I want to see if I can find any other college students with RA/Lupus/Mixed connective tissue disease/etc. I've met a lot of older adults with it and they've given me helpful advice and stuff but, I don't know, I just feel sort of alone as an 18-year-old that suffers from pain like an old woman (not meant derogatorily to old women at all). Every other person I know is healthy and strong and stays up late and survives just fine on eating food like ramen and getting not much sleep, and I just can't do it. I can't stay up late working on papers and I can't do the manual labor minimum wage jobs that college kids are all doing and all the counselors and stuff keep saying "this is the best time of your life, go out and do whatever you want, reach for the stars" and I JUST CAN'T DO IT! I'm wondering how on earth I'm going to be able to keep up acceptable grades in my classes, let alone pay for college once my saved-up money runs out since I couldn't possibly hold down a job as well, and I just want to see if there is anyone going through any similar challenges. It's frustrating, because I know what I want to do it life (be a math teacher), I'm passionate about it and trying my hardest, and yet I can see it slipping away from me and there's nothing I can do about it (and I'm not sure I'd be able to afford medical bills on a teacher's salary, anyhow).
Lindarahldeen -
There are a couple of college types here and I'm sure they'll jump in as soon as they see this.
Hang on and welcome to the board. Sorry you had to find us. :-( How long have you been sick?
Hugs,
Pip
Hey! Im 19 and a soph in college...I know exactly what you mean! I have JRA and other random stuff and i just cant do what all my friends can, i need so much more sleep then them. i cant book it to my class all the way up the hill especually right after i woke up. I cant eat the junk they do-but im also gluten intolerent eh haha. im not doing as well as i would like in my schoolwork but im not sure if i should blame that on my health or not im just takng very hard classes. I have always wanted to be a high school science teacher and still do but right now im leading towards pediatric PT, also very depending physically...im going for it but im not sure how long i will be able to do the PT stuff but ill always have teaching to fall back on/run back to-lol ive wanted to teach since ii was like2! but yea. its tough hang in there and we should definetly chat sometime!Hello and welcome! I am not a college student but I know there are others here that are. I just want to say welcome and I wish you all the luck with college and your career.Oh Oh! I was a college student. One time.
Anyway, I just wanted to throw that out there, so you don't feel so in the dark. :)
I'm a 28 year old college student (actually in professional school now), and have unspecified inflammatory arthritis. I just want you to know that I understand where you are coming from. I was in serious debt and had just started professional school when this stuff hit me like a rock. I had worked incredibly hard to get in and thought that I might have to drop out. The pain was so bad I could barely walk for a year, (at one point I could not type even a page of a paper without extreme pain) and I had no money to even see a doctor. I forced myself through school and work for the entire year in incredible pain and was able to maintain pretty decent grades. Now I have very little pain compared to before, I understand the disease much better, and I have some financial security. Just wanted to let you know that there is light at then end of the tunnel and keep trying.Hey,
I'm a 20 yr old university student with RA and can completely relate to where you're coming from. I can't have a job during term-time as my work would really suffer (something that happens enough already when things are bad!), so instead I work right through my summers. Last summer I worked in a soap factory, doing a 10 hour day for two thirds of my summer. It wasn't fun or easy, and every night after work all I could do was sleep and nothing else but I earnt this years tutition fees and living costs.
Take your dreams and remember you are the only one who can fill them. If your friends don't understant your need for a good nights sleep, are they really great friends. Take everything you can to ensure you will achieve what you want to. I want to work in PR and for that I HAVE to finish uni with a 1st. For me that means lots of early nights, and consequently early mornings. Some people think I'm weird but hey! They don't have to live with RA and cope with the extra challenge it puts in everything. I work on my papers in the morning, meaning I feel smug when it gets late on the rare night I do stay up, as I don't have to be working and can actually have fun.
Good luck!
I just finished college and I definately enjoyed the experience, but I totally see where you're coming from. I was married for the last two years and my RA really only started to get bad in the last year. There were times when I wanted to just lie down and give up. Talk to your professors and tell them what you're going through. You'll be amazed how willing they are to help you.Hi and welcome to the board, and I’m sorry that you are going threw this.
i'm 20, dx last September. i know exactly how you feel, and sometimes i still feel that way. I go to an aa nursing program and live at home. i waitress as a job and my boss is amazing when it comes to scheduling and letting me take a 5 min break when i need it. I know that for next semester were going to be taking out loans because my funds ran out. i have a lot of support from my family (both emotionally and financially,) and my friends understand to some extent, but i don't really talk about it in detail with most of them (most of my friends are away at school anyway). I have found that my teachers and classmates have really been supportive. some days i can't sit in my seat because i'm so uncomfortable so just stand in back, or on days when i'm on the floor at the hospital if i need to sit and do my paperwork she lets me to that.
When it comes to doing school work, I start things early and do work during my lunch breaks. I also take frequent breaks when I study. Planning my day and scheduling/ prioritizing what I need to do and when has helped me a lot. I also try to take a 30-40min nap in the middle of the day to help recharge me for the night. there are lots of other jobs out there that don’t require manual labor that pay well and I know many colleges have work-study programs to help with tuition and spending money.
i think that knowing what your limits are is important and your health ultimately needs to come first. not being able to do a lot of what is a "typical college student" is hard to deal with and i think for me accepting my limitations as a 20 year old is the worst part. i can't stay up all night, i can't drink because of my meds, i don't have a lot of energy to spend with my friends because i use it all up by the end of the day- however i'm slowly learning to accept that. i also think that regardless of your health situation (no matter what it is) you need to do what is important to you, and you should follow your passion and become a teacher. We need good passionate teachers especially in math and science. I think that sacrificing some of the college experience that you might expect to help with your heath and to help you achieve your degree is ok, and it might be the best in the long run.