College Students - I need some help!

[btbam11]

Hey guys, I'm new here. Diagnosed with Crohn's about a year ago while I was in my spring semester of my sophomore year at Penn State. I had to take a medical withdraw from school but ended up coming back this year and finished both semesters. I really struggled through both of them, barely passing all my classes in the fall and failing one (organic chem..ugh) in the spring despite the fact that all of the classes I took other than ochem were electives. Prior to getting Crohn's, these are classes I probably could have gotten A's in but now I don't even make it to class some days because I feel so terrible.

Right now I'm still at school and about to finish up my summer class (ochem again) but things aren't really looking too great and I'm probably not going to pass.

Anyway I was wondering if anyone who can relate can give me some advice on how to go about studying and being disciplined with schoolwork while dealing with the daily struggles we all go through living with this disease. Ever since I started having intestinal pain, I've had a really difficult time focusing on anything related to school. I can only really study for about an hour at a time now, and I'm not anywhere 100% attentive even while sitting in complete silence with nothing to distract me. The pain just gets to me, which leads to headaches and loss of focus. I normally have to read a paragraph 3 or 4 times before it starts to sink in because I get so distracted from all the pain/cramping/bloating. It also doesn't help that I really hate chemistry and don't really find any of it remotely interesting. It's really frustrating because I used to be a good student and was always able to pass all my classes, even if that meant cramming before exams and finals. Now it seems like my body dictates whether or not I can study. If I feel awful the day before an exam but had already planned on studying all day, then I have no chance of doing well. Usually what happens is I get stressed come exam time and try to study as much as I can. Then the stress causes me a whole lot of pain, so I can't study and end up giving up and feeling guilty about not being able to pass. I also can't drink caffeine, so all nighters are out of the question.

All I really want is to be able to graduate, preferably while my friends are still around. My parents have started suggesting I take a semester or a year off and just work and focus on trying to get healthier, but I'm honestly not sure how I feel about that. On one hand, I'm sure it would be nice to have the luxury of being able to try and find out which medications are going to work for me without having school to worry about. I really don't want to move back home though, as I'd end up being really depressed all the time because all of my friends are up at school.

Right now I'm on 10mg of prednisone, but I've been taking that since August (started at 40mg and have been tapering since) and I'm really sick of the side effects so I'm about to stop taking it in a few weeks (my doctor Ok'd this). He's probably going to put me on entocort once I stop the prednisone but I was on that before and didn't really get any results from it. I have no idea where to go from there but the thought of being on something like humira or remicade scares me because of all the side effects associated with them, not to mention the potential for more serious problems years down the road. I know I have to get off the steroids though. I also have to start on accutane soon because of all the acne prolonged steroid use has given, and I'm really not looking forward to that.

Thanks guys.

 

[Keona]

Hey btbam
First of all I dont think taking accutane is a good idea. There is a lawsuit going on regarding its role in the cause of IBD. There is a thread on here so if you do a search, you will read all about it. Might be a good idea to find another product.

Also, I can relate to your difficulties with school as can several others on here. I had to leave as well and I only have 1 elective hanging over my head. My friends all graduated without me. That was difficult be I just couldnt make it to classes due to pain or because I would have to be in the washroom frequently.

I doont know if your school has it but a lot of school have something called student development. It is usually where they do all of the counselling, etc. They can make accommodations for you like change your exam time or have your exam in a room with just you so you can concentrate more. They can also give you additional time i.e: 20 minutes on the hour or make sure that you have at least 24 hours rest between exams. They can work this out with you. You will have to provide medical documentation and letters, etc. For year they paid a student an honorarium of 100.00 to duplicate their notes for me on the days I couldnt attend or if I wanted, they could have taped the lecture for me. Check this out at your school as it does help a great deal even if it is to limit stress worrying about it. If you get a disability specialist at your school (also in the section where there is personal counselling) they can work with you on this.
http://www.equity.psu.edu/ods/
this looks like where your student development office would be - I am sure these people could help you.

Well, hopefully this will give you somewhere to start and give you a little hope that there are things that can be done to help you out.
Please reconsider the accutane!
Good luck on your studies and welcome to the forum.

