Upset..Have to quit school for now..

Hi everyone,
I'm relatively new here and was diagnosed about two weeks ago with Crohn's. I was put on prednisone and asacol with the hopes of being well enough to start a new semester of school on Jan 4. Boy was I wrong. I am continuously losing weight..I was 142 lbs beginning of December, now I'm down to 113 lbs, which is scaring me quite a bit. It's drained me of all my energy and I have no appetite at all. It seems whatever I put in my body just comes out anyways with a lot of pain, and I've also been vomiting a lot. Anyways, I'm just upset because I'm in my first year of pharmacy and because I'm so behind in my classes already it's likely that I will need to take a medical leave this term, which will put me behind in the pharmacy program a whole year. Which means all my classmates will be a year ahead of me and I'll be stuck with the new batch of first years in the fall. I guess I just need some support in dealing with this..I feel like I will never get better...sorry to be such a downer!

I'm so sorry this is happening to you! You'll be better soon, I'm sure, hang in there.

Welcome Meghan! Sorry to meet under less-than-ideal circumstances but you've found the perfect place to come and vent and get advice Don't apologise for being upset, it's freaking hard to miss out on "normal" things because of this awful disease so vent away. As for your weight, it might be worth talking to a doctor about getting on a liquid diet supplement, just to make sure you're getting the essential nutrients your body needs to get through your illness as well as the stress it puts you through. I hope the forum helps you!

Hey Megan. So sorry to hear how rough things are for you ATM. I know it's hard to understand why we can't just be like an average person and eat what we want without fear of the repercussions. I think seaofdreams makes a good point. The elemental supplement has done wonders for others in the past, might be worth trying. Good luck.:hug:

MeghanL

Things will improve for you.I was a teenager when Crohn's decided to join my life.
Try to stay positive.

Hi Megan, I too just had to withdraw from school and was about to start my nursing clinicals It looks like I may need another surgery. My weight has fluxuated so much too. Ive been down to 113 and hen back up to 150 and back down again in a matter of a couple months. I'm new to this forum too and am so glad I found it. These people are awesome and never judgemental. You will always find the support you need here. Hope his get better for you soon sweetie!
Beth

I'm sorry to hear this. I am also doing a degree, and the thought of having to re-do a year has always worried me. Even though I have been unwell, I have been well enough to keep going.
At least if you have some time out to feel better, you will be able to put more effort into your work.
Good luck with everything!

Aw Megan, we are similar! This happened to me last fall..about a week before classes, I found out that I had to take the term off for surgery. When I posted about it, everyone promised me that it was but a temporary roadblock and they were right! It is more important to get your body on track before dealing with school, otherwise you are kind of doomed for classes. You will get through this! Just relax this term and try not to stress about being behind [it's NOT your fault, and nobody including yourself has the right to say it is]. Be proud of yourself for getting into pharmacy school, and be proud of yourself for being able to accept that you need to care for your health this term.

also, I'm applying to pharmacy school in a year. so excited! Anyways, nice to meet you and hang in there. The term will pass before you know it. :hug:

We feel for you - my husband was very sick during our time in college. He had to quit with a month left in his first semester and start over again after one of his surgeries. He went to school for another year and half and then had to quit again. During a period of about 2 years, he had about 15 surgeries. That was 7 years ago now - but boy do we know how you feel! It is so frustrating to put in all of that work and get pushed back by no fault of your own. Keep in mind that nothing is more important than your health and that stressing about how things are going only makes it worse. In my husbands case, he had exhausted all medical options and was just waiting for new meds to be approved. Once he was able to get on Humira in addition to his Methotrexate, his Crohn's went into remission. He still has major quality of life issues due to short bowel, but did make it past that rough period with his Crohn's. During that time, he was the most difficult patient at Mayo in MN.
He was always warned that college would be a difficult time for him. It's a time with a lot of changes/stress and that can get your Crohn's going - just try to stay positive, focus on getting on a good routine with your meds and destressing in as many aspects of your life as possible.

