talk to me about your "obstacles"

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MysteryCat

MysteryCat

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If you'd like to share, that is. I have been solidly set on "pre-vet" for a year, and before that I knew for years what I wanted to do. The reason that I didn't push for it before, is that I have SEVERE anxiety and self confidence problems. My earlier college GPA suffered because of it, but I'm pulling it up one class at a time. My current problem is working on being comfortable enough with myself to let myself believe that I can be successful, and that nobody is actually thinking that I can't do it (like I keep fearing). I am dead set and determined, but looking for advice from people who have potentially been my position. How did you get past emotional obstacles like this while working in high stress environments?

I'll add that I have no problems dealing with stressed owners, etc and that I'm talking more about a general sense of incompetence.
 
MysteryCat said:
If you'd like to share, that is. I have been solidly set on "pre-vet" for a year, and before that I knew for years what I wanted to do. The reason that I didn't push for it before, is that I have SEVERE anxiety and self confidence problems. My earlier college GPA suffered because of it, but I'm pulling it up one class at a time. My current problem is working on being comfortable enough with myself to let myself believe that I can be successful, and that nobody is actually thinking that I can't do it (like I keep fearing). I am dead set and determined, but looking for advice from people who have potentially been my position. How did you get past emotional obstacles like this while working in high stress environments?

I'll add that I have no problems dealing with stressed owners, etc and that I'm talking more about a general sense of incompetence.
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I was born with numerous anxiety disorders. Once my epilepsy developed (particularly because it's localized in the temporal lobe), that anxiety became exacerbated. Moreover, my medication caused me cognitive impairment, starting my senior year of high school. My dosage finally decreased recently, and my grades are noticeably higher. Unfortunately, because I applied this year, vet schools weren't able to see the extent the medicine affected my cognition, and as a result, I got rejected from a few schools, due to my numbers. Still, some gave me a chance (with interviews), though I'm still in the waiting game (and I'm not going to lie - the waiting, along with my anxiety, really sucks, but you can learn how to cope).

How did I cope during most of college? I didn't, and as a result, I developed disordered eating. It's one of the worst things I ever did to myself, and it could be prevented. How did I cope more recently, during the application process? By going to therapy once a week. I've learned so much about myself during this journey, which made it much easier. When my medicine can't calm me down (like during panic attacks), I take a walk and listen to my iPod, and I try doing guided meditations on Youtube.

Anxiety and it's effects can be crippling. You can't avoid it, but you can adapt. Some schools weren't able to give my a chance, and I'm not surprised by that, but others were. If this is what you really want to do, just keep dedicating yourself. Life becomes much easier when you realize that you have a passion, because then you have a purpose; you can live towards something. If you're in this for the animals, just remember: they don't care what school you go to, how many tries it took, and how twisted your journey was; they only want to be taken care of.

The best piece of advice I can give you during this journey (which I learned from Demi Lovato actually) is that the energy you put into the universe will be returned to you. You can let you're anxiety overwhelm you and emit negative energy to your world, and in turn, your life will be a mess; but it doesn't have to be. You can emit positive energy and remember that not ever obstacle is the worst thing in the world. Having severe anxiety makes this all the more hard, but it's not impossible. It's up to you.

Best of luck! 🙂
 
MaiT said:
I was born with numerous anxiety disorders. Once my epilepsy developed (particularly because it's localized in the temporal lobe), that anxiety became exacerbated. Moreover, my medication caused me cognitive impairment, starting my senior year of high school. My dosage finally decreased recently, and my grades are noticeably higher. Unfortunately, because I applied this year, vet schools weren't able to see the extent the medicine affected my cognition, and as a result, I got rejected from a few schools, due to my numbers. Still, some gave me a chance (with interviews), though I'm still in the waiting game (and I'm not going to lie - the waiting, along with my anxiety, really sucks, but you can learn how to cope).

How did I cope during most of college? I didn't, and as a result, I developed disordered eating. It's one of the worst things I ever did to myself, and it could be prevented. How did I cope more recently, during the application process? By going to therapy once a week. I've learned so much about myself during this journey, which made it much easier. When my medicine can't calm me down (like during panic attacks), I take a walk and listen to my iPod, and I try doing guided meditations on Youtube.

Anxiety and it's effects can be crippling. You can't avoid it, but you can adapt. Some schools weren't able to give my a chance, and I'm not surprised by that, but others were. If this is what you really want to do, just keep dedicating yourself. Life becomes much easier when you realize that you have a passion, because then you have a purpose; you can live towards something. If you're in this for the animals, just remember: they don't care what school you go to, how many tries it took, and how twisted your journey was; they only want to be taken care of.

The best piece of advice I can give you during this journey (which I learned from Demi Lovato actually) is that the energy you put into the universe will be returned to you. You can let you're anxiety overwhelm you and emit negative energy to your world, and in turn, your life will be a mess; but it doesn't have to be. You can emit positive energy and remember that not ever obstacle is the worst thing in the world. Having severe anxiety makes this all the more hard, but it's not impossible. It's up to you.

Best of luck! 🙂
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Wow! Thank you for the advice and for sharing your story. I was on antidepressants as a young child, and was verbally abused most of my life, making me feel inadequate even now. I'm just learning to look at the world more positively, and you are right, a passion makes it much easier! Best of luck to you as well!
 