Wendy

 

[btbam11]

Wendy,
Thanks for all the great info. I wasn't aware that accutane could cause problems like that. Apparently my GI doctor isn't either as I just asked him yesterday about it and he seemed to have no problem with it. I'll definitely look into that before deciding on whether or not I want to use it. I've tried a lot of different acne medications though, and my dermatologist seems to think I really have no choice other than accutane, but I'm definitely going to go get a second opinion before trying it.

Also thanks a lot for linking me to that page. It didn't occur to me to check out disability services as I've never really thought of CD as a disability, even though clearly it could be considered one. It looks like Penn State has note takers as well, so I'll stop by the office on Monday and see if they can help me out.

 

[Jennifer]

Also thanks a lot for linking me to that page. It didn't occur to me to check out disability services as I've never really thought of CD as a disability, even though clearly it could be considered one. It looks like Penn State has note takers as well, so I'll stop by the office on Monday and see if they can help me out.

The US government classifies CD as a disability but there are two different types of disabilities. There aren't as many if any accommodations for people with CD as there are for people who have lost a limb or two or if you have a learning disability making it to where they can't function normally. Yes I know that CD makes it so you can't function normally but the fact is that you have all your limbs and eyes and such and can move about freely and process information normally while you aren't in pain, in the governments eyes. Knowing this will help you understand why and IF your Student Development program turns you away and says they can do nothing for you. This happened to me at my college. What they told me was to contact my professors individually and ask how they can help you. Your professors do understand your situation and are very accommodating to your needs.

As far as reading and not remembering things, take more notes as you read. Writing things down helps you remember things better than just having read it.

Get to know the people in your class and ask them if you can make a photo copy of their notes or even ask the teacher for a copy of their notes. I never had a problem getting notes from people.

For me, if I knew that I was probably going to fail the class, I dropped it. Talk to your counselor often and they can help make plans for you.

As sad and depressing as it sounds, stop stressing about graduating with your class. I know you want to be with your friends but its not like you'll never see them again or talk to them. Getting rid of this added stress will benefit you a great deal because then you can just focus on your studies and trying out medications to see what works best. Plus not everyone gets all of the horrible side effects from those other drugs you mentioned and you may not even need it for the long term. Prednisone has some of the worst side effects out there imo and you've already dealt with that beast.

Good luck and remember to talk to you professors even if your Student Development doesn't turn you away.

 

[Keona]

"In order for a health related condition to be considered a disability, the student must demonstrate through documentation that their condition meets the definition of a disability under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) 1990. According to these laws, the definition of a disability is a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities."

I saw this on the PennState website when I was looking to see if your school had a student development program. Looks like Penn State is fairly accommodating. I hope you have a good doctor willing to fill out the forms.

 

[cm3553]

Hi
I can definately relate since I went through many flare-ups and 2 surgeries while trying to get my BSW. The first thing I did was talk to my professors about what was going on with me. Most were understanding and helped me out. If I was too sick to take a test that particular day I would email the instructor asap and they would reschedule the test. I also spoke with the school's disability office for help with any professors that gave me a hard time. At my school they were understanding and really gave me some leeway. I was able to graduate with my class but was unable to continue with then into the graduate program. This was very depressing but after a while I got over it and figured that my health was more important. I can always go back to complete my courses and make new friends.

Stress can be a real inhibitor. Try to do what ever you can to limit stress. Maybe study with friends, have them compare notes with you so that you can make sure you weren't zoned out and missed something or find something relaxing to do before you need to study.

If you have to take some time off to get your health in order it's not the end of the world. Just make sure your goal is to continue and set a time to return. Also don't be dissapointed if that date has to be reset due to the crohn's. Just take one day at a time and it'll work out.

 

[Aura]

Hi there, I just wondered if it was possible for your lecturers to record their classes for you and you could replay audio sound tracks on cd at home. I record all my lectures for students and burn them on to cd for them, they seem to find this very helpful. I wish you well with finding the right medications and treatment for you.

 

[Procyon]

Hi btbam11. I'm sorry you're having such a rough time.

