College and Crohns

Yes, I did university with Crohn's and I so relate to what you said about always feeling behind your peers, and not having the energy / ability to do all those important fun and extracurricular activities that your fellow-students can enjoy.

It sounds to me as if you already have *fabulous* coping skills to be able to maintain such high grades while so unwell, so I won't bore you with study tips - I don't think you need them .

As far as life goes, I can only suggest that you keep on trying. It might take 20, 30, 40 attempts to find a niche where you can participate and enjoy yourself despite your current symptoms, but you'll never find that niche if you don't keep looking for it.

It sounds as if you're American, so I won't offer any specific advice on finding a niche, as anything I did in Australia probably won't exist in the US .

Please do try not to be so hard on yourself. You really are doing very well. I think it's a very positive sign that you are aware of your limitations and, instead of giving up, have simply found another way to achieve your goals. Good for you!

Ivy.

Hi Kix, I know how you feel, I was diagnosed at 18 just months after I moved 5 hours away from my beloved parents to go to university (there are no universities near my parent’s place so I was forced to move). It was one of the hardest times….. I was alone, with no friends, only my boyfriend and my sister, and I suddenly got crohn’s, I was living on my own, with no money, was forced to maintain a casual job waitressing as well as having crohn’s and studying full-time because without the job I simply couldn’t survive. But somehow I managed it. It was extremely difficult at times, because I had to work and study full-time hours (I did a communications degree with majors in Public relations and Journalism)….. I didn’t have any time to be sick; I just had to get on with the job. I found that my lecturers and tutors were extremely understanding, just let them know you have crohn’s, give them some details about what the disease consists of….. They should be understanding. I had to supply a lot of doctor’s certificates, but this is only fair, and I only had to supply them if I required an extension of 2 or 3 days.   I ended up in hospital once or twice during semester, with severs flares and on a drip for a week or so, and when this happened I was determined I was NOT going to defer….. I just got extensions on my work and made up for it. I am a perfectionist and a fighter though and so I push myself, that’s just how I am. I know a lot of people who went to uni and deferred or quit even though they were able to live with their parents and were healthy as could be – they simply couldn’t handle the stress of uni. I guess it is just up to the individual – but if you want it enough, it can be done. I graduated the year before last and my GPA was so good I was even offered Honours!!! All the hard work paid off and I was so happy with myself being able to achieve a degree through all the hard stuff….. makes me feel like I can do anything if I set my mind to it, its very liberating.   My advice would be to be as open and honest as you can with your teachers….. let them know you are doing your very best but you are very ill….. they will admire your perseverance. Communication is key. Make sure you have a good dr who will give you medical certificates if you need them for extensions….. get lots of rest and relaxation times for yourself if you can….. don’t worry about ‘missing out’ on the social scene, it may be more exciting in the U.S but I don’t feel like I missed out on much of anything socially over here!! Getting completely wasted and passing out somewhere was not my idea of fun anyway!   You can totally do this!!!

I did not develop Crohn's until grad school, so I can't really give specific advice to get you through undergrad. But I do think that you are being a bit hard on yourself.

It is difficult, if not impossible, for anyone to maintain a 4.0 and at the same time have a great social life, date, and so on during undergrad. With or without a chronic illness, everyone prioritizes...in my case I chose my studies. I had very little social life, only a few close friends. I was lucky to find a boyfriend (now husband) in my second year who had similar habits, and we studied together daily including Fridays and weekends. And had fun maybe one night out of the week. Most people I knew had a similar experience. That's just what it's like to be grade-driven.

I would advise staying away from high-stress majors--engineering, science--unless you are 100% sure it's what you want to do.

I think that taking classes online is a good idea. Summer classes are also a good way to move towards graduation faster. You really should try to get your Bachelors done in 5 years if you can, otherwise it will raise red flags with future employers. I have had undergrads working for me who do online classes over the summer through a community college. Definitely something worth looking into. You can usually do 2 courses over a summer, possibly more. Do you plan on transitioning to a 4-year college at some point? Most larger schools have offices devoted to accomodating student disabilities, so it is an option.

Best of luck.

thank you for all the responses! they are very uplifting and hopeful to me. I have tried online classes in science but had to withdraw because to be honest it was insanely difficult to keep up. I think the intro assignment was like a 1200= word paper. But I am trying something cool this semester a hybrid class, where we meet only once a week but also do work online. As far as telling professors, I am registered with the health offices and have a special card to show my professors and then I usually explain the problem. So far, I've had pretty good feedback from them, just my math professor, who was all onboard to help me, make quizzes/tests up, etc etc, is now going back on her word. For example, I missed a class and went to the following meeting, I found out I had missed a quiz and asked her when I could make it up only to found out I can't and it will be counted as my dropped score. I reminded her of my health services card and she said, 'o we'll see how many days you miss and quizzes at the end of the semester and see if you can make it up then' o yea 3months after we're learned the material ***?? also, the material is super hard, its just gen ed math for the state of IL, but its a lot of finite components and its just not clicking. I tried math assistance o and even asking my teacher but to no avail. I've decided I'm going to drop the class to take the stress off. I think i may try statistics. Sorry for the rant! I guess I just have to keep persevering, its just becoming really hard at times. and again thank you all for the helpful responses, I;ll try not to be such a stranger anymore!

Kix, I feel as though I'm in a similar position. I'm a 21 year old college student in the states. I hesitated on responding as I actually have Ulcerative Colitis and not Crohn's, but after reading what you wrote, it sounded eerily similar to what I've gone through. I think it's great that you're taking it at a slower pace, I'm doing it full-time in 4 years and really feel as though taking my time would've been a little more helpful. I think you summed it up best when you said it's so frustrating. That's the biggest feeling I have at school every day. Friends want to go out, and I usually have to say no just cuz I feel so bad, I wish I felt good enough to go out- frustrating. Leaving class 3 times to use the bathroom - frustrating. Passing up job and internship opportunities - frustrating. I think it's important to have understanding professors, I spoke with all of mine prior to the beginning of classes this semester (my first semester with UC) and made sure they'd be the types of professors that are compassionate and understanding and don't care if I have to sit next to the door and leave class 10 times to use the bathroom. This is just me, but if I were you I'd drop that math class. It's not worth your time if the professor just isn't going to help you and on top of that it's added stress if a professor is less than cooperative and I don't know about you, but stress is a major trigger for a majority of my symptoms. Good luck and try to enjoy your college years, it's hard I know.

I'm a 21 year old college student, and I can understand definitely where you're coming from. University is really, really difficult sometimes!! Just make sure to talk one on one with every teacher, make sure you're registered with full detail with your Office of Disabilities, etc. And try not to take too many hours...if the math class is causing problems then drop it and take it later when your course load isn't as heavy. I did that, and it saved my grade! We may take longer to graduate, but that's okay. No one can rightly expect us to do everything exactly the same as everyone else.
Good luck with your studies! I know you can do it :)

thank you soo much for all the encouraging words! it feels good to know I'm not alone!! i don't really know anyone else with crohn's disease even tho i live in the chicago-metro area, so i just think this board is so great to actually relate to people who know what i'm going through!!

BostonBB- i did drop the math class-it was just too much, this actually will give me the opportunity to try to work more hours tutoring, pending that i stay healthy *cross fingers*!!!

Easier2run-thank you for the book recommendation, i'm gonna check it out!

LMills- i am registered with the health office, but to be honest with you they are pretty incompetent, in my case at least, i got really bad advice about choosing classes from one of their counselors, but i do get a little blue card to show my professors.

Thanks again!