Has your health declined since becoming a nurse?

[chenoaspirit, ASN, RN]

I was a healthy/active person...then nursing school....then a nurse. Now I stay sick. I think it may be stress related? :stone Ive had multiple surgeries, multiple illnesses, I NEVER feel well anymore. Anyone else going/gone thru this?

[WindyhillBSN]

Me too, struggle with getting my b/p back to normal.

[inthesky]

yup!

after night shift.. my thyroid crapped out.. i developed a pretty bad mysterious stomach condition in which i was nauseas and dry heaving everyday after most meals..developed tachycardia and heart palpitations.. raise in blood pressure..lost a bunch of weight..skipped a period even though I take bc...the worst insomnia I've ever had.. i ended up in urgent care one evening in panic that i was dying (i lasted only one more month on night shift)

even 3 months later... im off the daily prilosec and im no longer dry heaving, but my stomach has definitely still not fully recovered.. I still can't keep weight on and I actually force feed myself. I'm actually hanging out with a rather annoying cold (but that just happens sometimes =P)

[CHATSDALE]

no general health issues

on another tangent many nurses, myself included, when in school i would develop all the symptoms that we were studying

[Nursebarebari]

no general health issues

on another tangent many nurses, myself included, when in school i would develop all the symptoms that we were studying

wow, that is interesting!

[NrsheartTS]

In nursing school i was fine, but since i have been a nurse i have had problems with loss of sleep, headaches, backaches and sometimes chest pains. I have only been a nurse 14 months but sometimes the hardest thing for me to do is to take time out of my schedule to take care of myself.

[daisydoll]

The worst was when I was working nights I was never getting any sleep and always felt like crap. Besides general colds I never developed a real sickness, but noticed that my allergies have gotten worse and I have been fatigued a lot. Its a little better now that im working days, but 12 hr shifts still wear me out.

[Teleflurry, DNP]

Not really. I work night shift and I love it, but I completely re vamped my life to

[skittlebear]

Absolutely! I have gained soooo much weight during nursing school and after I became a nurse. I've also started smoking again (I think that's due to stress though...and the weight gain as well). My doctor has prescribed me Ativan 1mg x3 a day because of my increased anxiety (that I didn't really have a problem with until after I became a nurse). I've actually joined a gym though and plan to lose weight, and also decrease the Ativan.

[StrwbryblndRN]

I have had health issues but they were just getting worse even before I started becoming a nurse.

I work nights and have issues of extreme fatigue but feel that my thryoid condition is out of wack. I have to wait to get into the endo's office.

Besides that I am quite content. We had little money before getting a job so working made life SO MUCH easier.

My kids are little older and not so needy too. I can't complain.

Except for my dire need to sleep 12 hours a day. Uhg!

[UM Review RN, ASN, RN]

I believe it has to do with all the stress and increasing cortisol levels, but yeah, I've never been so unhealthy in my life as when I became a nurse.

[CseMgr1, ASN, RN]

I've paid the price, too. My back is shot from years of pulling on people, my nerves and self-confidence shattered by abusive employers who lie through their teeth and my trust totally lost for a System who is no longer in touch or holds any compassion for the population it was designed to serve.