I can relate very well to what you're describing. I have always been an anxious person and have always struggled with varying levels of social anxiety, anxiety that became absolutely crippling in high school and has only recently begun to get better. The crux of my decline into depression happened when we moved. My grandmother, who we had moved to be closer to, died less than a month later. The next two years were filled with transitions: the death, the emotional loss of my mother as a result (she turned to alcoholism); nearly losing my cat and best friend; moving homes, schools, neighbourhoods; and my parent's divorce. I turned to academics to give me some sense of purpose, success and escape, and I did well. Then at 16, I experienced something that resulted in depression, withdrawal and PTSD. I still did well in school, but my emotional and mental health felt crippled, and the fact that my science classes at my high school were taught by the art teacher scared me away from the sciences and vet med. There might also be some truth to the idea that a lot of people who go into psychology go into it wanting to fix themselves. 😛 Regardless, for two years, I held okay grades (mostly As and Bs) but on a part-time basis. I was struggling with full-blown symptoms of PTSD, depression and anxiety and I did not have the support system to deal with it effectively.

Fortunately for me, my university offers counselling and psychiatric services. Since I had student health insurance, I was able to see an outside referral for $20 a session. I was on antidepressants and anti-anxiety medication (it was always a temporary fix for me) until I could feel the ground beneath my feet stabilizing long enough for me to get a foothold. I gradually weaned off the medication and I think that that is when my true healing began to take place, even over when I was seeing a therapist while concurrently taking medication. Seeing a therapist, one who I meshed well with, was honestly, in the end, what saved my life, but it was only when I started putting blood, sweat and tears into getting better that the real work started happening. It took a failed suicide attempt to force me to realize that I didn't want to die and I did want to get better, and so I went to therapy as many times per week as was suggested and I worked hard and did her homework assignments and I got better. I still struggle with anxiety, but I am very capable of coping with it and ever since stepping into my shoes as a pre-vet major, I have become even more self-confident and walk a little bit straighter, despite the anxiety.

I think one of the greatest things you can do for yourself is embrace your anxiety. Accept the fact that it's there. What is its purpose? If anxiety had a voice, and you asked that part of you "why do you keep telling me people think I can't do this? Why can't you just let me believe I can be successful?", what would it say? Would it tell you it's trying to protect you from disappointment? Would it tell you it's trying to prepare you for the voices of naysayers that you may or may not have to face? What is it trying to do for you? Because it probably has a purpose, even if it's not productive. Once you've realized its purpose, you can thank it. Appreciate what it's trying to do for you. Just acknowledge it, embrace it, and accept that even that very anxious part of you has something to offer. Trying to push something aside can often cause it to speak even louder. Acknowledging it, however, bringing it into your awareness, and learning to understand it can oftentimes make it much easier to come to terms and peace with it. The fact of the matter is, it's okay to be anxious! It's okay to worry that you can't do it or that other people think you can't do it. Accepting that it's okay to feel that way doesn't mean you have to believe it's true.

And I would say you're already making steps to improve what's been done. You say you're pulling your GPA up one class at a time, well, that's good! That's more than a lot of people are able to do and for that, you're already making progress towards your dream. Sometimes improvement on an academic record can look even better than a solid academic record, because it shows growth academically and intrapersonally. Growth is a good thing. Sure, there will sometimes be things that happen, some decisions you wish you didn't make or that you could take back, but in the end, those all play into the person you are and are becoming, and I think that our hardships, economic, emotional, mental or otherwise, can only benefit us as individuals. They not only make us stronger people but they give us greater sense of compassion, empathy and understanding because our eyes have been opened to various sources of pain. And while pain hurts and is oftentimes something we want to push away, sometimes it's better to embrace it. Acknowledge it. Know that it's there and love it because it's a part of you and it will only make you a deeper and more empathetic person because of it. 🙂
 
Anxiety can be quite crippling if you don't get a handle on it. I understand your issues quite well and I can tell you that if you get help it'll get better. I suffer from panic attacks, depression, and a condition known as Cyclic Vomiting Syndrome. The latter is actually food allergy, heat, and stress induced, which has made working and going to school difficult. The condition is basically what it sounds like too. You go through cycles of vomiting for hours with fainting upon standing and then get better for a couple weeks or months or even years if the triggers aren't there, but then it comes back. Luckily, I know the initial signs of it and can limit the impact it has on my day.
The worst issues are probably the depression and the panic attacks. I lack much self esteem and my chest almost always feels like it's going to explode. However, I feel better the majority of the time than I did years ago. How did I get through school? I went to therapy in high school for a couple years and talked through a lot of my issues, and kept myself busy so I didn't have time to think about negative things. In that I realized that there's worse things in life and stressing about everything wasn't doing any good for me. I changed my attitude about life and this alone has helped how I physically feel a lot (except right now because of the waitlist drama).
 
While I'm not happy to hear about the awful things that you have all had to overcome, I AM happy to hear that I'm not alone in having some extra hurdles. Thank you so much for sharing. I'm working on better organizing my schedule so that I have a little bit of "me time" even if its just a few minutes a day. That really seems to help me work through things. I also hope to occasionally see my counselor again. Thank you again, guys!
 
MysteryCat said:
While I'm not happy to hear about the awful things that you have all had to overcome, I AM happy to hear that I'm not alone in having some extra hurdles. Thank you so much for sharing. I'm working on better organizing my schedule so that I have a little bit of "me time" even if its just a few minutes a day. That really seems to help me work through things. I also hope to occasionally see my counselor again. Thank you again, guys!
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"Me-time" can make all the difference I've found. I also found that, for me, dedicating a part of my day to doing exercise decreases my anxiety by even more than my medication did. Whether it's a run or a kickboxing class or even a mat class like pilates or yoga, taking the time to do something physical ends up doing absolute wonders for my mood (and sleep schedule, too, which also helps my mood).
 