I've only just completed my first year of college. I suppose one of my best methods of coping last year was just being very communicative with my professors. Mind you, I go to a uni where the class size is only ~30 people or less though, and I'd imagine your classes at Penn are much bigger. But still, if the professors know what's going on with your health, they'll have to cooperate in one way or another. In my experience, most of my professors were really understanding, and were willing to give me whatever accommodations a given situation required without even going through the "official channels." And I know chemistry is no fun either though (especially labs). I wish I could help you study or something, but I'm not taking orgo till the fall. =/

I hate to say it, but you should at least consider your parents' advice. Trust me, I wouldn't really want to take their advice either. I know what being lonely is like and it would suck really hard to move back home and have to leave your friends behind. Never the less, your health has to be your first priority, and if you're still at a point where it's difficult to concentrate on your school work by the end of the summer, it might not be a bad idea to take some time off until your health gets back on track. Sometimes these flares just get so bad that they rob your functionality, and it's not your fault if you've come to a point where you need some time off from school.

I hope your doctor is able to help you straighten things out though. You shouldn't have to be in pain like this. Being in pain for a long time sucks, as well as being on steroids for long periods. Don't be afraid if your doctor decides to put on Humira or Remicade. While the drugs do come with all sorts of warnings, most of the side-effects are really rare, and you'd probably start to feel a lot better, and your performance in school would certainly improve if you weren't in pain all the time.

Sorry if I didn't give you any useful advice. I wish I could help. If you ever just want someone to talk to though, I'll listen. Feel better.

 

[katiesue1506]

I dunno what to tell you... but I'll tell you what I did.

I was diagnosed in my first year at college (Purdue University). I was in a pretty bad flare (lost 30 pounds... sleeping 16 hrs a day whenever I could, restroom breaks 10+ times a day) and my mom told me she would like to see me take a break to get myself sorted out. The way I saw it; I was going to have this disease the rest of my entire life and I needed to find a way to cope with it. I refused to take a break. The first year was rough, I'm not going to lie. I was living in a dorm and I had friends, but I couldn't hardly find the energy to hang out with them.

I used to get up for classes and then go back to my dorm and nap until my next set of classes and then after those, nap until about 5pm and get up to do homework. I was in bed my 9 or 10 each night. I was pretty anemic and somedays I just didn't go to class. My grades suffered that first semester (2.71 out of 4.00-- which is BAD for me) but I was put on Pred and Imuran and I was able to get back to a functioning level by the next semester... I think I raise the GPA to a 3.6 which is decent.

Its rough trying to get the doctor's appointments in with classes, but you have to stay in contact with your docs office and express your concerns and tell them your schedule. It also helped that I could get all of my labs done at the student health center on campus, and they would send them to my doc.

I had some good semesters healthwise, and some bad ones... but the best way I got through them was with organization, time management, effective use of time, and making sure I always got enough sleep. I did everything I could do when I was feeling up to it... and I did as much as I could when I was feeling crap. I'm not gonna lie, I've typed part of a paper on my laptop sitting on the toilet.

Remicade and Humira are the drugs that made me able to graduate. They gave me part of my life back. I was also always lucky enough to be able to call my doc when I wasn't feeling good and they would phone in a taper of pred for me to my local pharmacy.

Living off campus really helped me, it gave me a place to come home to and leave all the stress.

I would also suggest not taking the accutane... I would imagine your acne will go away on its own once you get off the Prednisone... itll take a month or two, but it should fix itself unless you've always had a problem with it.

Ultimately, only you know what you're capable of and how you're feeling... this is just my story.

 

[mharvey90]

Hey- I understand your situation 100% and have been through almost exactly what you have described. I also just took organic chemistry myself, at the University at Buffalo...so I understand that pain as well, lol.

If you wanna private message me and talk, I'm sure I could relate a lot to what you are going through, and it may be helpful for the both of us to communicate since we are in such similar situations.

I would STRONGLY suggest trying Remicade or Humira. Remicade worked wonders for me until I developed an allergic reaction (not all that common so don't worry.) I was then switched to Humira, which didn't work for me, but I think that is because I was past the point of being able to be helped by medication, I was real bad and needed the surgery which I just got. But seriously, these drugs work wonders for people, and I would really suggest trying one of them!

I hope you start to feel better, and again, if you want to private message me, please feel free!

