Thinking about quitting nursing school

sara567 · Feb 14, 2016

You have way more going on than nursing school. Not saying that no one has completed nursing school with anxiety, depression, or any other health condition, but it certainly needs to be under control.

PCOS is pretty common and I'm surprised when you say you think know one knows about it. I was diagnosed over 20 years ago, and know many people that have it. There are options to control a lot of the symptoms. Are you being treated by an endocrinologist? You need to have your blood sugar checked and they can also level your hormones out to minimize excess hair.

As for hair: there are lots of hair removal treatments to do until a time comes when electrolysis is an option. Because you are hyper aware of it you are causing yourself to believe that others are too. I highly doubt your parents are staring at it all the time.

Your age is really not an issue. I had people aged 19-50+ in my class. The average age being around 30.

If you aren't sure this is what you want to do, take time off. Take gen Ed courses that you can use for any degree you want. Many of these can be done online.

Most importantly, breathe. You have a lot going on and can do anything you want, but need to try and fix things before taking on more.

NurseGirl525, ASN, RN · Feb 14, 2016

I also have PCOS. It is a very common condition among women. I'm going to ask you a difficult question. How is your weight? Many times losing weight can help with the symptoms. It's difficult to lose weight with Pcos as you tend to gain weight and store it around your belly. I know I do.

There are medications to help with the symptoms. I second going to see an endocrinologist and get treatment. Many women think their OBs can treat it. All they do is throw you on birth control. It's an endocrine disorder not a reproductive.

Your severe depression is blurring your vision on life right now. You need to withdraw from school and get help. You need to get your mind right before attempting nursing school. Your parents are wrong that you will just automatically be given a job when you obtain your license. You will have to compete with more confident new grads. Your self esteem is too low. Electrolysis is not the answer for facial hair removal. It's expensive and I heard it doesn't work all the time. This is why you need to see a doctor who can try something to help you.

Getting your weight down will also protect you from diabetes. Your blood sugars are important here. Mine are tested annually. 85% of women with Pcos will develop Type II diabetes at some point. Exercise will also help with your depression. Take a run someday or do a great cardio workout sometime and see how great your mind feels afterwards. It's a wonderful feeling.

Im so sorry about what you are going through. I think getting some help would do wonders for you. Don't let Pcos rule your life.

pmabraham, BSN, RN · Feb 14, 2016

Good day:

"My parents pretty much pushed me"

Is it your life or their life? Food for thought.

Find out what YOU want to do that you will love, and run after it.

lagirl008 · Feb 14, 2016

Thank you for replying. It really helps me to see that I should take care of myself first. I knew the moment I got my acceptance letter, that I wasn't meant for this. I felt extremely scared and I wasn't excited at all when I got it. My family was excited for me, but I felt so stressed out and sick. My only problem now is telling my parents. They see nursing as the only profession. My younger sister was in college for the same thing, but she quit during pre reqs because she knew it wasn't for her. She wasn't doing well in her courses, but I was. My parents told me not to quit. I was so jealous of her because she did what I wanted to do. Now she has a retail job and they keep insisting that she should go back and get that nursing degree. I'm scared of letting them down, but then again, I think they'd want me to quit if it's making me suicidal. I've even thought and researched on ways to do it. You're right, I've let my PCOS take over my life, and it's killing me. I have been trying to lose weight, but my symptoms are so bad that I keep giving up. I wish you were right about people not noticing my symptoms, but even one of my previous drs asked me what gender I was when he walked in the room. I think I need to change my dr because I've been seeing him since October and he keeps telling me that I don't need a referral for my PCOS. He prescribed Metformin and told me to stop being a baby and just take it. I asked him about treating my symptoms including amenorrhea for 5 years now and he said Metformin would fix it.

