Crutchin' along...

[miniagent007]

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I've got CP and use forearm crutches most of the time to get around. I can walk without them if the terrain/floor is relatively smooth and there's a wall or something to hold onto every once in a while, but most of the time I use the crutches. I start med school in a month and a half and I'm trying to get an idea of what I'm up against in the next several years so that I know what sort of services I may need to request from the disabilities office.

What are the most difficult things about med school/residency on crutches? How do you handle carrying charts, etc? (Invest in a good backpack?) How do you keep your hands reasonably sterile if you have to hold onto something to get around? Does it matter if you can't walk very fast? Do you have to move around much in anatomy lab?

Any advice or shared experiences would be great! Thanks!

 

[Instatewaiter]

I've got CP and use forearm crutches most of the time to get around. I can walk without them if the terrain/floor is relatively smooth and there's a wall or something to hold onto every once in a while, but most of the time I use the crutches. I start med school in a month and a half and I'm trying to get an idea of what I'm up against in the next several years so that I know what sort of services I may need to request from the disabilities office.

What are the most difficult things about med school/residency on crutches? How do you handle carrying charts, etc? (Invest in a good backpack?) How do you keep your hands reasonably sterile if you have to hold onto something to get around? Does it matter if you can't walk very fast? Do you have to move around much in anatomy lab?

Any advice or shared experiences would be great! Thanks!

I think your biggest challenge will be the clinical years. Carrying stuff around will be tough and you tend to walk a good amount when you round on patients. Surgery will be a nightmare but I imagine they will make arrangements that will make it do-able.

It will be a challange but I imagine a lot of things others take for granted as no problem are challanges. Because of that, I seriously doubt you will have issues. The school will likely bend over backwards to help you. They also probably have experience with this so they can recommend things that will help you.

 

[ACGator09]

the only problem i can think of during pre-clinical years is anatomy where you have to stand and dissect... and go wash your hands before you touched any personal belongings eg crutches. otherwise as stated in the previous post, clinical years will probably be tougher.
talk to your school. good luck!

 

[miniagent007]

Thanks for the responses so far! I'm sure with a little creativity things should be just fine, but I'm interested to know what solutions other students have used when faced with similar issues. Anyone broken or sprained anything in med school? How'd it go? 😛

 

[megaluna]

Several of my classmates injured their ankles or knees and were on crutches during the first two years. I just had hip reconstructive surgery, and I'm on a walker and crutches. I had to take time off though because I am non-weight bearing and still on pain meds.

Miniagent007- I wish you the best of luck in med school. I'm sure getting this far wasn't easy, so I bet you have the strength and creativity to make it happen!

 

[phospho]

I agree! If you got this far, you definitely have the creativity to finish what you started. I can only think of anatomy lab for the preclinical years, but even in anatomy, we had stools (which people rarely used). I used them quite a bit though, and there were many days where I'd spend the whole 4-5 hours dissecting (or removing fat) while I was sitting. I totally could've pulled off sitting on my ass through the whole semester. There was also a girl who was nonweight bearing in our class for all of anatomy.

 

[dukejen04]

So- since I'm not officially a med student for another two weeks, I have nothing useful to contribute to this thread. Just wanted to say that I read your blog posts after seeing this thread and hope that you continue to blog through med school!!!

Med school is challenging for most people, but I feel like you have a unique story to tell, and I would love to follow your journey as I go through my own, so I REALLY hope you keep writing!

Good luck! I'm excited, hope you are too 🙂

 

[WellWornLad]

I think you'll manage fine the first two years. Anatomy will definitely be a pain, because you won't want to touch anything after dissecting until you've moved to the sinks and scrubbed your hands silly. I might request a cadaver table near whatever wash stations your school provides.

Third/fourth year is going to be more of a challenge, but doable. You're going to have to rely on your classmates a great deal - if there's a team attitude, that shouldn't be a problem. Just like any 3rd year, keep your eye out for ways that you can pull your own weight. You might not be able to run to the other end of the hospital to track down a chart on a moment's notice, but you can certainly work yourself into a organizational, even leadership role.

Surgeries might be a challenge, however. Can you stand unassisted for long periods? When you're scrubbed in, there aren't always a lot of sterile structures nearby you can use to support yourself, and sitting will almost always put you out of reach & view of the action. Even getting from the scrub basin to the sterile station to gown can be tough, as you can't touch anything with your hands.

 

[abmd]

Sorry I don't have any advice. I just want to say good luck and I commend you for following your dreams!

 

[beysam]

So- since I'm not officially a med student for another two weeks, I have nothing useful to contribute to this thread. Just wanted to say that I read your blog posts after seeing this thread and hope that you continue to blog through med school!!!

Med school is challenging for most people, but I feel like you have a unique story to tell, and I would love to follow your journey as I go through my own, so I REALLY hope you keep writing!

Good luck! I'm excited, hope you are too 🙂

I know it has been a while since your last post, but if you don't mind tell us your experience of the med school.

Incase, you are windering I am a fellow premed from lovely LAX.