msunderstoood

Have you thought about going down to Toledo to Mercy? My niece was running into the same problem you were and applied to Mercy and got in the September program so she is starting way ahead of what she would have staying here.... good luck! (the tuition there is a little higher but waiting to make a salary is too!)

I too am the caregiver of the family. I take care of my 76 year old mom with emphysema, CHF, Dementia etc... (you know the story). I am single, 39, and have my own chronic health conditions. My mom is non compliant, stubborn, and sometimes a nightmare but I love her and will do anything to keep her out of a nursing home. I have 3 older brothers that are married that are somewhat useless when it comes to knowing when I need help. I would love it if they would call and say "hey I want mom for the weekend" or "can I do anything for you" but it never happens. I usually have to call them, hopefully they will answer the phone and I provide the transport for 2 of the houses. It can be exhausting, worse when my own health issues are not going so great. I am glad to see I am not alone on here. I know the few times that my mom has been in an icu and sicker than hell it was hard being the nurse of the family. I wanted to be the child and let someone else make all the decisions afterall I am the youngest. It just doesn't work out that way I guess. I ended up going to counseling because my stress/anxiety over my moms health issues came to a head the last time she tried to check out. I tried controlling everything I could to make sure she didnt' get sick, her diet, meds, exercise etc... now its ok that she goes uptown to smoke, she has had a great life, she is her own boss and I am ok with that... (for the most part :-) sometimes the nurse in me still takes over and I have to put her in check. Anyway, this conversation struck me and I wanted to let anyone else know you aren't alone in this... I know when she is gone I will miss her dearly but I am grateful for every second I have been able to spend with her. Thanks!

Great suggestion about the life insurance. I would also add if you haven't gotten it already add to the list disability insurance as well. Fortunately I had mine before getting the diagnosis but thinking about career changes outside of the hospital makes me worry about insurance changes, life insurance, disability insurance... I know as long as I don't lose coverage most insurance will cover my MS. Disability insurance has been an issue but there are companies that offer it up front without qualifiers you just have to be aware of that being an issue beforehand. It wasn't something I was even thinking about as I was being diagnosed. Best!

Hi, I am a nurse with MS. I was diagnosed in my second semester of nursing school. I am 37 and was diagnosed in 2001. I will tell you to hang in there. People will tell you what they think you should do, how they think you should work, what is best for you. Know your body, know what you can/can't do, find a good neurologist that listens to you as well as any Dr. that you see. If they don't treat you the way you should be treated get rid of them. I have made adjustments to my career. I wanted to work in geriatrics when I finished school but ended up working in a NICU (smaller patients, less lifting, easier). I worked nights which I have found added to my fatigue but wasn't ready to go to a day shift position. I have adjusted my hours and schedule as needed trying to find what combination worked best. Sometimes working 3 days in a row then having 4 off worked, currently I work 2 then have a few off then work 1. It all depends. I work in an institute that has a separate time bank for people with Chronic Illnesses. It gives me about 9 months of sick pay every 5 years. The first time I had an exacerbation I used most of that up. Fortunately it renewed the next year. I recently left my position in the NICU for a job I thought might accomodate my illness a little better. I was trying to think ahead for the future. It was for the most part a day job, I felt a lot better. It is a desk job tha has allowed me to go back to my old unit and pick up overtime, something I couldn't do a whole lot when I worked there. I miss taking care of patients though and I miss my night friends that I worked with. My old job beckons me every now and then. The most important thing for me has been accepting that I need rest when my body tells me to slow down. I have come to love naps much like Garfield the cat. I am learning how to manage my stress (this has helped a lot but has been a hard lessong because I love to save the world and worry about everyone I know). I have great supportive friends in my life. The ones that weren't bailed out after the first time I got sick. (In the grand scheme of things 1 or 2 less Christmas cards to send out). The people that stepped up to the plate for me were blessings. I didn't realize how many great friends I really had. Know that you can do this. Just learn to manage your symptoms. There are moments in this disease that have taught me humility and grace, both so far a blessing. I know sometimes I have trouble with opening IV bags. Something you wouldn't think would be troubling until your in the position of not being able to open it. (At the time I was to weak to open it) It wasn't until someone handed me scissors and said "just use these"... I thought for sure I wouldn't ever make it thru my first year. You adjust and find work arounds, be creative! Sometimes there are easy solutions for every problem you may or may not ever encounter. If you would like to chat more just let me know. Hang in there. Don't overload yourself with information (I did that and scared myself to pieces). Know that your disease is exactly that... yours. It can be different for every person. My favorite quote about the disease is "I have MS, it doesn't have me". Hang in there!

Hello, By the time I was done with just my associates degree I had 17 thousand in loans. I maxed out the amount I could take out which was about 7 thousand a year at 2.5 years this is where it ended up. I received a stafford loan. The payments were very reasonable. I then applied for and received a grant from the national institute of health which covered about 10 thousand or more of that just for working in the same hospital I planned on working in when I graduated. Many hospitals will also help with tuition reimbursement as you go to school and work so after you finish your ADN start working and use some tuition support money from your employer to finish your BSN. Some states are now even offering nursing scholarships. I know Michigan has a 2000 or 3000 dollar grant. Be creative! There are many creative ways to pay off your education. If you look into states to practice in that have nursing shortages many have options to pay off your student loans if you commit to two years. I know the hospital I work at will pay for your nurse practitioner degree in certain areas if you commit to working there as well. If you look at your income now (this is how I justified the debt) and the income you will make when you graduate, will your income increase? Besides that you are investing in yourself. It is one of the best investments you can make in your lifetime. Hope this helps somewhat

Thank you for your replies. I want to assure you my question was more about pushing towards going to see a Dr. and understanding about being the nurse in the family and being able to separate yourself and just be a daughter. I am struggling with it. In my own job I find myself able to say "we are going too far", with my mom I just don't want to lose her. In the end I know if my mom wanted to get this done she would have been there already (a year ago). My mom isn't struggling with any decisions, just me. I have always gotten very good nursing advice from this site as far as "I have been in your shoes" and even with this post the advice that I know that what is best is to see her Dr. I already talked with my mom about just checking to see where things are right now with her artery a few days ago. I remember being in the room with her while she was inpatient and on a vent and wanting so desperately to be the nurse and take care of her. We always think we know best I suppose. Yes, I am one of those nurses that insist that someone in the family is there (in the room or hovering in the waiting room) all the time. I lift the sheets I look at her skin, I listen to her breathing etc... I become one of those neurotic family members :-) I just needed to say what I was feeling to people that would understand the struggle... and kick me in the behind.

