I am in a little bit of a funk. It has been 8 weeks since my pneumonia diagnosis and the infiltrate hasn’t cleared. I am exhausted most of the time. Now they are scheduling a CAT scan. I am mildly angry, as I DO not want my health to interfere with my path to MED school. As it is, it is July, and I have not started the Khan Academy in Physics, which I had fully planned to do prior to starting the course itself in the Fall. Seems like most days, I get off work, go home and FALL into bed. Feel very, very frustrated at this point. Has anyone struggled in this way? Tell me inspiring posts about conquering health issues to make it to med school!
Thanks!!
I don’t have a story. I just wanted to say I hope you’re feeling better soon. 
Positive vibes your way!!! Keep your chin up!!!
I didn’t have that issue with pneumonia, but I did deal with the “get home and immediately go to bed” when I was pregnant during my senior year in nursing school. I could get home at 5, go to bed at 6, and sleep till morning. I learned to be as efficient as I could during the day. It will get better though - even pneumonia eventually clears.
Good luck! Don’t waste time fighting what you can’t change. Take the time to get better, then get back at it. Don’t sabbotage yourself by pushing too hard when you don’t have the reserves to handle it.
One of the things that I learned while in Undergrad is that most of the world doesn’t care if you are sick. This last fall I had the flu for over 8 weeks, I ultimately got pnemonia and was forced to go on steroids and other drugs to keep my asthma and symptoms under control. I didn’t officially stop coughing until over 12 weeks of sickness. I got fired from my full time job. I had no money and was bed ridden because I couldn’t walk up a flight of stairs. I had a fever of a 102 over two weeks, I would wake up constantly whenever I would sleep soaked in sweat. I was terrified that I wasn’t going to get better. I would cough so hard that I would throw up. 1st moral of the story, get a flu shot, no matter how healthy you are. Second moral of the story, you just have to get through. You can’t look at the negatives, you have to keep telling yourself that this is a small part of your life and that when this is over and you are back on your feet you are going to give it your all. You have to realize that with health issues, there isn’t anything you possibly can do more except focus on getting better and wisely using the energy left over to get what you need done, done.
It’s a moment in time where you can’t give up, where you can’t over work yourself, and where utilizing your resources is so key. You have to sleep, especially when you are this sick, get over it. You can’t get mad at that. Frustration is completely normal, trust me. But the thing is, you need to take that negative thought process and turn it into perseverance. You will get over it, you will succeed, you have to look at it for what it is, accept it, and make your next move. I would say that half of getting better is your mind set. Positivity, although hard, if your best bet. Set backs are a part of life, maybe you have to take a break, but you have to do what’s best for you, your family, and ultimately your grades. We all want to get there as soon as we can, I think most of us can attest to that, but even though you are sick, it isn’t going to change your love for your ultimate goal.
Eye on the prize.
Thank you so much for the encouraging words from everyone. Went and got another follow up Xray today (3 weeks from the last one) as per the MD and I hope it will show more resolution. I sure could use my energy back. It definitely is a matter of keeping the “eye on the prize”.
I hope you feel better soon!
I had walking pneumonia during undergrad and everything felt impossible-my advice would be to make sure you work smarter, not harder at everything and plan ahead. Take the guesswork out of what your day will look like and at least you won’t have to deal with anxiety on top of it all.
Also, eating well makes a huge difference for me. I notice that when I eat well and get a small amount of exercise (ok, exercise is probably not an option for you) that last bit of study time before I end up quitting because my mind is wandering and nothing is sticking is much more abbreviated.
Also, you may review for any other classes on your less energetic days. Physics requires eqn memorization, applying multiple concepts, mathematics recall and remembering exceptions. When I’m tired but still need to do work, I do bio. At most there’s memorization, otherwise I can make it more like a story to remember, with a clear narrative. Feel better soon!
X-ray shows no further resolution, and they are now suspicious of a mass. CT scheduled for next Friday. Sigh.
I’m so sorry you didn’t get encouraging news today like you’d hope for. Hoping for good news and resolution soon!
Vicki - our thoughts are with you. Sorry you have this difficulty to deal with.
Kate
Sorry to hear that and hope the test will turn out to be nothing.
Thanks to everyone! Since 2007 I have periodically been sprouting neoplasms in various areas of my body…thankfully, all have been benign, but have required surgery. I just thought maybe I had a break and it had stopped for a while. Hopefully, this will be a “nothing” too!!! You guys rock.
CT canceled!! They looked at a study I had done in March of this year to follow an SPN in my R lung…There is scarring in the L lung due to pneumonia in 2009. Doctor thinks the answer is more than enough to outweigh the risk of further radiation. OHHHH Yeah!!!Physics here I come!!!