ThePiedPiper said:
"Me-time" can make all the difference I've found. I also found that, for me, dedicating a part of my day to doing exercise decreases my anxiety by even more than my medication did. Whether it's a run or a kickboxing class or even a mat class like pilates or yoga, taking the time to do something physical ends up doing absolute wonders for my mood (and sleep schedule, too, which also helps my mood).
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Oh yes, my sleep schedule could use work. I'm feeding into my insomnia by volunteering at an ER clinic. I love it, but it REALLY doesn't lend itself to great sleep habits. :/
 
I am currently trying to get over some of the issues that I feel prevented me from doing well my last 2 years of classes.

I had a rough time in third, fourth and fifth year. I was tired all of the time, I would fall asleep in class, I would dose off while studying or get fidgety, I would have trouble absorbing information, and I had symptoms of mild anxiety and depression. Doctors tested me for various things but I was apparently fine. I just needed to exercise more and not be as stressed. My thesis supervisor blamed it on laziness, but it wasn't that. It hit an all time low in September when I found myself not being able to get out of bed and crashing when I got home from work. I started going to the gym with a trainer which did not help my energy levels at all.

Two months ago, I found out I was B-12 deficient. After receiving a B-12 injection, I gained back a lot of my lost energy. I feel better, but not 100%. Bloodwork indicated my thyroid may be low. I'll have a better idea in the next two months.

I am taking a break from school and working. I plan on returning not this fall, but next. As soon as my training ends, I want to study and write the GRE again. I had tried in the summer and again in the fall but could not concentrate on the material.
 
MysteryCat and anyone else on the forums--

Please feel free to PM me if you want to talk about anxiety, depression, learning disabilities or anything related. I'm also very familiar with autism-spectrum disorders; my brother has Asperger's Syndrome. I'm happy to lend a listening ear or to share my story--which is heading in a positive direction, I might add! 🙂
 
MysteryCat said:
I'm not alone in having some extra hurdles.
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This is so true. Everyone needs to realize this. More often than not, people who are struggling tend to suffer in silence. This could be for any number of reasons--low self-esteem, the misguided assumption that they should just "get over it," or even just a lack of resources. If you're having a hard time, whether you struggle with anxiety, depression, or any other condition that is affecting your schooling and/or daily life, you should talk to someone!! (That someone should be trusted, supportive, and should have your best interests in mind, of course).

Guys, reach out! There are so many resources at your disposal. Every school has a counseling and/or health center. They usually have cheaper rates than other clinics.
Set up an appointment with a professional and find out what options are available to you--there are tons.
 
kernel said:
MysteryCat and anyone else on the forums--

Please feel free to PM me if you want to talk about anxiety, depression, learning disabilities or anything related. I'm also very familiar with autism-spectrum disorders; my brother has Asperger's Syndrome. I'm happy to lend a listening ear or to share my story--which is heading in a positive direction, I might add! 🙂
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I appreciate that, Kernel, and I may just take you up on your offer. I'd love to talk more about the anxiety/depression cycle (what I've personally dealt with my entire life)
 
MysteryCat said:
I appreciate that, Kernel, and I may just take you up on your offer. I'd love to talk more about the anxiety/depression cycle (what I've personally dealt with my entire life)
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Feel free to PM me if ever you need to talk or rant, too. 🙂
 
ThePiedPiper said:
Feel free to PM me if ever you need to talk or rant, too. 🙂
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Thanks, piedpiper! From what I've read from you, we are maybe at similar points in our educational career, too! I'll be PMing in a moment. 🙂
 
Obstacles? Bipolar that wasn't correctly diagnosed when I came out of high school! Getting the wrong treatment caused me to pretty much write off several years and give up in despair. Now that I'm being correctly managed things are going much better, to say the least! But it's still a huge struggle to prove to schools that I'm not that person, and they can trust me not to go off the rails again. I'm not giving up though.....
 
I've been lurking on this forum for a while now, and I was happy to see this thread. It's something I've been worrying about a lot lately. I had some anxiety issues for a large part of my life. It has significantly improved, but I still have problems with it every once in a while. I've also been struggling with depression for the past few years. This week has been pretty rough so far. I've been stressing out about how soon I will be starting vet school (just a few short months away!) and moving 13 hours away from my SO and family. My SO and I live together, and he is a huge part of what keeps me going. I'm worried about not having my support system there with me, you know? It's going to be a big change.
 
I'm bumping this thread just to see if anyone would be interested in some sort of ongoing "anxiety support" thread? Since we are all in somewhat related positions, or at least can relate to each other, I thought it may be helpful. If not, that's cool too! 🙂
 
my anxiety is a little different, it's more anger at myself for waiting so long to pursue what i want (i've still got pre reqs to conquer) and because i've waited and procrastinated so long, i get more and more discouraged. i have a serious issue following through, and committing to anything. i'm terrified of failure. i finally met with a school yesterday that i think may have the ability to get me through the pre-reqs stage, which absolutely petrify me (how did you guys get through all the chem courses? physics?) because i feel i don't have a math brain. i'm just really intimidated by this entire process, but at the end of the day all i want to do is be where i belong, in veterinary medicine.
 
SV88 said:
my anxiety is a little different, it's more anger at myself for waiting so long to pursue what i want (i've still got pre reqs to conquer) and because i've waited and procrastinated so long, i get more and more discouraged. i have a serious issue following through, and committing to anything. i'm terrified of failure. i finally met with a school yesterday that i think may have the ability to get me through the pre-reqs stage, which absolutely petrify me (how did you guys get through all the chem courses? physics?) because i feel i don't have a math brain. i'm just really intimidated by this entire process, but at the end of the day all i want to do is be where i belong, in veterinary medicine.
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You don't need a math brain. The little math you see in vet school is pretty straight forward - fluid/drug calculations for the most part. And calculators are very common, as are resources such as Plumbs for finding the dose itself.
I scraped by most of my undergrad math-based classes through sheer dumb luck and have done just fine throughout vet school. Use your tutors and other school resources to get through the worst of it, and it's likely you won't see most of it again.
 
cowgirla said:
You don't need a math brain. The little math you see in vet school is pretty straight forward - fluid/drug calculations for the most part. And calculators are very common, as are resources such as Plumbs for finding the dose itself.
I scraped by most of my undergrad math-based classes through sheer dumb luck and have done just fine throughout vet school. Use your tutors and other school resources to get through the worst of it, and it's likely you won't see most of it again.
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I love hearing success stories of non math types. I am AWFUL at math. Really awful. But yes, I can see advanced math skills really not being a necessity in vet med. It just sucks that we need to go through so much of it anyways!
 