She hasn't been back after the initial visit when the appointment was scheduled. The surgery would be a Carotid endarterectomy. I have not had any experience with this type of procedure especially in an aged population. I work with babies...

Hi all, I was just looking for some opinions from those that might have one or two on this matter... my mom is 74 y.o. she has emphysema, chf, htn, and 1.5 years ago her right carotid was 90% occluded. The MD put her on plavix and had set up an appointment with card's to have her artery cleaned out. At the time she was supposed to go in she ended up with pnemonia (on a vent) so she never went to the appointment so flash forward she has been sick this past june/july (on a vent, pnemonia, septic shock, mrsa, pseudomonas, etc...) so now she has settled down (healthwise) so I am looking for opinions on pushing her towards getting this done before it is too late. Does anyone have any opinions that might help or have had experience with this type of procedure should I push her really hard to have it done??? I can't see straight because it is my mother and the line between daughter and nurse is skewed so bad because of her last round of hospitalization that I could really use some honest opinions and guidance...thanks in advance

Thank you all for taking the time to answer my question. I appreciate everyone's input. It is greatly appreciated...

Do you let the units that you are traveling to know beforehand about your illness? I am typically very upfront about things and wondered if that has gotten in your way at all? Were you diagnosed before you switched insurance? Was that an issue at all? What happens when you have to call in do you just make it up at the end of your assignment or do you have to pay back money? Thanks for all the great information there were things I didn't consider....

Hello, I have a chronic illness and I am considering doing some travel nursing. I am concerned about the issues related to insurance and travel nursing. The meds I take cost about 1000 a month if I don't have insurance. I have good insurance for the hospital I work at now. Do you run into problems with your insurance ever? Is doing travel nursing a bad idea for someone that may need to take a day off if I am not feeling well? I have MS so sometimes I need a day here or there. What happens? Do any of you travel with any type of chronic illness? I would love to be able to do this... what are the obstacles?

Hello, I am in fact one of those nurses that receives this grant. Mine is actually just finishing up. I have no idea why I was one of the people selected. I know there are only a few hundred that receive the grant. I can tell you I work at a disproportionate share hospital (it takes medicaid/medicare and is a state hospital in a university setting). I had all of my paperwork in a few days after it opened up for new paperwork to be submitted. I made sure I had the correct information it took a while to compile everything. I had about 17 thousand in student loans when I applied I don't know if this comes into play when deciding who receives money or not. I receive about 400 dollars a month which is applied directly to student loans. It is taxed which killed me the first year in taxes (I didn't own my home yet). It has been nice to get the money. I am very grateful. They also sent out paperwork to continue for a third year but I decided not too because I wanted to drop my hours. You have to work a certain number of hours and not miss a certain number of days or your contract is extended. I know another girl that works at my hospital that also applied and was not accepted. So... not sure why I was. I would encourage you to apply and keep applying because the money helps out. Especially if you do in fact work for a disproportionate share hospital it at least moves you up further on the list. If you have any ?'s I can help you with let me know...

Hi again, Thats what I was thinking. For someone like myself with a chronic illness it is one of the best benefits I can have it ends up being about 9 ish months of pay then I fall into my long term disability. I have ms so when it acts up if I have a day of fatigue I just call in and say "I have MS today" and it comes out of the extended sick bank. I would eventually like to move out of state but haven't really heard of another hospital doing the same thing and it has been a blessing. My sick time and pto time are in the same bank otherwise so if I call in with the flu or an illness other than my chronic illness it comes out of my regular pto bank. My friend works up in Green Bay and has benefits that are somewhat similiar... Thanks for answering so far!

Hello, My employer offers extended sick benefits which total about 1100 hours that renews every 5 years for people that are off work with an illness greater than 2 weeks. The first 2 weeks you use your pto time after that you can use hours from your extended sick bank. When I call in with my illness I can use my extended illness hours so it doesn't effect my pto time. I was wondering if anyone else has this benefit. We also get long term disability but I was wondering more about how your employer handles people being off work with chronic illnesses. Any information will be great... thanks. Sometimes I feel like I am stuck where I work because of this benefit I am off work an average of 2-4 weeks because of my illness (a year) so it helps greatly having this bank to draw from. Thanks again...

Hi, Don't ever let anyone try to stop you. I have some limitations from having MS. I picked it up in nursing school (of all places to find a disease). I was told to quit nursing school because I could hardly walk at the time. I kept going. I work in a neonatal icu now. It is a perfect fit for me. No heavy lifting. No exhaustion from moving patients. If you can lift a can of soda or two it might be a great job for you too! There are so many jobs in nursing don't ever let anyone limit your choice by their opinion. I have a lot of options. My employer works around my illness (thank goodness!). Good luck remember this anyway... many nurses have desk jobs! A lot of employers are hiring new grads all over the country. Don't be afraid! During nursing school you can always get the help of an aide or another classmate. Don't let anyone tell you not too!!! Take care!