illness in school

[MSc44]

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Hi all

I was wondering if there were any people out there that have had to deal with any type of chronic illness in medical school, and if so how has it been to deal with it, and what have you done to get where you are, and how do you think it will inpact your future as a physician

 

[Shodddy18]

Does chronic lack of motivation count as a disease? J/K

 

[Marianne11]

Hi all

I was wondering if there were any people out there that have had to deal with any type of chronic illness in medical school, and if so how has it been to deal with it, and what have you done to get where you are, and how do you think it will inpact your future as a physician

You should post this the Osteopathic forum or allopathic, not pre. I'm curious too. I have a chronic illness that causes fatigue at times. I'm not too worried about the first 2 years, but rotations and residency are the the big worries. I don't have the same energy level to work 36 hrs straight etc. I don't know how much time/hours are expected during rotations. I know residency is horrible in this respect.

 

[phil413ru]

Hi all

I was wondering if there were any people out there that have had to deal with any type of chronic illness in medical school, and if so how has it been to deal with it, and what have you done to get where you are, and how do you think it will inpact your future as a physician

Yes, I have experienced having to go through an illness in medical school. I would be happy to share--please feel free to PM/email me for detail. Overall, I feel it does give me a very different perspective. So often, as medical students/physicians, we can easily forget the patient part---that the patient comes to the physician with fears, frustrations etc. When results don't happen as fast as a physican would like, this is just as frustrating to the physician as to the patient. I know that in the future, patients will come with expectations, but they will also come with bad experiences, good experience, hopes and fears. They may not say these, but will think these. If I just treat the patient's symptoms, but fail to realize how these might be affecting the patient as a whole entity, then I have failed to treat the patient overall. Often, I must recognize that if I am frustrasted with a puzzling patient, the patient is probably as frustrated as I am, or discouraged as I am, and this needs to be recognized or it will come off negatively towards the patient.

It also gave me a perspective that health is not a a given. So often we assume that we will be healthy, and as soon as things go wrong we complain about the one thing that is bad. Yet, Dana Bowman, a retired Army special forces SGT 1st class soldier really made me think when he stated "It's not about this disability, it's about the ability". SFC Bowman lost both legs, yet went on to be the first double-amputee to jump with the Army Golden Knight (sky-dive team). I know this same type of mentality has been a source of encouragement to troops who are now faced with chronic disability/illness.
My story pales in comparison to what others have gone through, but regardless, it has made me realize to be thankful for the health I do have and look even more amazement at the human body. It also gives me a greater passion for medicine because I know what I went through, I know what I liked in the treatment I had, and what I didn't like, and I will hopefully be able to apply this when I go onto the wards as a physician.

Best luck! Please email/PM me with any questions. Hope this helps!

 

[chicadehuskers]

This isn't quite the same, but my cousin discovered he had testicular cancer 2 months into his first year of medical school. He was "stuck in Mexico," so he was freaking out about his medical care options. He went through chemotherapy and only missed a week of classes. He never told any of his classmates what was going on with him. He hurried and got married to his fiance. She moved to Mexico to be with him. His classmates all continued to think he wouldn't go out and party with them because his wife had him whipped! He lost his hair and was sick a lot, so I don't know how these prospective physicians could have NOT guessed what was occurring. Anyway, he said that this event completely changed his perspective on life, which in turn changed the way he approached medical school and eventually his medical practice. He's now a very successful neurosurgeon in California. He says that if he would have had the same drive for success he has now, because of his cancer, he probably would not have ended up in Mexico for medical school! I just thought I would share his story because it's pretty inspiring for me.