half an hour to memorize just one sentence.
My symptoms have been increasing lately, and I have three exams coming up this week. This whole weekend I was really sick, and I couldn't study at all.
The hardest part is acting as everything is normal. I have to put on a fake smile half of the time, and pretend like I got all the information the professor said.
I talked to one professor about this, and she didn't care. She said, if you cannot do the class drop it. I talked to my other professor, he was a little more understanding, but the same rules that apply to other students also apply to me.
I haven't contacted the disability center yet, but I am planning on it. I don't know how much that will help.
I can't put off school, or take the semester off. I am already way behind, and I am already enrolled in this semester.
The classes I am taking are kind of difficult. My math class alone, requires 6 hours of homework every class meeting (so, 12 hours of homework a week). My microbiology class takes so much time. The lab is three hours and half, and I got to run around a lot.
I am already starting with a bad start, and I just don't know what to do. Is there anything that helps with brain fog?
My main two problems that get in the way of school is brain fog and high amount of pain.
This is causing high amount of stress, which is probably increasing my symptoms.
I haven't started treatment yet, but I am going on a treatment to remove the biotoxins first, and based on what the doctor said, I will be getting more sick. I cannot afford to be more sick!
Sorry, I just needed to vent. I can't talk to people around me. Either I will get yelled at for complaining, or they won't understand.
-------------------- Ema Posts: 394 | From Southern California | Registered: Jun 2010
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Going to bed now! Will say a prayer for you! I will try to write more soon!
Posts: 606 | From somewhere out there | Registered: Sep 2009
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posted
My opinion is that it is more important to take care of your health at this point. When you have that more together, everything will be easier. I think you have time, since you're 19. You will be able to find nursing programs to apply for.
If you choose to try and stick it out now, I admire you for wanting to do so. I just think it's a hard way to go, re the timing of schooling when you're ill. Many people treat first and then go back to school. You might want to think about it.
Posts: 13117 | From San Francisco | Registered: May 2006
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Keebler
Honored Contributor (25K+ posts)
Member # 12673
posted
- Ema,
It sounds as if you are very ill. If you push harder, this could get worse.
What does your LLMD say? You may need to take a year or two off. I know that sounds horrible but had I done that when I got so sick in college, my life would likely have been much better in the long run.
I never regained my health because I just tried to trudge along. Your body may need to rest in order to get better.
I sure hope you have a LLMD. Please consider all options. And now that futures can be put on hold for a year or two so that you have a chance at a future.
As it is mid-september, you may check the deadline for withdrawing. One day can make a difference in lots of money.
Lyme is a very rough disease. The adrenals, then brain, the liver . . . it all takes a hit. And your body is telling you it's all to much.
Please listen to your body and ask all around you for support so you can have time to get better.
This may open up a different field of study for you. Or make you a better nurse when you are ready.
Do talk to the disabilities office - and to your LLMD. Something has to change for the better. There are options.
Take care. -
Posts: 48021 | From Tree House | Registered: Jul 2007
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posted
Hi Ema. I wish I could tell you about something you could take or do to alleviate your brain fog and pain immediately, but I have never heard of such a thing. Maybe somebody else on here will be able to help you with that.
Nobody wants to be sick and nobody wants to put their life on hold because of their health. Sometimes, though, it is the best thing to do, however unappealing.
I feel for you and hear the immediacy of your circumstances, but it may come down to a choice for you of taking care of your health now and putting your education on hold, or pushing through despite the pain and brain fog. If you do the latter your health may continue to deteriorate from the stress of pushing yourself, and - I can tell from what you say that you are a conscientious student - you may also undermine your ability to be the high-achieving student you want to be which makes pushing through of questionable value. Being a successful student despite the pain is one thing, but how will you manage to pass your classes and retain pertinent information when your ability to think is impeded?
I am really sorry you are going through this and hope you find a resolution that you can feel good about. Your goal of getting through school is a worthy one, and you obviously have the drive to make it happen. But maybe it is a good idea to take a step back to reevaluate how you will reach that goal and to establish a heirarchy of steps to get there that includes acceptance of your need for medical help and the limitations your current medical situation imposes. Wishing you the best.
Posts: 212 | From San Francisco Bay Area, California | Registered: Aug 2010
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METALLlC BLUE
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 6628
posted
quote:Originally posted by luvema: [QB] I am almost 19 years old. Taking some classes for my major. If I don't pass the classes I am taking right now, no way I can get into my dream's nursing school.
Sure you can, it just may take longer and you may have to do somethings over. Try not to pressure yourself to death to meet expectations that might be unrealistic. Right now, you have one obstacle. It's crucial you get better but not faster than your body is capable.
quote: I don't have a second chance. I can't drop any of the classes. I already have 3 withdrawals, and If I have more, I won't be able to get in. I am trying to get into one of the best nursing schools around where I live, and they are very strict.