SV88 said:
my anxiety is a little different, it's more anger at myself for waiting so long to pursue what i want (i've still got pre reqs to conquer) and because i've waited and procrastinated so long, i get more and more discouraged. i have a serious issue following through, and committing to anything. i'm terrified of failure. i finally met with a school yesterday that i think may have the ability to get me through the pre-reqs stage, which absolutely petrify me (how did you guys get through all the chem courses? physics?) because i feel i don't have a math brain. i'm just really intimidated by this entire process, but at the end of the day all i want to do is be where i belong, in veterinary medicine.
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I'm a non-trad student with a background in the Humanities (cause girls are bad at math and science, you know) and I finally decided to pursue what I've always wanted to do, in spite of math/science anxiety. Turns out I'm pretty good at math and science! haha My pre-req GPA is about a 3.7 and I even got an A in Calculus 😎

My advice? Talk yourself into it. Say, "I'm good at math. I love Physics. Etc." You may have to work harder than some to get through some of the classes, but most of the battle is in your mind. Exude confidence (and watch a lot of Kahn Academy videos lol).
 
Oh boy.

Depression, severe anxiety. Never feeling good enough. Crappy self worth. Crippling social anxiety. Never learned to deal with these things properly so I dealt with them in a very negative way. Bad home life growing up.

I found someone to talk to. Someone who wouldn't judge me and would just listen and genuinely care. It's amazing how much better I felt after getting everything out.

After you put everything out on the table you realize that you are not alone and almost everyone has some dirty laundry to air. It's so easy to be caught up in it and feel alone. I've had a few grades suffer early in school because I didn't try...because, you know, what's the point? It's a slippery slope of self worth that makes everything you're doing seem like nothing or that it will never be good enough.

I try to stay moving forward. Always improve myself and listen to constructive criticism instead of letting it degrade me. I have good days and bad days. Keeping my brain busy is an excellent tool.
 
MysteryCat said:
If you'd like to share, that is. I have been solidly set on "pre-vet" for a year, and before that I knew for years what I wanted to do. The reason that I didn't push for it before, is that I have SEVERE anxiety and self confidence problems. My earlier college GPA suffered because of it, but I'm pulling it up one class at a time. My current problem is working on being comfortable enough with myself to let myself believe that I can be successful, and that nobody is actually thinking that I can't do it (like I keep fearing). I am dead set and determined, but looking for advice from people who have potentially been my position. How did you get past emotional obstacles like this while working in high stress environments?

I'll add that I have no problems dealing with stressed owners, etc and that I'm talking more about a general sense of incompetence.
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You have actually summed up pretty accurately my situation. I have a bad combination of Low self-confidence and being a perfectionist. This amounts to a lot of anxiety and I continually obsess over things that I know I can't change, and so will in no way help me. My whole life I have been fighting this feeling of incompetence and low self-worth because my father was verbally abusive (sometimes physical in the early years-he managed to change a lot for the better once my parents got divorced) and would constantly tell me I was not smart enough for vet school and I would never make it. Thankfully I lived with my mom and only saw him occasionally. Once I started college I saw him less and less but his words still haunt me (although our relationship has improved since then) and I know that its just something I need to continue to work towards overcoming.
I work in an ER animal hospital, and since I work with only a few people each night, I have recently been forced to face my shortcomings and explain to the staff of my situation and how I am working as hard as I can and making sure that they understand that I take any feedback to heart, good or bad, and that I will try to not get so hung up on the little mistakes and focus on being more open. This has actually helped me immensely in my ability to open up to them and to myself- it felt freeing to have it all out in the open.
Its a hard road, and I am so grateful for this thread, to know that many of you out there are also in similar situations, struggling with anxiety and worse.

MaiT said:
The best piece of advice I can give you during this journey (which I learned from Demi Lovato actually) is that the energy you put into the universe will be returned to you. You can let you're anxiety overwhelm you and emit negative energy to your world, and in turn, your life will be a mess; but it doesn't have to be. You can emit positive energy and remember that not ever obstacle is the worst thing in the world. Having severe anxiety makes this all the more hard, but it's not impossible. It's up to you.

Best of luck! 🙂
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This is beautiful, thank you for this!!!


Also, it has been offered before, but if anyone would like someone to talk to, whether you want advice or just a listening ear, I am available if you want to PM 🙂
 
I'm so happy for all of you to tell me that you're not obscenely stellar at math 😀 i'm terrified, i honestly haven't used actual math skills in years and years (since algebra) so i'm very behind. i have heard of kahn acadmy and i'm going to look there right now! this gives me so much more confidence because i truly need to find faith in myself to tackle math, my weak suit, and try to make it through. i have more confidence in writing, but to me that's a little silly when i think about it - math has one correct answer and formulas to provide you with an avenue to that answer. writing is subjective so why do i have so much confidence in it????

thanks for listening everyone! and to all of you battling other types of anxiety, you're a far stronger person than i am 🙂 kudos to all of you
 
