Need Advice r/t attending Nursing School with Disabilities

[LPNTOBE2017]

Hello Everyone,

I am so glad that there is a post for nurses with disabilities. I am not a nurse yet. I am a pre-nursing student wanting to get my RN Degree. And I am wondering how I am going to get through my pre-requites. I have been diagnosed with schizo-effective disorder for several years for which I am on medication and seeing a therapist. But just lately I have been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes which I am on medication/diet regimen, I also have low thyroid, High cholesterol, High blood pressure and acid reflux for which I am taking medication for these conditions to. I must admit that I stopped taking my psych meds because I felt that I did not need them, because the thought of taking them really made me really angry. I ended up being hospitalized quite a few times due to my behavior . I did not realize it but I was out of control I ended up getting arrested several times for disorderly conduct, breech of peace and assault. These charges have been over 18 years ago and I was very fortunate that the charges where dropped by the judge. I am not that evil person any more. I have a visiting nurse so I take my meds and I am doing very well. I receive SSI and I have a conservator that handles my finances. I really want to come off of SSI and also handle taking my medication on my own while being able to handle my own money. I would like to know how you handled your disabilities while taking your pre-requisites for nursing school. I am sorry that my post was so long I just wanted to give you some idea of my disability. I look forward to hearing from you.

[JSkims]

I too am dx with schizoaffective disorder. I am in my final semester of an ADN program. Nursing school has had its ups and downs as with any student. I did better when I took care of myself, ate well, got lots of quality sleep, didn't drink, etc. I went through a deep deep depression and med change last semester and my grades suffered. I'm still recovering from that, with some memory issues so it's hard retaining info. I'm on ssdi and hope to work part time once I pass the nclex. Right now I'm doing 16 hours of clinical a week and am tolerating that well. Sometimes it's stimulation overload though and I have to go to the bathroom and take a minute, deep breathing. I did let the student services dept know at school so I could get special testing accommodations. And I went to the head of the nursing dept to have a discussion about my future in nursing where she alleviated my fears. I have no regrets about disclosing my dx as I know it's confidential.