First semester of nursing school and new DX

[greshamcp]

I'm in my first semester of nursing school and this has been my dream my whole life. I've been suffering from weird problems since I was 15 (24 now). I went to a neuro. I have no insurance so I've paid for everything out of pocket. They found a T2 lesion on my brain. I go back the 16th of Jan to talk to him..

But until then, I'm so scared that I won't be able to continue in the field I love. My symptoms include, urinary incontinence, retention, bed wetting, fatigue, shaky hands, joint pain, UTIs every month that I NEVER feel the pain, forgetfulness, balance, random twitching of body parts.
I've dealt with the urinary problems for years so I've just learned to live around it, but this forgetfulness is killing me. Its only short term memory and just random stupid stuff I forget. But what if I forget and hurt one of my patients I'd be devastated!!

I guess this boils down too, Can you be a nurse and suffer from MS? Is it possible? I've come so far and I don't wanna lose everything I've suffered through and worked for to get here. Thanks!!

[Jules A]

Hi and congratulations on getting into nursing school!

Since MS is so varied there really are no sure answers to your questions. What I can say is that there are definitely many nurses who are able to work with MS for years as well as many who have had to retire early or make adjustments based on the course of their disease.

I started nursing school after being diagnosed and figured I would just take it one step at a time. Get through school and see how you feel. The good news is that nursing is very flexible with schedules and types of jobs.

Good luck!

[Ladeydaley]

Your story sounds similar to mine. I don't knwo if I have MS or not yet, I am going to see the Doc on Tue. I am in my second year of nursing school and have had suspcious symptoms for awhile. I was just prepering for my mental healht finals and I got hit with a horrible attack. I ended up in the ED with neck pain, ha, confusion, dizziness, right hand tremor, ataxia, aphasia, weakness in both my hands, and incontinence. I dragged my self to finals on Saturday and am praying that I passed! I know numerous nurses with MS (I think the stress of the job may put us at more risk). They are all fabulous at what they do. They even put in IVs shakey hands an all. Good Luck and I will keep you all up to date on what I hear.

[quilterella]

Originally Posted by greshamcp

I'm in my first semester of nursing school and this has been my dream my whole life. I've been suffering from weird problems since I was 15 (24 now). I went to a neuro. I have no insurance so I've paid for everything out of pocket. They found a T2 lesion on my brain. I go back the 16th of Jan to talk to him..

But until then, I'm so scared that I won't be able to continue in the field I love. My symptoms include, urinary incontinence, retention, bed wetting, fatigue, shaky hands, joint pain, UTIs every month that I NEVER feel the pain, forgetfulness, balance, random twitching of body parts.
I've dealt with the urinary problems for years so I've just learned to live around it, but this forgetfulness is killing me. Its only short term memory and just random stupid stuff I forget. But what if I forget and hurt one of my patients I'd be devastated!!

I guess this boils down too, Can you be a nurse and suffer from MS? Is it possible? I've come so far and I don't wanna lose everything I've suffered through and worked for to get here. Thanks!!

When I was first diagnosed, I was in my final year of Nursing. The specialist at the time told me I would be w/c bound within 5 years...NOT.
I managed to Nurse for almost 27 years and loved it. Don't get me wrong, there were days that I just wanted to crawl into a hole and cover myself up. There were days where pushing the med cart was a challenge and not panicking to get things done was a bigger challenge.
I only just quit Nursing this past September...so yes you can Nurse with MS, but how long, or hard it will be, will be up to the individual. Persverence and patience goes a long way. Don't be too hard on yourself and take each day as it comes.

[aquaprincess]

I am newly diagnosed and just accepted to an accelerated nursing program. So my bad newss was followed by good news. I hope that completing the program will open new doors for me!

[kelm10]

aquapincess,

I like the name. I spend alot of time in the water for symptom relief.

I teach nursing school. Have seen many students survive and thrive. Depends on your support system.