Hey guys!
I'm glad to see this thread. It helps a little to know I'm not alone in the anxiety department. I just recently got rejected from Tennessee and watched my grandfather, who I was close to, die from stage four pancreatic cancer while I was three hours away working 50+ hours a week as a large animal tech. I couldn't go home as much as I would have liked because I picked up shifts for my friend before I found out. He didn't tell me until after my interviews because he didn't want me to worry. He found out and started chemo in February and by the time April rolled around and interviews were done, he was on so many pain meds and on oxygen. I was making the 3 hour drive to Tennessee every weekend for a month and just sitting in the hospice center watching him sleep. I think he waited for me to get there before he let himself go. I skipped the end of the season party at my work to come home because he was unresponsive. He died one hour after I got to hospice. I was the one who noticed him stop breathing.
Since I thought I was getting into vet school (why did I bank on it?!), I don't have a job or a plan. My large animal tech job was seasonal. I didn't even start worrying about finding a job or anything until after the funeral last week. Good thing I'm good at saving money.
I talked to the dean of admissions and he said my app was good, but not good enough. I have no plan, and have no idea where to turn. I'm trying to do the masters program in comparative and experimental medicine at Tennessee for the fall, and do cancer research, but I believe it's too late to find a mentor for August. I'm not even sure if that's the right thing to do anyways.
My biggest problem is anxiety about not being good enough to do anything in the field and I have no idea what to do or where to go or where to move, or how to improve my application.

I just need to rant. It's good to know you guys are here. I'm going to keep fighting the good fight. I will do this. I'm just so tired, and so, so, so discouraged right now.

<3
 
dyachei said:
When you talked to the dean, did you ask for specifics on how to improve your application?
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Yep! He just couldn't tell me much this year. He said my physical science GPA was bringing me down, but it's not like I can afford to take more classes just for fun right now. I also have no idea where I'm living so I can't enroll at the moment anyways.

Yes. I screwed myself over.

Applying is like playing the lottery sometimes.
 
kathryno said:
Yep! He just couldn't tell me much this year. He said my physical science GPA was bringing me down, but it's not like I can afford to take more classes just for fun right now. I also have no idea where I'm living so I can't enroll at the moment anyways.

Yes. I screwed myself over.

Applying is like playing the lottery sometimes.
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well, you can always take online classes if needed. Or once you do get settled, take some Science courses at a CC or university.
 
I've debated posting in this thread for a while...but I guess I will since everyone else has been so open.

I have a condition called New Daily Persistent Headache (also known as chronic migraines). What that means is that I have a headache 24/7. It started ~5 years ago during wisdom tooth extraction and hasn't gone away since. It waxes and wanes in intensity, but it's always there. It's really, really frustrating. I'm at mercy of the humidity, my menstrual cycle, not eating a good meal on time, lack of sleep (these all make the headache much worse). I'm on so much medication and I hate it. No one can fix me. I've been to ~8 different neurologists, including one of the top headache centers in the country. It's really frustrating because very few people I know have to deal with this kind of pain in their lives all the time. It really gets to me sometimes. I can't pull all nighters because my head will make me nonfunctional the next day. If my headache is really bad, I can't study and need to lay down. I'm doing okay in vet school despite all of this, but it just really wears me down sometimes. My mom tries to be optimistic but I'm past that point. I seriously think I will be living with this for the rest of my life. And it sucks.

Okay, I'm done. Just had to vent. Thanks for listening <3
 
NStarz said:
I've debated posting in this thread for a while...but I guess I will since everyone else has been so open.

I have a condition called New Daily Persistent Headache (also known as chronic migraines). What that means is that I have a headache 24/7. It started ~5 years ago during wisdom tooth extraction and hasn't gone away since. It waxes and wanes in intensity, but it's always there. It's really, really frustrating. I'm at mercy of the humidity, my menstrual cycle, not eating a good meal on time, lack of sleep (these all make the headache much worse). I'm on so much medication and I hate it. No one can fix me. I've been to ~8 different neurologists, including one of the top headache centers in the country. It's really frustrating because very few people I know have to deal with this kind of pain in their lives all the time. It really gets to me sometimes. I can't pull all nighters because my head will make me nonfunctional the next day. If my headache is really bad, I can't study and need to lay down. I'm doing okay in vet school despite all of this, but it just really wears me down sometimes. My mom tries to be optimistic but I'm past that point. I seriously think I will be living with this for the rest of my life. And it sucks.

Okay, I'm done. Just had to vent. Thanks for listening <3
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That would wear anyone down, but the fact that you've kept chugging along, through something as tough as vet school no less, says a lot about you and your character. So, kudos. Hope you can find some relief in the future.
 
NStarz said:
I've debated posting in this thread for a while...but I guess I will since everyone else has been so open.

I have a condition called New Daily Persistent Headache (also known as chronic migraines). What that means is that I have a headache 24/7. It started ~5 years ago during wisdom tooth extraction and hasn't gone away since. It waxes and wanes in intensity, but it's always there. It's really, really frustrating. I'm at mercy of the humidity, my menstrual cycle, not eating a good meal on time, lack of sleep (these all make the headache much worse). I'm on so much medication and I hate it. No one can fix me. I've been to ~8 different neurologists, including one of the top headache centers in the country. It's really frustrating because very few people I know have to deal with this kind of pain in their lives all the time. It really gets to me sometimes. I can't pull all nighters because my head will make me nonfunctional the next day. If my headache is really bad, I can't study and need to lay down. I'm doing okay in vet school despite all of this, but it just really wears me down sometimes. My mom tries to be optimistic but I'm past that point. I seriously think I will be living with this for the rest of my life. And it sucks.

Okay, I'm done. Just had to vent. Thanks for listening <3
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Oh my goodness.....bless you...I can't even begin to imagine. I have been having some bad migraines but mine are all stress related.

