Living with a chronic illness is hard. Studying full-time with a chronic illness may seem impossible. I promise it’s not.
I was in the middle of studying for my IB mock exams when I was diagnosed with an autoimmune condition. I had been in near-constant pain and suffering a range of symptoms for months and, after many GP appointments, hospital appointments, blood tests and scans, I was basically told that my immune system was attacking itself. Not long after my diagnosis, I went into hospital for five excruciatingly long days and had blood transfusions, more tests, and slept a lot. At one point, I was literally hooked up to machines with needles in both arms whilst attempting to study Cognitive Psychology. Sounds fun, right? After being discharged, I was put on countless medications which all had scary side effects listed casually in the little booklets like ‘may cause nausea, dizziness, fatigue, sudden death, loss of appetite’… (okay maybe I’m being a bit dramatic). I took steroids for 8 weeks which made me put on so much weight that my clothes stopped fitting me overnight. It was probably the most awful time of my life.
But I made it through! Just a couple years later, I’m now only on one medication which I inject once every two weeks, I very rarely suffer any pain or symptoms, and I’ve managed to keep on top of my law degree whilst getting a range of work experience in preparation for my applications to the Bar Course. So, how did I do it?
(1) Take all the help you can get
I was reluctant to apply for any sort of disability / long-term medical condition support services when I came to university because I didn’t think I was ‘sick enough’ or struggling enough to deserve it. I assumed other people needed it more and I also knew that I would only need support when I wasn’t in ‘remission’ which I didn’t want to think about yet.
Please learn from my mistakes! Apply for the support even if you don’t need it right this second – it will make the process so much easier if and when you do need some help. Whether it’s deadline extensions or longer time in exams or even just authorised absences from seminars, it’ll help take some of the stress away.
Remember that if the relevant people don’t know what you need, you’ll never get it. If your seminar tutor is not aware that you missed a few sessions for a valid medical reason, they might assume you’re just not interested in the module. If they know that you had valid reasons, they will be way more inclined to help you out!
Your first port-of-call for most things is your Personal Tutor. If you feel comfortable talking to them, it’s really useful for them to be aware of your condition and your needs so they can support you.
(2) Don’t feel as though you owe anyone an explanation (or a copy of your medical records!)
People are inherently curious. If they notice you take medication, or that you miss some classes, or that you have more medical appointments than most, they will probably ask questions. Ninety-nine percent of the time they mean no harm, but it can be a bit overwhelming if you feel obligated to explain. Just remember that you don’t have to explain anything to anyone. Your flatmates, coursemates, and random people you meet at freshers are not entitled to your life story, nor your medical records.
You can choose to keep it simple and say ‘I have a medical condition’ without details, or you can just say ‘I don’t really want to talk about it’, or you could give them every single detail about the diagnostic tests you had and the amount of times you’ve been stabbed with needles. It’s completely up to you.
(3) Make sure you have some medical evidence
If you apply for support services or you need to take some extended time off, you’ll most likely need to provide evidence from your doctor. If you can, get a medical evidence report from your doctor before you even come to university so that you have it to hand whenever you are asked for it and you don’t have to chase it when you’re already struggling. Ideally this report should list your condition(s), your medication(s), and any reasonable adjustments you may foreseeably need.
(4) Know where to go if you need medical attention
Find your closest Urgent Care Centre, A&E department, and pharmacy. If you’re transferring to a GP at university, do it as soon as possible. If you have a consultant at the hospital, you may want to transfer that too. If you aren’t too far from home, or if you have an existing relationship with the medical staff at your GP / hospital, you may want to stay registered where you are and that’s fine too!
If you are registered with a GP in England, you can have e-Prescriptions sent to any pharmacy in the UK so, even if your GP is back home, you can pick-up prescriptions closer to university. If you regularly pay for your prescriptions, look into getting a prescription prepayment certificate as it will probably save you some money. If you live in Wales and are registered at a GP in Wales, you will already get prescriptions for free so maybe stick with that!
(5) Be kind to yourself
Don’t push yourself to do too much or punish yourself when you have to skip a class or cancel a social event. The fact that you’ve gotten this far is so impressive already. Remind yourself of all the amazing achievements you have accomplished and know that it’s okay to need time off. Reach out to friends and family or do something nice for yourself when you need a pick-me-up. Remember to take your meds, stay hydrated, get some fresh air, and practice self-love <3
Stay strong loves, you’re gonna smash it!
---- Allana Bennison, Head of Welfare
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