- Messages
- 34
- Location
- Melbourne
Hi all,
I'm 19 and just beginning university in Australia. I've lived with moderately severe ME/CFS and POTS for around 4 years now, I experience severe fatigue and have days where I can't leave bed, along with the general cold/flu symptoms, insomnia, GI issues and most debilitatingly apart from the fatigue, awful POTS symptoms such as blacking out, having trouble standing for long periods without racing heart (around 85 resting with betablockers on a good day, around 150 resting if it's bad) and tachychardia. Despite this I've been hopeful of living at least a functional life with meds, a careful diet, and counted spoons.
However I'm finding university and living alone quite a struggle, and I have not enjoyed the first semester of my current degree. University is such a toll on my health that I feel it's too hard to push through without a sort of purpose. I have always been interested in medicine and am considering nursing (as a possibly easier on my health option, though I am worried about standing work) and preferably being a doctor, in the hope that I can help other sufferers of chronic illness by being an empathetic and knowledgeable practitioner - which is sorely lacking! Despite this I'm concerned about qualifying as a GP, as the internship hours are very long and hard, and I am afraid that pushing beyond my limits for so long would drive my health into the ground and prevent me from working for a few years.
I was wondering if there are any doctors/nurses on here who know if the workload is manageable for someone in my position or if people think that it would be worth the risk? Would I be able to help people and make a difference? Or should I just try to get a desk job where I don't have to stand and can hopefully cope with the work more easily?
TIA!!
I'm 19 and just beginning university in Australia. I've lived with moderately severe ME/CFS and POTS for around 4 years now, I experience severe fatigue and have days where I can't leave bed, along with the general cold/flu symptoms, insomnia, GI issues and most debilitatingly apart from the fatigue, awful POTS symptoms such as blacking out, having trouble standing for long periods without racing heart (around 85 resting with betablockers on a good day, around 150 resting if it's bad) and tachychardia. Despite this I've been hopeful of living at least a functional life with meds, a careful diet, and counted spoons.
However I'm finding university and living alone quite a struggle, and I have not enjoyed the first semester of my current degree. University is such a toll on my health that I feel it's too hard to push through without a sort of purpose. I have always been interested in medicine and am considering nursing (as a possibly easier on my health option, though I am worried about standing work) and preferably being a doctor, in the hope that I can help other sufferers of chronic illness by being an empathetic and knowledgeable practitioner - which is sorely lacking! Despite this I'm concerned about qualifying as a GP, as the internship hours are very long and hard, and I am afraid that pushing beyond my limits for so long would drive my health into the ground and prevent me from working for a few years.
I was wondering if there are any doctors/nurses on here who know if the workload is manageable for someone in my position or if people think that it would be worth the risk? Would I be able to help people and make a difference? Or should I just try to get a desk job where I don't have to stand and can hopefully cope with the work more easily?
TIA!!