There are always second chances in a situation like this. You're physically sick. It's against the law to not provide options.
quote: Every time in class, I lose my tract of thought and lose concentration. Or, I will get a really bad symptom, where I cannot concentrate anymore. Brain fog is killing me. It is just so frustrating. Knowing that before I got sick, it would take me an hour and I would have memorized so much in that time. Now, it takes me half an hour to memorize just one sentence.
Tell me about it. I was in the same position you were. I was heading off to the most prestigious Physical Therapy program in the world. I barely got in because I'd been sick my entire life. Unlike the advice I'm giving you -- I tried to do it the way you're doing it. The end result is I've been entirely disabled since 2000. I dropped out after 1 year at College, and have been homebound for most of the time since.
quote: My symptoms have been increasing lately, and I have three exams coming up this week. This whole weekend I was really sick, and I couldn't study at all.
You're going to have to talk to your school. It sounds like this isn't going to clear up anytime in the next month or two. You need rest and to reduce your stress as much as possible. I would speak to the school about a leave of abscence and tell the school guidance counseling folks about what is happening.
quote: The hardest part is acting as everything is normal. I have to put on a fake smile half of the time, and pretend like I got all the information the professor said.
The problem is, you don't have the information. This won't end well unless you come clean.
quote: I talked to one professor about this, and she didn't care. She said, if you cannot do the class drop it. I talked to my other professor, he was a little more understanding, but the same rules that apply to other students also apply to me.
That's because the other students aren't sick. You have to take to the school itself, not the individual professors. Find out what the school can do to suspend your education due to illness and ask them what the process will be to reintegrate.
quote: I haven't contacted the disability center yet, but I am planning on it. I don't know how much that will help.
It will help a lot but not if you keep trying to take the courses. I went through all of this. If you try to stick it out they'll just go based on what you're telling them. They'll try to extend your test times, give you additional tutoring, etc. You need to say "I need you to put the brakes on my education but allow me to return when I get my health back under control. What is the process to do that and can you help me? You aren't the first person to fall ill like this, so they have a process to help."
quote: I can't put off school, or take the semester off. I am already way behind, and I am already enrolled in this semester.
You can push through if you think you can make it, but you and I both know that the clock is ticking and your health isn't something you can just force to work. Either you'll have enough capacity to make it, or you won't. It sounds like the machine is running out of gasoline.
quote: The classes I am taking are kind of difficult. My math class alone, requires 6 hours of homework every class meeting (so, 12 hours of homework a week). My microbiology class takes so much time. The lab is three hours and half, and I got to run around a lot.
Oh how I remember the suffering. I had the exact same situation. It literally killed me almost. I'm dead serious. However, not only was I rigid in my thinking about believing I absolutely had to do everything and get the grades and that I would never have another chance, but I was also a man. Being a man in a physical therapy program, at a school that demands physical excellence meant I needed to be able to do the physical activities and extra curricular activity. Guess which one I picked? Rugby. Imagine a Lyme Patient playing rugby? It didn't end well, I almost died.
quote: I am already starting with a bad start, and I just don't know what to do. Is there anything that helps with brain fog?
Antibiotics
quote: My main two problems that get in the way of school is brain fog and high amount of pain.
At least you don't have the big three. Fatigue is the third and usually devastating when combined with the pain.
quote: This is causing high amount of stress, which is probably increasing my symptoms.
It's destroying your immune system too which will prevent recovery.
quote: I haven't started treatment yet, but I am going on a treatment to remove the biotoxins first, and based on what the doctor said, I will be getting more sick. I cannot afford to be more sick!
You can't afford to be more dead. This isn't a disease to play with. You have to focus on your health and everything else is secondary.
quote: Sorry, I just needed to vent. I can't talk to people around me. Either I will get yelled at for complaining, or they won't understand.
Oh, well if you're only venting then chances are you already knew all this stuff I was going to say, so just ignore it. Venting is like a free pass to rant without being given advice. *lol*.....
-------------------- I am not a physician, so do your own research to confirm any ideas given and then speak with a health care provider you trust.
Usually there is some kind of academic leave of absence you can get so that you can withdraw from school for a time and then go back and pick up where you left off. There are also administrative withdrawals from courses so that you can drop them for health reasons without getting an F, and take them again later. You need to talk to the disability center and also a college counselor or advisor to find out about that.
Admission policies for the nursing program may be strict, but the people in charge can make an exception for special circumstances. Overcoming a chronic illness and then going back and successfully finishing college will look good on your resume--they can see your proven determination and persistence. The nursing schools I'm familiar with go largely on the entrance exam, and by the time you're ready to apply, you'll be well and will have studied. It sounds like you're an excellent student so you would do well on it. There are many good nursing schools and a high demand for nurses, so if you can't get into that particular one, you can find another good one.