I hope you find something that will help🙂
 
NStarz said:
I've debated posting in this thread for a while...but I guess I will since everyone else has been so open.

I have a condition called New Daily Persistent Headache (also known as chronic migraines). What that means is that I have a headache 24/7. It started ~5 years ago during wisdom tooth extraction and hasn't gone away since. It waxes and wanes in intensity, but it's always there. It's really, really frustrating. I'm at mercy of the humidity, my menstrual cycle, not eating a good meal on time, lack of sleep (these all make the headache much worse). I'm on so much medication and I hate it. No one can fix me. I've been to ~8 different neurologists, including one of the top headache centers in the country. It's really frustrating because very few people I know have to deal with this kind of pain in their lives all the time. It really gets to me sometimes. I can't pull all nighters because my head will make me nonfunctional the next day. If my headache is really bad, I can't study and need to lay down. I'm doing okay in vet school despite all of this, but it just really wears me down sometimes. My mom tries to be optimistic but I'm past that point. I seriously think I will be living with this for the rest of my life. And it sucks.

Okay, I'm done. Just had to vent. Thanks for listening <3
Click to expand...

i'm a chronic migraine sufferer, but not to the extent as you - mine are once a week, sometimes twice (much better after relocating to new england from the midwest) and they're extremely severe, they debilitate me. i empathize though i can't understand exactly what you're going through. you're incredibly strong!
 
You are certainly not alone in the anxiety department (as seen in the other comments) and I have the added frustrations of depression, low self worth, and Cyclic Vomiting Syndrome. I've actually recently gone back to therapy since I couldn't just "snap myself out of it" like I have in the past. It doesn't help that I got waitlisted at 4 schools and haven't heard a peep from anyone. I had no real plan for this next year because I thought I would get off of one of them (oh how naive), which only adds to the not good enough feeling I have looming around.

CVS was a different struggle that kicked my butt for a while. It's basically a condition where you have a trigger (food allergies, heat, stress, too much excitement) that sends you into a cycle of vomiting for hours and then you can go days, weeks, or even years without another episode and then it'll strike again. I was sick all the time as a kid and no one could really figure out why, so they just said I had a sensitive stomach. I got fed up with being told I was fine so I went to google and found this condition that explained soooo much of my childhood. I've figured out the very beginning stages and can catch it before I have issues, but it's made going to school a bit difficult and now dealing with my stressful job. I'm always nauseous, dizzy, and just overall blah. Moral of the story: you are never alone with the obstacles. Almost all of us have something going on that makes it a struggle to get going in the morning, be it mental or physical issues. The important part is being able to overcome it and be stronger from it, though sometimes that takes a little help and a whole lot of stubbornness.
 
SV88 said:
i'm a chronic migraine sufferer, but not to the extent as you - mine are once a week, sometimes twice (much better after relocating to new england from the midwest) and they're extremely severe, they debilitate me. i empathize though i can't understand exactly what you're going through. you're incredibly strong!
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Me too ... Except mine are non-traditional migraines. I suffered debilitating GI episodes for years. Episodes were the worst pain of my life - my entire body would shake, I would vomit, and pretty much be useless and unable to function for 2-4 days. My primary care doc sent me to a neuro because of the vertigo and after a gazillion questions she labeled my episodes as abdominal migraines. Stress management, conquering my anxiety through cognitive behavioral therapy, acupuncture, exercise, adequate sleep, working with a dietician, and a low dose tricyclic antidepressant have been my answer. It took me ~3 years to get to this point and I haven't had an episode in 2 years (knock on wood!). I have very mild symptoms every now and again but nothing severe enough to interfere with my daily life.

I hope all of you that suffer from migraines eventually figure out what works for you!!!! :luck: :luck: :luck:

Oh and clover - nausea is my least favorite thing, yucka! When I was having a lot of episodes my gastro prescribed me Zofran to keep on hand for residual nausea that would last for days. It was my wonder drug - have you tried it?
 
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Oh and clover - nausea is my least favorite thing, yucka! When I was having a lot of episodes my gastro prescribed me Zofran to keep on hand for residual nausea that would last for days. It was my wonder drug - have you tried it?
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When I first diagnosed myself, my doctor gave me like prilosec (I think) which only made it worse. I generally don't use any kind of medication because it only intensifies my nausea or I start having side effects. I can't even usually use ibuprofen because I get super nauseous if I haven't eaten enough beforehand, and even still I get a bit bleh.
 
SV88 said:
my anxiety is a little different, it's more anger at myself for waiting so long to pursue what i want (i've still got pre reqs to conquer) and because i've waited and procrastinated so long, i get more and more discouraged. i have a serious issue following through, and committing to anything. i'm terrified of failure. i finally met with a school yesterday that i think may have the ability to get me through the pre-reqs stage, which absolutely petrify me (how did you guys get through all the chem courses? physics?) because i feel i don't have a math brain. i'm just really intimidated by this entire process, but at the end of the day all i want to do is be where i belong, in veterinary medicine.
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I completely feel you. My anxiety is a little different as well. I think I was more scared to actual pursue my dream. I've also struggled a lot throughout my vet career. Working in high stress environments (especially working with owners of pets) can be very detrimental. I've worked with clients who acted like they knew better than the doctors. I sometimes questioned myself if this is the right path for me. I've talked to vets and they even told me that if you really don't have the passion to work with animals, you shouldn't become a vet.

I work at USC right now as a research tech. I love what I do. It's not a high stress environment. But what made me realize that I really want to follow through my dream was caring for animals. Because I do everything by myself without supervision at work, I've learned a lot of vet handling skills. I've actually rescued/treated animals myself. It is an incredible feeling to see an animal that was put on a death chair but a few days later, it's in your hand all excited to be handled. Nothing can beat that 😍 Therefore, I'm going to do it not for the sake of customer service but the sake of animals' health.

