Chronic Pain and Nursing School

[smoup]

I've just been diagnosed with a condition, Trigeminal neuralgia, for which I will need to be on medications for the rest of my life, unless I one day decide to get surgery for it. The meds don't have the best side effects and make me sleepy, inarticulate, and dizzy among other things. Needless to say, this isn't the best thing to be happening and I hope as my body adjusts to them the side effects lessen.

Luckily, or not luckily depending on how you look at it, the semester is almost over so most of my grades won't change much unless I really start doing "poorly" on things. There is one class I am really close to the next highest grade, I need 2.5% points higher and have 35% of my grade outstanding, and another I am right on the line and can't drop by even 1% point with 37% outstanding. I worry about these two classes especially.

Is there anyone else out there dealing with chronic pain and/or medications that can interfere with school? How are you dealing with and how much do you think it's affecting your grades?

[spoland]

I am starting nursing school in January but have been worried about how my health issues will affect me when I begin. I have endometriosis. Ordinarily, I can go days or weeks without pain, but then I'll have bouts of pain (debilitating, awful pain) for hours or even just randomly through out the day for multiple days. I had surgery to remove what could be removed back in April, and was feeling great! But the pain has already started to return, and the endo has likely started growing back. I have a monthly prescription for vicodin (but I don't take it all THAT often) and a prescription for dilaudid, for when the pain is intolerable and the vicodin doesn't help. I also take birth control to eliminate periods and I take norethindrone. I am finally getting to a point where I'm getting less and less pains and am able to manage them with pain medication if I do have any - I'm just worried that the terrible pains will strike during clinicals or an exam!

Sorry I didn't have much to contribute in the ways to manage or cope during school, but I would make sure you have a great doctor (or NP or PA) that understands what's going on and works with you. I am so, sooo fortunate to have found the obgyn I have been seeing. He's been far more helpful than any other doctor, nurse practitioner, or physicians assistant I've ever seen.

[smoup]

Next time I see my PCP I am going to ask if I should be seeing a neurologist. I agree. The right doctor/PA/NP/PA can make all the difference. I was very lucky my PCP believed me and I got diagnosed so quickly. Some people go YEARS with the pain before being diagnosed and getting on proper medication and that's after having unnecessary root canals and teeth removed. I am very lucky.