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Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
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Posted 6/24/2011 7:43 AM (GMT 0)
I'm 22 this August and I have had CFS for 4 yrs now. I had to drop out school and take online classes now. I would of graduated this past spring but now I'm about a year or so behind. I was just wonder how other college or even highschool student cope with being sick and tired and going to school
Posted 6/25/2011 1:20 AM (GMT 0)
i dont have CFS i have ulcerative colitis .. im 22 but when i was in highschool it was really hard for me to go to school and i had to drop out due to my sickness so i know how you feel.. just keep doing the onlne classes and best of luck =] sometimes we have to do what we gotta do....atleast you didnt give up.
Posted 6/25/2011 2:48 AM (GMT 0)
Hi there, I am 23 years old and I have CFS associated with POTS (postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome). I developed the illness when I was about 17, in my senior year of high school. I managed to finish my bachelor's in four years, but it was absolutely exhausting and missing classes due to fatigue and inability to concentrate when studying, getting behind on assignments and so forth did affect my grades and GPA, but I managed to finish. I have my BS in biology, and havent really been able to find a job that I can use my degree with. My POTS and the fatigue have gotten worse over the past couple years, but I am slowly and surely taking the steps towards getting a nursing degree.

I would suggest getting tested for POTS, as it can actually be the cause of people having CFS, you would need to see a cardiologist to get tested. Also, use the resources at your college like disability services, be sure to get doctors notes explaining your condition and get the disability services dept to communicate with your professors and ask them to accomodate you with class notes, extra time for assignments, what ever you need. That was a big thing in helping me be able to finish college. Online classes are a good alternative too, but I would still communicate with your professor that you have disabilities and may need extra time to meet the deadlines for assignments, etc.

Hang in there and dont give up on your dreams. Just because we have physical diseases doesnt affect our intellectual abilities. It may take people like us more time than usual to finish our college, but just don't give up, you can do it !

Posted 6/25/2011 2:52 AM (GMT 0)
thanks for the words of encouragement Gribby! so with your condition which I am not too familiar with(sorry about that), what makes it hard for you to actually attend school? and are you home schooled or filing for disability? I was thinking I may have to do that someday :(

for me, my sleeping schedule is just way too off for me to attend classes throughout the day. I have insomnia and go to sleep at 4-5am and wake up around 1pm everyday. and then the fatigue on top of that is just too much. I also have heat intolerance which makes just going outside in the summer hard so its tough
Posted 6/25/2011 2:58 AM (GMT 0)
Thanks candy! thats good to hear that you have your degree..I can imagine how hard it must of been but you stuck with it. I have been hearing about college disability service alot lately but when I was actually in school I never thought of it at the time. I think I will finish up my bachelors online and maybe I'll think of getting my masters on campus somewhere. but as far as work goes, I just can't see any company hiring me that pays enough for me to make a living once I have to leave the house. my major is environmental science too so I'd be outdoors mostly and the heat is too much for me at this point..

and I do know a bit about POTS. I'm pretty sure I have that as I could get dizzy if I get up too fast from laying down. I never actually got diagnoses with it though. The thing that showed up for me was mercury poisoning but since removing my fillings and doing rounds of chelation, I haven't seen much improvement so idk where to go from here
Posted 7/3/2011 7:11 AM (GMT 0)
 

TruJerz,

I'm not a college student--I'm a music teacher, but I wanted to comment on your post re: mercury.  I also had mercury toxicity, and I was helped by detoxing with LL's Magnetic Clay baths, under the supervision of my MD.  Chelation didn't work for me.  The clay baths are a strong detox, though, and need to be done under the supervision of a heath practitioner, as detoxing too strongly from metals can throw more sensitive individuals into seizures.  Also, you'll need to replace the lost minerals (they get pulled out with the mercury) in your body with supplementation of some sort after the bath.  I felt a substantial improvement in mood and energy after this detox.  My foot pain and TMJ pain also went away.

In my experience, CFS can be caused by any number of neurotoxin mediated illnesses, such as mold toxins, Lyme, Ciguatera (Florida), and Pfiesteria (parts of Maryland and Delaware).  For some reason, these sorts of things cause mitochondrial dysfunction in the body, resulting in CFS.  I recommend reading Ritchie Shoemaker's book, Desperation Medicine for an explanation of neurotoxin mediated illnesses, and Jacob Teitelbaum's book, From Fatigued to Fantastic for an explanation of the mechanisms at work in CFS.

In one college town I found 11 of 12 apartments with mold problems.  Some mold does brain damage, some just causes fatigue.  Mold likes to hide under sinks, in walls, on concrete slab, in ductwork, and in carpeting.  If something has a must or moldy smell, there's mold there, even if it's microscopic.  Tests from the hardware store can reveal type but not quantity.  I got mold toxicity from an apartment and a basement.  

Formaldehyde in new homes, new cars, and new carpeting can also cause CFS symptoms.  It takes them about 10 years to off-gas from these toxic chemicals.  I have extreme sensitivity to this.

Lyme tests are unreliable 60% of the time, because tests for Lyme are antibody tests, but seeing a Lyme Literate MD can help rule out Lyme as a cause.  My Lyme wasn't diagnosed until 15 years after the tick bite.  Bitten at age 14, I didn't know anything about ticks and thought nothing of it.  My health gradually went downhill as time went on.  If you do check for Lyme, also check for co-infections and mycoplasma, as these often contribute.

I hate to see young people suffer like you are.  I feel like I lost the last 16 years of my life due to deteriorating health, and I don't think anyone else should have to experience that. 