However, I do feel that vets are included in customer service category. I mean you do need to communicate with the clients in order to pursue the treatment you've just handed them. If you are really passionate about animals then nothing will stop you 😉
 
jsikim said:
It's not a high stress environment.

Therefore, I'm going to do it not for the sake of customer service but the sake of animals' health.

However, I do feel that vets are included in customer service category. I mean you do need to communicate with the clients in order to pursue the treatment you've just handed them. If you are really passionate about animals then nothing will stop you 😉
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Be careful about going into vet med, jsikim, if you're not passionate about helping people as well as caring for animals. I've been involved in the animal research field for 15+ years. I can tell you from experience that a) it definitely can be a high stress environment, depending upon your level of involvement (are you a principal investigator? Are you at the end of a funding cycle? Do your staff members depend upon your acquisition of grants to pay their salaries, support their families, etc.? Are your experiments going well? Are you publishing in high impact journals? etc. The list can go on and on and on... and that's just academia. The list of concerns is completely different for an industrial scientist. I've worked on both ends of the spectrum). How long have you worked professionally in a scientific environment? Making a blanket statement to say that the research environment is 'low stress' tells me that you haven't been 'in the business' very long at all.

Secondly, ALL veterinary professionals are in the customer service business- whether you're a small animal practitioner, large animal practitioner, laboratory animal veterinarian, pathologist, etc. In the end, you're helping animals, but it's the client you're serving. I am hell bent on becoming a laboratory animal vet. It's my burning passion. One of my driving reasons in wanting to do so is because scientists' livelihoods depend, in large part, on the health and well being of their research animals. I saw this first hand with my own projects while I was a graduate student. Labs can go down if animal health is poor. That means that people can lose their jobs, families can suffer. Of course I care about the animals (I wouldn't want to become a veterinarian if I didn't), but I care about the people whose livelihoods depend on those animals just as much.

I highly recommend reconsidering a career in veterinary medicine if you do not have a service oriented mentality- in whatever specialty you choose. Gain some experience in multiple fields of veterinary medicine, and see for yourself how big a role this aspect of the job plays in all of them. Then decide if this is truly the career for you. It's a major part of the job. Being a vet isn't just about healing animals- it's about communicating and achieving 'buy in' from the clients who pay for and depend on those animals (either financially or for emotional reasons). Make sure that you have a firm grasp of this very real aspect of the career before you commit.
 
cloverbug said:
When I first diagnosed myself, my doctor gave me like prilosec (I think) which only made it worse. I generally don't use any kind of medication because it only intensifies my nausea or I start having side effects. I can't even usually use ibuprofen because I get super nauseous if I haven't eaten enough beforehand, and even still I get a bit bleh.
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Zofran is completely different and is specifically for nausea and vomiting (it's usually given to chemo and radiation patients). Essentially it reduces the effects of serotonin. I'm cautious about what meds I take because I tend to experience side effects as well. The only side effect I got while taking Zofran is mild constipation - but I'll take that over nausea any day!

Anyway, ask your doc about it if you want to try something better than over-the-counter stuff 🙂
 
Hi I am actually a recovering alcoholic and I am currently applying. I also had a anixiety disorder but learned to cope with alcohol. I realized this was not the answer. I now barely have anxiety and on some medication. I took xanax for 4 years and it became a major addiction as well. I am disclosing my recovery in my personal statement due to my 2 DWIs. I am 4 years sober now. Does anyone have any experience with this or faced adversity in their applications.?
 
jsikim said:
I completely feel you. My anxiety is a little different as well. I think I was more scared to actual pursue my dream. I've also struggled a lot throughout my vet career. Working in high stress environments (especially working with owners of pets) can be very detrimental. I've worked with clients who acted like they knew better than the doctors. I sometimes questioned myself if this is the right path for me. I've talked to vets and they even told me that if you really don't have the passion to work with animals, you shouldn't become a vet.

I work at USC right now as a research tech. I love what I do. It's not a high stress environment. But what made me realize that I really want to follow through my dream was caring for animals. Because I do everything by myself without supervision at work, I've learned a lot of vet handling skills. I've actually rescued/treated animals myself. It is an incredible feeling to see an animal that was put on a death chair but a few days later, it's in your hand all excited to be handled. Nothing can beat that 😍 Therefore, I'm going to do it not for the sake of customer service but the sake of animals' health.

However, I do feel that vets are included in customer service category. I mean you do need to communicate with the clients in order to pursue the treatment you've just handed them. If you are really passionate about animals then nothing will stop you 😉
Click to expand...

i just can't imagine being anywhere but where i am, in vetmed, for the rest of my life. and i love learning more and figuring things out... i feel like i annoy the vets i work with. i just need to find the faith in myself to pursue this dream because the path is arduous.

i wish you the best of luck as well! 🙂
 
NStarz said:
I've debated posting in this thread for a while...but I guess I will since everyone else has been so open.

I have a condition called New Daily Persistent Headache (also known as chronic migraines). What that means is that I have a headache 24/7. It started ~5 years ago during wisdom tooth extraction and hasn't gone away since. It waxes and wanes in intensity, but it's always there. It's really, really frustrating. I'm at mercy of the humidity, my menstrual cycle, not eating a good meal on time, lack of sleep (these all make the headache much worse). I'm on so much medication and I hate it. No one can fix me. I've been to ~8 different neurologists, including one of the top headache centers in the country. It's really frustrating because very few people I know have to deal with this kind of pain in their lives all the time. It really gets to me sometimes. I can't pull all nighters because my head will make me nonfunctional the next day. If my headache is really bad, I can't study and need to lay down. I'm doing okay in vet school despite all of this, but it just really wears me down sometimes. My mom tries to be optimistic but I'm past that point. I seriously think I will be living with this for the rest of my life. And it sucks.