Kuriin, BSN, RN · Feb 14, 2016

Sounds like you have your answer. You're an adult, so time to start making your own decisions.

lagirl008 · Feb 14, 2016

I am going to talk to my parents tomorrow. I already emailed some instructors with the intent of adding gen ed courses so this semester doesn't go to waste. I'm very scared but it's time I take care of myself. Thank you all for your advice. It has given me the confidence to seek treatment.

NurseGirl525, ASN, RN · Feb 14, 2016

I'm very glad. And yes, find a new doctor. I had one get on me for my acne and weight years ago. The weight was one thing, the acne though, I was already self conscious. But I now have a very supportive doctor.

The biggest thing though is your mental status. Pcos can be horrible. Your hormones are all out of whack. That messes with your emotions.

Your parents seem to think a college degree automatically equals success. I'm a former retail manager who started at the bottom. I made very good money as a store manager. Very good. It's very hard work. Lots of manual labor. Lots of people getting mad over stupid things and you receive the brunt of it. But, I made good money, without a college degree.

Explain in to your parents even if you are making a mistake school-wise, it's your mistake to make and learn from. Parents never like to see their kids make mistakes. We like to protect our kids. But, if we don't let them make their own mistakes, our kids will never learn.

You our will be fine in life. School will always be there for you.

PaintEventer · Feb 15, 2016

I too have PCOS, anxiety, and depression. I've battled the battle with all of these. Anxiety is why I left college the first time. I regret it. It's going to take a LOT to get me back in now.

If you need to take a semester off to get things sorted, put together a new plan for you, and ground yourself to become healthier with your mental health, by all means take it! It is NEVER too late to go to school and get a degree. I had someone in my pre-reqs who was in their 50s!

So basically, you are 100% in control of your life. If nursing isn't your passion you are going to be miserable even though it does have job security and decent money. However, there is so much more out there that job security and money should be the least of your worries!

Find something YOU want to do and go for it. If you are passionate about it, you will achieve success. Good luck and a lot of people do understand your battle and will help support you through all of your battles.

lagirl008 · Feb 15, 2016

I talked to them and they told me to stop joking around. I told them I've even thought about killing myself and they said to not think about that and just study. I feel like just ending it already. I'm thinking of drinking bleach

sara567 · Feb 15, 2016

I'm not sure if this is a real post or not. It's hard to imagine someone with so many inconsiderate and unprofessional people around them. I can't imagine ever dismissing my child if they stated they were going to hurt themselves. If it is not real, joking about hurting yourself is not funny.

With that out of the way, I am choosing to believe you are serious.

Life is not easy. Nursing (or any career) is something you have to want to do. Nursing school is going to make whatever issues are already in your life that much harder. You are of an adult age. While it is apparent from your other posts that you are depressed, now is not the right time to be taking on new activities.

Understanding that we want to make our parents proud, at some point we all have had to cut the umbilical cord and decide that our happiness is more important. For many people that occurs right around the age you are now. So, congrats, you are right where you should be. Now you need to make a decision. Change your major or not. Only you can decide that.

If if you are thinking of hurting yourself, please reach out to one of the below numbers. They can help you for the immediate time of staying healthy and safe and help you maintain safety. Your above stated issues may seem overwhelming, but I promise you, they are just little blips in life. Even if you stay, get your Rn and decide you don't like it, Just get a new job. In my life I have been a teacher, an emt, a corporate professional and just recently became a nurse.

As for those numbers:

1-800-273-8255 to talk

741741 to chat

1-800-442-4673 to talk

direw0lf, BSN · Feb 15, 2016

I think a part of you doesn't want to drink bleach or hurt yourself, or you wouldn't have posted it here among nurses? You don't need to hurt yourself to get help! You can call or email your school counselor/psychologist right now and you just can explain your thoughts and possible plans, and that you already informed your parents but they won't help so you don't know what to do next but it might be suicide. You can always do that later if getting therapy doesn't work first. If it's too hard to call the school counselor, you can talk to a nurse if you look up hospitals in your area and go to their behavioral department, there is usually a number you can call.