MHiler

Have you tried the SCD diet? It has done wonders for many people I love who have crohn's. Educate yourself and give it a try. There is a book called Breaking the Vicouse Cycle. It sounds like you are at the begening of your journy, and I wish someone had adviced me to read this book in the beggening stages of my crohns. I know it sucks missing school, Im twenty and I havnt been able to go to school for two years, so I get it. Take this time to really focus on yourself. Get into meditation and build a good relationship with your body. Of course, this is only my advice, but I do hope you use it. Best of luck to you my internet friend

Thank you so much for all of your replies! It's definitely comforting to know that many of you can relate and it's made me feel better about taking time of school. I'm trying to convince myself that my health is my #1 priority. I figure that my classes might make me a lot more stressed out and make my health worse, so I think it's best if I take a medical leave rather than do poorly in my classes and be kicked out of the pharmacy program. So I figure who cares if I get put behind a year, I'll eventually still end up where I want to be Thanks again for all of the comforting words, I really love this site!

Hi Meghan!!

Hang in there girl! This disease can sometimes stink!! I am right there with you. My Junior year in college was when I was first diagnosed. I got so sick and was in and out of the ER 4 times before they finally admitted me to the hospital and figured out what was wrong with me. I ended up taking the trimester off of school and being behind my entire class. But you're right - the stress of trying to do your class when you're not well will probably keep you sick. I was stressed from school and planning a wedding and that's when I ended up getting sicker then I've ever been. Good for you taking the time away from classes to get yourself healthy!

Sending good thoughts your way!! :ghug:

Hey Meghan, :bigwave:

Oh hun...:hug:

I understand how this difficult this is for you. My son was diagnosed in Dec 2010 and things quickly went down hill from there. Our university year starts in February and he enrolled in all his units and commenced studying but he couldn't keep up with the pace. He decided to pull back to one unit per semester and I know how difficult that was for him.

In many ways though I think it was the best thing he could have done. It allowed him to concentrate on his health and recovery following surgery. He is such a different young man now. He is energised and I haven't seen him so relaxed and happy in I don't know how long and I truly do believe the majority of that is due to the fact that he hasn't had to worry about falling behind, playing catch up and meeting deadlines. The university bent over backwards to accommodate him but I still think he made the right decision to pull back and if his demeanour is anything to go he hasn't regretted it all. He is now ready to tackle university again with a full workload this year.

I honestly wonder at times how long Crohn's had been present and just how much of a toll it was taking without any of us ever realising it if the present day is anything to go by.

Good luck hun and I wish you well in whatever you choose to do. Just remember, there are no wrong decisions here just different ones.

Dusty. xxx

MeghanL said:

Thank you so much for all of your replies! It's definitely comforting to know that many of you can relate and it's made me feel better about taking time of school. I'm trying to convince myself that my health is my #1 priority. I figure that my classes might make me a lot more stressed out and make my health worse, so I think it's best if I take a medical leave rather than do poorly in my classes and be kicked out of the pharmacy program. So I figure who cares if I get put behind a year, I'll eventually still end up where I want to be Thanks again for all of the comforting words, I really love this site!

Click to expand...

Hi MeghanL

Without doubt your health is # 1 priority.
Without that nothing REALLY matters.
When Crohn's decided to join my life i was in my late teens.I had nearly a year off from work which back then i thought was the end of the world.

You will end up where you want to be.
(I have,over 20 years on!)

Hey Meghan;

Like some of the other folks, I also lost a year of school in university. It did suck, and at the time I was pretty devastated.

What I did realize though, was that I had been operating well below my potential for years beforehand because of the chronic fatigue, constant nausea, etc, etc. After my surgeries and the new ongoing treatment plan, I felt amazing. I went back to university with a new drive and a healthier body and achieved way better results than I ever had at school before.

I guess the moral is: It sucks now, but you will be much better prepared for everything when you come out the other end