Okay, I'm done. Just had to vent. Thanks for listening <3
Click to expand...

I had something like this for about a year and a half, but no one ever really gave me an official diagnosis. I had a constant headache, and the nothing the neurologist did made any difference. I had horrible side effects from some of the medications, which just made everything worse. I gave up after a while and stopped taking meds completely. The problem eventually went away, and I have no idea why. I really feel for you, and I hope things get better for you. I know how debilitating it can be. I agree with SV88 - you're such a strong person to be able to work through it and do well in vet school.
 
SV88 said:
my anxiety is a little different, it's more anger at myself for waiting so long to pursue what i want (i've still got pre reqs to conquer) and because i've waited and procrastinated so long, i get more and more discouraged. i have a serious issue following through, and committing to anything. i'm terrified of failure. i finally met with a school yesterday that i think may have the ability to get me through the pre-reqs stage, which absolutely petrify me (how did you guys get through all the chem courses? physics?) because i feel i don't have a math brain. i'm just really intimidated by this entire process, but at the end of the day all i want to do is be where i belong, in veterinary medicine...

I'm so happy for all of you to tell me that you're not obscenely stellar at math i'm terrified, i honestly haven't used actual math skills in years and years (since algebra) so i'm very behind. i have heard of kahn acadmy and i'm going to look there right now! this gives me so much more confidence because i truly need to find faith in myself to tackle math, my weak suit, and try to make it through. i have more confidence in writing, but to me that's a little silly when i think about it - math has one correct answer and formulas to provide you with an avenue to that answer. writing is subjective so why do i have so much confidence in it????
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Wow, SV88!!! I could have written both of those posts myself, especially the bold parts!! How old are you, if you don't mind me asking? I am in exactly the same situation - I even have migraines, too! I am incredibly lucky in that I was prescribed a beta blocker for them in my late teens, and have been on it ever since. It keeps me from having them more than a few times a year, and when I do, I basically only get the aura for 20 mins or so, and then a vaguely annoying headache for the rest of the day. Before the meds, though, they were blinding and devastating. I am slightly concerned about them, just because I can't really read anything for most of the day after I get one, and if it happened during a test or when I really needed to study, that would be a huge problem.

I'm not nearly as worried about that, though, as I am about the undergrad math!! The "C" word (calculus) and the associated math in physics and chemistry. Undergrad scares me WAY more than actual vet school! If I could skip it, I would in a heartbeat, and would probably be just fine! Biology just "clicks" for me, for some reason, as does reading/writing.

I'm 35 y/o, and the last time I saw a classroom was in 1995, when I graduated from high school! I have SO much studying to do before I am even ready to take the SAT, and I have NO study skills! As much as it pains me (since I am already older than most students), I have decided that I need a couple of years to get prepared for undergrad, since I plan to try to get into the accelerated 7 year pre-vet program at WSU. I want to make SURE I can keep up and maintain a high GPA.

Just wanted you to know that there is someone else (apparently) just like you out there! I know exactly what you mean about being angry with yourself for waiting so long. If only I'd started this years ago!! When I told one of my friends that, though, their answer was, "You weren't ready before." So I try to hang on to that... 🙂
 
Kyra 6 said:
Wow, SV88!!! I could have written both of those posts myself, especially the bold parts!! How old are you, if you don't mind me asking? I am in exactly the same situation - I even have migraines, too! I am incredibly lucky in that I was prescribed a beta blocker for them in my late teens, and have been on it ever since. It keeps me from having them more than a few times a year, and when I do, I basically only get the aura for 20 mins or so, and then a vaguely annoying headache for the rest of the day. Before the meds, though, they were blinding and devastating. I am slightly concerned about them, just because I can't really read anything for most of the day after I get one, and if it happened during a test or when I really needed to study, that would be a huge problem.

I'm not nearly as worried about that, though, as I am about the undergrad math!! The "C" word (calculus) and the associated math in physics and chemistry. Undergrad scares me WAY more than actual vet school! If I could skip it, I would in a heartbeat, and would probably be just fine! Biology just "clicks" for me, for some reason, as does reading/writing.

I'm 35 y/o, and the last time I saw a classroom was in 1995, when I graduated from high school! I have SO much studying to do before I am even ready to take the SAT, and I have NO study skills! As much as it pains me (since I am already older than most students), I have decided that I need a couple of years to get prepared for undergrad, since I plan to try to get into the accelerated 7 year pre-vet program at WSU. I want to make SURE I can keep up and maintain a high GPA.

Just wanted you to know that there is someone else (apparently) just like you out there! I know exactly what you mean about being angry with yourself for waiting so long. If only I'd started this years ago!! When I told one of my friends that, though, their answer was, "You weren't ready before." So I try to hang on to that... 🙂
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i'm 25, which i know seems young but a lot of my friends are 21, 22, 23 and already through their first years of vet school. by the time i apply i'll probably be 27, assuming i have to go through a few cycles, i wouldn't graduate til mid 30s or something.. i know i'm not THAT old, but i'm old enough to be intimidated. i also have no study skills and will need to learn how to apply myself throughout time.. i usually do 0 to 60 to 15 with my motivation and whatnot... it sucks. 👎

i'm glad i'm not alone with this whole process/consideration/etc 🙂 it makes me feel better. i'm planning on doing mine through a local CC and then applying to a few schools and seeing what happens. (assuming i get a high enough GPA)
 
KokoPuff said:
Obstacles is a nice word for excuses.
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I'm sorry, that is insanely judgmental. You try living with a migraine headache everyday for almost six years and tell me again that I'm making excuses...
 
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