Best wishes on your journey toward health!

 

Posted 7/4/2011 6:12 AM (GMT 0)
thank you very much Lyme14 I appreciate you taking the time to respond to my thread. well I must add that my chronic fatigue symptoms started occuring the day I had smoked some "pot" and experienced a massive panic attack where I passed out. I couldn't make a connection to Chronic Fatigue and Marijuana though but maybe you can? I heard it can triggered by excess stress so I was adrenal fatigue but never responded to any adrenal supplements so I went to an alternative doctor who ran a number of test on me and heavy metals(mainly mercury) came back high. does any of this make sense to you?? and thanks again :)
Posted 7/5/2011 8:25 AM (GMT 0)
 

TruJerz,

I would venture to guess that the pot triggered some sort of neurotoxic reaction in your body.  Pot itself may be neurotoxic--that may be where the "high" feeling comes from.  Another other possibility is that the pot had metals or pesticides in it, that when coupled with the metals you already had in your body pushed you over the "edge".  Thirdly, it's possible that the pot triggered a latent virus like HHV-6 or a mycoplasma.   I don't know a lot about pot specifically.  I'm sorry I can't be more helpful.  Mercury is from amalgam dental fillings, vaccines, fish, and it's used in cleaning recycled materials used to make products. 

I hope you're able to resolve your CFS!

Posted 7/6/2011 6:06 PM (GMT 0)
Hey TruJerz,

I'm sorry that you are having such a hard time. I'm 21 and in uni myself and am finding going to school more and more challenging. I dropped my summer courses and am behind in my degree because of my illness. I'm just too exhausted to go to school, to work, to do anything worth while.

Sometimes I feel like I'm just not a motivated person, and it hurts me so much when people ask "Why aren't you working?" "Why are you taking a reduced course load?" "What are you doing with all that spare time?" "How do you support yourself without any income?" I've been called lazy by several different people.

I find that our age we have so many expectations put on us, there are so many things we should be doing. We should be performing in school, handling a part time job, thriving with our social life and helping out with our families. When we can live up to those expectations its devastating... or at least it is for me. Anyway, enough of my ranting!!

I'm glad that you haven't given up on your degree and found a way to balance taking care of yourself and getting your education. The only advice I can give you is do your best and don't be too hard on yourself if you need to take it easy.

Also, try talking to your disability office at your uni about your condition, they've been pretty helpful there for me.

Good luck!
Posted 7/6/2011 9:47 PM (GMT 0)
yup, I know exactly how you feel tara! I'm dealing with those same questions all the time now and its starting to get frustrating to say the least. I will look into the disability office if I ever plan on going back to class on campus but for right now I will probably finish my bachelors online and think about grad school on campus..but thanks. and thanks for ranting..I don't mind it at all:)

how do you do in the heat tara? its like the worst thing for me..I have heat intolerance and this summer in NJ is hot! lol
Posted 9/26/2011 7:51 PM (GMT 0)
I just started college this year and I have already had to drop classes, I'm taking 11 units now, and struggling very hard to keep up with it all. Has online classes made a huge difference to you? I'm considering taking them next semster, but I'm unsure about being home that much. I notice the illness has caused me to become more reclusive and I fear that online schooling would make that worse?
Posted 9/26/2011 9:54 PM (GMT 0)
I'm a freshman college athlete struggling with CFS. I miss many practices because I have no energy and always feel ill. One thing that does help me is ADD/ADHD medications. Because of my CFS I did find out I was also ADD but I have read online that patients with CFS can take ADD/ADHD medicines to help with concentration and it also gives you a little bit of energy. Hope this helps!
Posted 9/27/2011 6:06 AM (GMT 0)
@caligirl18 taking online classes is the only way I could get my degree at this point. I have sugar problems that requires me to eat a small meals frequently and I'm not sure I would be able to eat in the classroom all the time..I'm also heat intolerant so if its gets too hot I must leave and I have constant brainfog so working at home at my own paste is my only option and I must say I enjoy it. its definitely a challenge..you have to be disciplined and stay on top of your work and do the extra stuff on your own because there are no professors there with you in person. If you can go to an actually classroom and finish your degree then by all means do it but if you're looking to get an online degree at a good, growing university let me know and I will send you more information about the school. hope this helps! God Bless :)

@karate chick thanks for the tip! I have also heard of ADHD helping ppl will CFS. I don't think I've tried ADHD but I have taken DHEA and it didn't do much. this is something I may look into in the future. have all your test come back fine?

Posted 9/29/2011 3:00 AM (GMT 0)
ADHD medications definately help me get through the day. I will say that I am on a very high dose considering my weight in order to see a difference, but it seems to be the one thing that I found that is of help.

I have a lot of abnormalities on my blood work but they say that the numbers aren't high enough to be considered critical. Just trying to find the right doctor to piece all of them together.
Posted 10/7/2011 7:03 PM (GMT 0)
Yes! i'm 22 and only have 13 credits. its very hard to go to school being so tired. or do anything else for that matter. i have no family to support me and no freinds. i aslo have gastroparesis which causes so many problems. I know this is a crazy idea, but i want to start a group home or something of the like for people with these types of chronic illnesses. they hav them for recovering alchoholics, developementally diasabled and emotional disorders, but i can't find any for people who just are too sick too work. I dont want to actauly start a group home, that would be too difficult and impossible, just a house for a few people with chronic illnesses who cant work because of them. 'i know this would also be very difficult but still doable if i can find people interested and people who would respect eachothers boundaries. what do others think of this? im also going to post this idea
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