A lot of people start or finish college at all ages, including elderly, so it is NEVER too late.
My own life is falling apart this week, so I get that maybe you just need hugs and not more advice.
Hugs,
Light
-------------------- Don't forget to laugh! And when you're going through hell, keep going!
Bitten 5/25/2009 in Perry County, Indiana. Diagnosed by LLMD 12/2/2009. Posts: 756 | From Inside the tunnel | Registered: Jan 2010
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sutherngrl
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 16270
posted
Is it possible to wait until you are better physically from lyme and then enroll in nursing school? You are only 19, you have plenty of time to become a nurse. It seems the stress of trying to deal with school would make it harder for your body and brain to heal.
I want to add that Lyme is ruining all of our lives. Doesn't matter what your age is. I am 52 with 4 grown children and 4 grandchildren. I have not been able to be a real grandmother to my precious grandchildren for about 4 and 1/2 years; and they are growing up so fast.
We are all in a different season of our life and lyme is disrupting whatever time of life you are in. I guess my point is, you are not alone. All of us are missing out while time passes us by.
Being so young, you should take a year or two and focus all your energy on getting well. The brain fog will get better at some point, and that point would be the appropriate time to tackle something as involved as nursing school.
We all have to face the reality of our limitations, as hard as that reality is!
Posts: 4035 | From Mississippi | Registered: Jul 2008
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posted
Very wise opinions and suggestions here for you!
Exactly what I was going to say too!
Please take care of your health first!
Hopefully you have family and friends that you could live with to help nurse you back to health.
That is what you need.
Educate yourself about Lyme, now, I didn't and suffered as a result and made poor decisions.
Posts: 606 | From somewhere out there | Registered: Sep 2009
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posted
Thank you everybody for the support. I will drop one course (it haven't started yet, so I have a chance to drop without a W). On the other hand, I have been studying every moment I got, and I just got my exam results today for the microbiology, and I received a B. I thought I failed it. I guess my hard work didn't go all to waste.
@Keebler, I will talk to my LLMD when I see her next. Also, I will contact the disability center.
@ metallic blue: Thanks! I didn't know that they can extend time to take an exam. That would help a lot. And wow, seems like you went through a lot.
Okay, someone asked that I have all the time to become a nurse, and the reason I said, I don't is because in five years I am not going to be living here in USA, and I want to get my degree here. I am not a 100% sure that I will still be living here.
@ Carol: I did get a good fish oil, and I have been using that. I will get the magnesium soon. THANKS!
Thanks to all for the help. I really appreciate it!
-------------------- Ema Posts: 394 | From Southern California | Registered: Jun 2010
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-------------------- ...trying to be the coffee bean, not the egg. Posts: 420 | From East Coast | Registered: Jun 2008
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Keebler
Honored Contributor (25K+ posts)
Member # 12673
posted
- In addition to the usual coinfections from ticks (such as babesia, bartonella, ehrlichia, RMSF, etc.), there are some other chronic stealth infections that an excellent LLMD should know about:
I would encourage EVERY person who has received a lyme diagnosis to get the following tests.
- at link. -
Posts: 48021 | From Tree House | Registered: Jul 2007
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lymeboy
Unregistered
posted
I understand.... I just dropped an internship that would have led to my own dream career in animation. Unfortunately the field is demanding with major hours.... I did not get anywhere. I was not doing very good at work either. I could not focus or keep my mind from thinking horrible thoughts. and those were the good days... So sorry to hear that your dealing with this. I know how frustrated you are, and I wish I could make it better for both of us. - Man this $@#!* disease sucks.....
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posted
Ema, I understand where you're coming from. I'm 20 and in college. I've already had to change my major because what I originally wanted to do was too demanding for my health. And even now I am always sick, which teachers don't quite understand, even though I have the health department sending them letters about what they need to change for me. Not only do I have a ton of classes, I also work 20 hours a week which means, every day I do not have class I am working 5 or 6 hours. It doesn't help when I'm sick, believe me. I've come so close to just dropping out of school, but everyone tells me I need to push through since I only have 2 more years. And I know I'll lose all my scholarships if I decide to hold off a few years. For me, it really isn't a choice. I can't find a doctor who will look at me again, since a previous doctor 6 years ago gave me a month of antibiotics and wouldn't believe that wasn't enough. I hope it helps to know that you aren't the only one who is struggling, and I will honestly be praying for you. It's a very rough journey, and if you ever need someone to talk to, you can email me. Sorry that you are having such a rough time.
-------------------- *~*Rerae*~* Bitten 3/98, Diagnosed 9/04 Treated 3 weeks, then pushed aside. Need good doc to pick back up. Posts: 25 | From Erie, PA | Registered: Oct 2010
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