 

[btbam11]

Wow, I didn't expect this many responses so quickly! Thanks a lot everyone. I'm not going to address everyone's points but I read everything and I really appreciate all the help. I'm feeling a lot better today than I was yesterday too. It's a great feeling when you start taking steps in the right direction again.

I'm starting to come around to my parents' idea but I need to think about it for a bit before I make any decisions. I have until August anyway so theres no rush. In the grand scheme of things it would be a good move though, as my schedule for next semester is really loaded and will probably be my most difficult thus far and if I fail then I'm just putting myself further in debt. If I were to find a full time job up here at school I think my parents would be alright with me staying up here and working in the fall, which would be ideal if I decide I need to take time off from class.

I had some good semesters healthwise, and some bad ones... but the best way I got through them was with organization, time management, effective use of time, and making sure I always got enough sleep. I did everything I could do when I was feeling up to it... and I did as much as I could when I was feeling crap.

This is exactly what I need to do, but I'm going to have to learn how to be disciplined...which is a lot easier said than done in my experience. Especially because I live in a fraternity so during the school year Wednesday - Saturday at night we have parties/things going on. It can be tough not to give in to temptation when every night I could go out and do something a lot more fun than schoolwork, but its something I'm going to have to learn how to do.

I think my biggest problem is that I think I'm superman and tend to try and study and do homework when it's convenient for me rather than getting everything done when I'm feeling alright. I'm a really prideful and independent person, which is both a great and terrible thing. When I came to Penn State my freshman year I didn't really have anyone from high school that I could or wanted to hang out with so I was on my own as far as making friends went. Throughout high school and my first year of college I had a lot of social anxiety and was in a dark place. I was depressed about things that, at the time, seemed important but really weren't. Because of this I had trouble meeting people and was very self conscious so I never showed my true self to people I wasn't close to. Eventually I started reading self-help books and one in particular (Get Off Your But! by Sean Stephenson - I highly recommend this to everyone) completely changed my worldview. I'm now an incredibly confident person and have no problem meeting new people. Even though this worked out in the end I probably could have made the entire experience a lot easier on myself if I would have just admitted to myself that I had a problem sooner and would have sought help sooner. I tend to beat my head into a wall 100 times doing something and not getting the results that I want before I decide that I need to go talk to someone and get help. This is something that I need to work on because it really interferes with my life. I still haven't seen a therapist despite everything I've been through, but I'm open to the idea and think it will really help me get over a lot of mental hurdles that are contributing to my lack of focus so I'm going to go talk to the people at university health services and see if they can hook me up with someone.

I'm going to talk to my doctor about Remicade and Humira and see what he thinks. I'm glad to hear that the general consensus seems to be that Prednisone has the worst side effects out of the three, as I've managed to deal with everything its thrown at me so far (though it has not been easy!)

I'm not gonna lie, I've typed part of a paper on my laptop sitting on the toilet.

This made me laugh....I've definitely done this more than a few times .

Hi there, I just wondered if it was possible for your lecturers to record their classes for you and you could replay audio sound tracks on cd at home. I record all my lectures for students and burn them on to cd for them, they seem to find this very helpful. I wish you well with finding the right medications and treatment for you.

This is a great idea, but I don't know any professors who do this. A good number of my classes have well over 100 students in them (the biggest lecture hall here has something like 750 seats in case anyone was wondering, but its reserved for entry level classes typically like freshman econ and bio) so if professors made lectures available for download its very likely a good number of people would just stop coming to class. I don't know how much disability services is going to help me but I doubt something like this is going to fly unfortunately.

If you wanna private message me and talk, I'm sure I could relate a lot to what you are going through, and it may be helpful for the both of us to communicate since we are in such similar situations.

I appreciate the hospitality, but I'd rather keep discussion in the thread so that other people can benefit from all the great insight as well.

 

[mharvey90]

it's great that you're willing to talk to a therapist for help. many people are afraid to talk to a stranger about all their problems, and some people actually don't even believe in therapy. i've done it myself, and i've found it to be extremely helpful. even if you have very supportive friends and family, it's always nice and helpful to talk to somebody who doesn't know you on a personal level. hope you continue to start having good days

 

[Jennifer]

"In order for a health related condition to be considered a disability, the student must demonstrate through documentation that their condition meets the definition of a disability under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) 1990. According to these laws, the definition of a disability is a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities."

