anyone else balancing a chronic illness and school?

[ckwsnik]

After being misdiagnosed for several years I finally have been diagnosed with Lyme disease and ankylosing spondylitis. I'm wondering if anyone else balances school and their illness? I'm finding it difficult to continue in school and even questioning my ability to be a dentist with this chronic form of arthritis.

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[free99]

Sorry to hear about the diagnosis. Are you currently in undergrad or dental school?

 

[rivarat]

Perhaps you should attempt to get disability insurance now, before anything gets worse. Your diagnosis will make obtaining disability very difficult.

Also, check that you are signed up for the disability through ASDA.

What year are you?

You could consider a specialty like pathology if you don't want to drop dental school. If you did drop, you could go into dental materials sales.

 

[beannaithe]

i'm a dentist with crohn's disease. i was diagnosed in undergrad and went through dental school with it. i was lucky to be in remission for most of my time in school, but i had a nasty flare during my 4th year. i found that managing stress was the most important thing to help me feeling better. i tried to get as much sleep as i could, keep up with my medications and try not to stress about school. i kinda accepted early on that i needed to get through school, not ace it and that helped a lot too.

do they have you on any medications? once they get you into remission, it will definitely get easier.

what year are you? if you don't mind me asking.

i agree with what the poster above me said. make sure you sign up for the asda disability policy because that will carry over after graduation. that has been the only disability insurance that i've been able to get. the prices are reasonable. and it's not much...but it's something. i never qualified for disability even with years of remission. also, consolidate your loans as soon as you get out to a 30 year plan so you have some time to pay things off if you get a flare up that puts you out of work for a while. i built a nice little rainy day fund, but i've been lucky and have only missed 6 weeks of work due to a surgery. the nice thing about dentistry is that i've been able to work as much as i can. right now, i'm doing 3 shorter days and a long one because that's about what i can physically handle. i'm not raking in the dough, but it's more than enough to live comfortably as long as i don't lead an extravagant lifestyle.

i'm sorry you got diagnosed with such a nasty illness. it does get better from here though. if you have any questions or anything, don't hesitate to drop me a pm.

 

[ckwsnik]

right now I'm focusing on the lyme disease. antibiotics and alternative therapy such as acupuncture and herbals. I wont get into it here but it is a very controversial disease to treat and manage. I'm hoping when that gets under control the underlying autoimmune disease will improve as well. I'm not on anything for the ankylosing spondylitis because I had GI ulcers (still remain undiagnosed for that) so NSAIDs are out of the question. Biologics are not possible now either because of the chronic infection with lyme that has been going on for who knows how many years. I am a first-year Dental student currently.

 

[EndoRes2016]

After being misdiagnosed for several years I finally have been diagnosed with Lyme disease and ankylosing spondylitis. I'm wondering if anyone else balances school and their illness? I'm finding it difficult to continue in school and even questioning my ability to be a dentist with this chronic form of arthritis.

I have type 1 diabetes and have dealt with that throughout dental school and residency. It's something that definitely is on my mind everyday, as low blood sugar is a disaster during treatment and high blood sugar drives me crazy. I have managed it well with technology (insulin pump, continuous monitor that links to Apple Watch) and always keep extra insulin pump supplies and snacks/sugary items on hand. I think it helps to let people know what your dealing with and everyone has been very supportive and helpful anytime I needed a hand because of the disease. Good luck with everything and I hope dental school is a good fit with your conditions- I say stick it out and see what you can accomplish, you may be surprised.

 

[DMDDDSHopeful]

right now I'm focusing on the lyme disease. antibiotics and alternative therapy such as acupuncture and herbals. I wont get into it here but it is a very controversial disease to treat and manage. I'm hoping when that gets under control the underlying autoimmune disease will improve as well. I'm not on anything for the ankylosing spondylitis because I had GI ulcers (still remain undiagnosed for that) so NSAIDs are out of the question. Biologics are not possible now either because of the chronic infection with lyme that has been going on for who knows how many years. I am a first-year Dental student currently.

Hey just want to say don't give up hope. I have met a good amount of people that had contracted Lyme disease (live in a tick-infested region of the USA) and are doing great after several years. One of the hard part is becoming diagnosed and subsequently treated. I hope the best for you and that you can put this behind you one day.