In regards to problems with universities...
Hey,
I've completed one degree before and should complete my next one in a month or so. I've dealt with professors who don't really care that you are sick. I've also been on the other end of this as well as a TA, dealing with students' excuses. In general, most professors and TAs act that way as a defense. There are many selfish kids out there who would fake an illness because they just didn't finish an assignment on time. Some people are compassionate and some aren't regarding illness. You're basically going to see more sympathy the further along in your education you get. However, there has to be something better, right?
There is! In my undergrad I had to rely on an emergency system that every university has set up. When I had my first flare up, I missed a week of classes and lost nearly 10 lbs. I was going to fail an 8-week class because the midterm was like two days after my flare subsided. I thought to myself, "this isn't my fault, I'm not going to fail a class because of all of this!" So I went to the emergency dean. I pleaded my case with her and she let me drop the class. At first, she was a little hesitant since I had a rough academic record my first two years of college. I said, "I missed all of my classes last week, didn't eat anything and now I have to get a colonoscopy because the doctors don't know what is wrong!!" I hit a personal spot dear to her. She's had like seven or nine scopes in her life and had previously been diagnosed with both CD and UC. She immediately dropped my class. I went back to see her like a year later after I pulled my academic life together and told her all about my life with CD.
That was a close call though. When I started graduate school, I thought, there has to be a better way to deal with all of this. I talked to some people at the student services department on campus. I asked them what I should do to make sure that a professor gives me some leniency if I am having some health problems. The solution was to register as a student with disabilities. Wow, I never thought of myself as disabled. However, they assured me that it's a fairly simple process. At the beginning of the semester, we sit down and create a contract that I take to each professor. The professor and I discuss what kind of "special needs" that I require. Mainly I tell them that I might be skipping class if I am sick and might require a little bit more time to do the homework. So far, I haven't had a problem with any professors over this.
To sum it up: A lot of progress has been made in schools and companies for people with health problems. What should you do? Find out what solutions exist for you and take action!!
Managing a hectic life with Crohn's is fairly challenging, but we all can support each other through the hard times.
