how many (nursing students) are sick?

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I have seen my health decline since I started in the nursing program. Mostly BP problems that I have nerver had. An eye twitch problem that came and went. Now something that may be more serious. Understand I have always enjoyed perfect health. So now I am faced with a delimina. Nursing school seems to be killing me slowly. Reading about the stress response in school makes me see a connection. I was wondering, how many others are sick since starting nursing school? I am on my way to the doctor about my latest problem. My next stop is droping out of the program.

I still want to be a nurse, but it seems I am moving in the direction of patient.

Specializes in Case Management, Home Health, UM.

During my first quarter in nursing school, I dropped seven pounds and developed a terrible case of "Montezuma's Revenge", in which everything I ate went straight through me. I was working part-time, caring for a screaming nine-month-old baby and carrying a courseload of 17 quarter hours, which included inorganic/organic chemistry. The instructor of this course was so demanding and under the delusion that it was THE only academic subject we had to worry about. The harder I tried, the worse my grades became....and so did my diarrhea. It wasn't until one night around midnight, when I was trying to study (my stomach was killing me), and I was listening to a DJ on a popular local radio station announce brightly: "OK, all of you who are up studying right now close those books". When he said that, something hit me over the head and I did more than just close mine: I threw them across the floor, punctuating my efforts with expletives...and went straight to bed. I made up my mind RIGHT then and there that I wasn't going to allow nursing school to make me sick any longer, and if I had to, I would take chemistry over again. Within days my symptoms had disappeared. I did not open my chemistry book again until the following summer, when I retook it and passed it with a "B". That was the best thing I ever did, for it not only saved my health, but possibly kept me from dropping out of school all together.

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I just had strep throat on Tuesday.. and I didn't think it was that bad until I went to clinical and really could not swallow. I ended up staying the whole day though. I'm sure everyone in my clininical group is going to get it now. The only thing I feel bad is that I hope my patient doesn't get it. She was an 81 year old who could barely hear. So I had to get close to her to talk and to make it worse it hurt me to even talk. Well at least I feel better now! That was hell.... I NEVER Had strep throat b4! That night I had a temp of 102 and stomach cramps. I was absolutely miserable. I can't believe I survived a day on clinical with that. I ended up staying home on Wednesday and going to the docs and he gave me an antibiotic which cleared it up right away.

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Adding to my previous list. This week I've visited the doctor twice. I have a double ear infection and upper resp. infection. It's like my immune system decided enough was enough and refuses to be pushed to the limits by nursing school stress.

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Oh my gosh, me too! I was just at the doctor's this afternoon for a pinched nerve in my shoulder that is being caused by tension. It is pressing down so tight that my whole left arm ache's and tingles when I am severely stressed. Which now with clinicals is 3 days out of 5. I've also gained 10 lbs. since I started school in the fall. Not enough time to cook so we end up eating junk because its fast. At this rate, I will probably gain 30 lbs before I get out next year! I have migraines too but now they are coming about 1/week and Zomig is very expensive.

It makes me laugh when in class they talk about taking care of ourselves and not allowing ourselves to get too stressed out. Ha! Like they would do anything to alleviate that anyway. My pet peeve is that my school has a very strict absence policy. You can only miss 3 days, after that there are no make ups and guess what if you miss more than that you have to repeat the semester. I actually told one of my instructors that that kind of policy encourages us students to show up on clinical days sick when we really might need to be home instead of spreading our germs in the hospital. I have children and need those days for when they are sick because I CAN'T come to school then, so if I get sick....I left it at that. She didn't have much to say about that, because it is the truth.

I empathize with all of you, I'm right there too.

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Our school is worse. You can only miss one day of clinical. In addition, you can only repeat one class a year. So if you fail two, you're out of the program. Even if you repeated the class it would take almost a year to get back in and then only if it has been less than 5 years since you took all your prereqs. I heard of one unfortuante individual that had to take some prereqs again and then reapply. That means it will take an additonal year just to reapply.

I am dropping out of the program. My health is worth so much more to me. I want to be a nurse not a patient.

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Specializes in 5 years peds, 35 years med-surg.

When I was in nursing school in 1969 I had a lot of colds and tonsillitis. I also worked full time while going to school. Back then we had regular hours for class and clinicals. I couldn't gain weight because they said I had to LOSE weight or leave the program. That just put more stress on me. Stress can be a killer!

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stress related GI problems here =/

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Specializes in Postpartum/Nursery.
I just started Nursing school this past January and last week came down with an upper respiratory infection. I guess I look forward to much more!!!!!

I had the same thing last week!!!

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Specializes in PACU.

this is so weird, i thought i was alone.. i get colds like every months and they last for at least a week. i have chronic fatigue, headaches, nausea, chest pain, palpatations. i really has alot of problems when i worked 11-7 whlie in school, i was basically sick every single day, there was always something wrong.

it will be very interesting to see if these problems will worsen or go away when school is over????

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Specializes in Primary Care, L&D, Med-Surg.

I'm just coming off of a pediatric rotation and have had a runny nose and accompanying symptoms for three weeks. My first day there, my little guy coughed right in my face...yikes. I knew right then, I was going to come down with something. Hope to get over it for good while I'm on spring break.

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Aside from my stress level that has never been that high, my anemia and being sleep deprived, I had cellulitis (not the orange-skin thingy) last week. I was in the ER a couple of days, but managed to get my DM to let me go to school! (I'm crazy, huh?) He got tired of that and kicked me out, along with a small I.V. pump for ABX! Now, I'm on oral amoxillin and doing better.

It really gave me the perspective of "the blue gown". Having to go to the bathroom to wash yourself in a hurry, IVs, having nurses and aids peeking through at every hour and the horrible hosp. food!:uhoh21: A last, I can finally understand pts!:lol2:

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me!!!!

i have an itchy throat, cough and flu.

the medicine i'm taking is not helping much, i now have to turn to chinese medicine.

the weather in singapore is not nice, 34 degrees!!!!:barf01:

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