I saw this on the PennState website when I was looking to see if your school had a student development program. Looks like Penn State is fairly accommodating. I hope you have a good doctor willing to fill out the forms.

Penn State is just following the law but from what I understand, CD is not covered by Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act.

"Major life activities include caring for one's self, walking, seeing, hearing, speaking, breathing, working, performing manual tasks, and learning. Some examples of impairments which may substantially limit major life activities, even with the help of medication or aids/devices, are: AIDS, alcoholism, blindness or visual impairment, cancer, deafness or hearing impairment, diabetes, drug addiction, heart disease, and mental illness."
http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/civilrights/resources/factsheets/504.pdf

I didn't know that the ADA was changed as of 2008 and came to law in 2009. So I have the link here with the old text stricken with a line through it and the new text is written in bold for the new version of the ADA. Here's a snippet from it:

"((begin strike-out text)2(end strike-out text) (begin bold text)1(end bold text)) Disability

The term "disability" means, with respect to an individual

((begin strike-out text)I (end strike-out text)(begin bold text)A(end bold text)) a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities of such individual;

((begin strike-out text)ii(end strike-out text) (begin bold text)B(end bold text)) a record of such an impairment; or

((begin strike-out text)iii(end strike-out text) (begin bold text)C(end bold text)) being regarded as having such an impairment(begin bold text) (as described in paragraph (3)).

(2) Major Life Activities

(A) In general

For purposes of paragraph (1), major life activities include, but are not limited to, caring for oneself, performing manual tasks, seeing, hearing, eating, sleeping, walking, standing, lifting, bending, speaking, breathing, learning, reading, concentrating, thinking, communicating, and working.

(B) Major bodily functions

For purposes of paragraph (1), a major life activity also includes the operation of a major bodily function, including but not limited to, functions of the immune system, normal cell growth, digestive, bowel, bladder, neurological, brain, respiratory, circulatory, endocrine, and reproductive functions."
http://www.ada.gov/pubs/adastatute08markscrdr.htm#12102

I love the new ADA. In the old one CD wasn't covered but as you can see in the new one, CD is clearly covered. You'll probably need your doctor to write a letter stating your condition and how it affects your daily life (think of your worst days possible and never say that you feel fine sometimes). If they ask for some sort of disability card, then you'll have to contact your local Social Security office and ask them what you should do. You can even contact them by phone rather than going to the office right away.
Here's their website if you need it:
http://www.ssa.gov/

 

[Keona]

wow..that is great that it also includes CD..or that it is specifically written in the policy.

 

[Mike]

I think my biggest problem is that I think I'm superman

This was my problem and it burned me out way too fast. I was doing eighteen credits and working thirty five hours a week last year and still pulled out a 3.4. Between the school, work, Crohn's, and prednisone I was not someone you wanted to be around. lol

But I'm taking it easy and doing fifteen credits and cutting the work week by a shift.


Time management is the thing that has really helped me out and not biting off more than I can chew. Learn your limits so you do not fall on your face because picking yourself back up can be very hard to do.

I would also take KatieSue's advice and live at home or somewhere you're comfortable, just not a dorm. Luckily Rhode Island is tiny and the longest drive is forty-five minutes. I live close to the middle of the state so it is fifteen minutes to URI for me and I walk down stairs for work.

 

[HeatherMN]

it's great that you're willing to talk to a therapist for help. many people are afraid to talk to a stranger about all their problems, and some people actually don't even believe in therapy. i've done it myself, and i've found it to be extremely helpful. even if you have very supportive friends and family, it's always nice and helpful to talk to somebody who doesn't know you on a personal level. hope you continue to start having good days

I agree, this disease causes a lot of shame, which in turn stresses you out and makes the symptoms worse. I have been seeing a therapist for a while and she has really helped me a lot. You aren't superman, none of us are, we're all just humans! We tend to be very hard on ourselves though, considering this is something we never asked for or signed up to get, if we can't manage to accomplish everything we "used to do" or think we should do.

 

[Morrish]

Hello, I have been on accutane twice in my lifetime, and now I have CROHNS and had 36 inches of my small intestines removed, do y'all know something about the accutane that I don't?