hey I need some help

[HAPPINESS]

i am only 14 w/c.f. but i am really in a kick to make sure my future goes the right way.
you see i want to become a nurse of some sort i am having a hard time finding out what kind exactly i might be a midwife or a peds nurse or even a maternity nurse. but any ways i need help deciding a few things such as what i should chose and i could also use a little encouragement from those who have c.f. and went to college because i want to its just my worse fear is that right now i am constatly in the hospital or on medication and that puts me on independent studies at home for school so if soem can help i would appreciate it
Thanks
happiness <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif" border="0">

 

[anonymous]

HI
I went to college. I am a social worker. I work with adults and children who are sexually assaulted. I love what I do. I work in my office, in the community, and at the hospital.
College was fine for me. I did part of it living at home and part of it on campus. It was some of the best times of my life. Infact, I'm calling to catch up with one of my college roommates tonight.
So just do what you can, take good care of yourself, and have a good time.
I'm not in the nursing field so I can't give advice on that.
sorry.
Sincerely,
KELLI

 

[Faust]

Not a nurse, but you need to really be careful what type of nursing you want to go into due to you having CF, and constantly being in an envcironment where there are tons of bacteria and viruses that could easily lay you out bad. There are a few nursing areas where you don't have tons of contact with all types of different patients (more chances to acquire their bugs), maybe look into surgical nurse? They basically assist the surgeon in the operating room, and make pretty good money, and you would mostly be in an environment that is cleaner than the rest of the hospital, and wouldn't necessarily come into contact with many sick people (one at a time, and they would be out on the gurney).


If I really wanted to go into nursing and have CF, that's what i'd do.

 

[anonymous]

I agree with Sean about being careful what you chose. But it seems like mid-wife/maternity nurse would would be safer than general nursing. Atleast your patients will mostly be healty. (unless pregnancy is considered a disease now. hehehe)

 

[Mockingbird]

Two words: community college. =-) At least to start out with. The professors are generally way more understanding if you have to miss school and make things up. Not all the time, but usually. You might also want to ask around at the college you will go to and find which teachers are more leniant when it comes to stuff like that.

When you do have a teacher, it might be beneficial to tell them about your CF as well. As long as the teeacher isn't one of those annoying people who like to preach about how bacteria and viruses are bad for you. =-) Did you know that, elizabeth? Myself, I had no idea that I had to be careful about bacteria and viruses. =-) (Yeah, I'm bashing sean, but seriously, who here doesn't know bacteria and viruses are bad for us?)

Anyway, college with CF can be rough, but for me it wasn't any worse than getting through high school with CF. The only difference is the teachers won't call your parents if your grades start slipping. =_)

 

[JennifersHope]

Good for you for wanting to be a nurse and go to college...

I am 33 years old and graduating with my RN in just 17 weeks.. You don't need to decide what kind of work you want to do till you are done with school because you do rotations in each department.. Right now I work in an emergency room... I don't think I would advise it for someone else but it works for me.. Their are many clean floors in the hospital or outside of the hospital where you can work..THE NICU is in general clean.. that is where the new born babies that are premature go... ALso some Stroke Centers... (which is usually of the emergency room) also any type of Cardiac care is good...

Relax take your time.. you will find lots of fun things in rotation.. I agree that you should try to stay home and go to a local college.. you will need all the help you can get.. Right now I work part time so that I have benefits.. but if at all possible I would not work....

GOod for you.. Follow your dreams just be wise.. IF you are interested in other cleaner areas of nursing just let me know.. My CF doctors have given lists.. Of course I am not the best example of following sound advise.. but at least they know where I work


GOOd luck

Jennifer
33 w. CF Addison's and Due to Graduate Nursing school in 17 weeks

Praying for a Miracle for John

 

[anonymous]

That is awesome. You should definitely go to college if that is what you want to do. One thing that really helped me because my parents had not planned much at all for my college was to get in touch with a Vocational Rehbilitation facility in the state- I am in Florida. I went through the different tests and stuff that they give and they ended up giving me money to go to school at the community college in my area for 2-3 years. If I had gone to a 4 yr University they would have paid the the equivalent of what it would cost to take the same classes at the Community College. I know that this process works in Tennessee as well because one of my cousins had an accident and they worked with her to get her back into school. If you talk to a counselor at your school they may be able to help you if not, it is a state government run office, so you can maybe look up a contact online specific to where you live. That is if you even need financial assistance and/or do not want to pay for everything. It is nice because it doesn't depend on what your parents' income is or anything. I definitely recommend your parents seeing if there is an office in your area.

Also I learned this the hard way. If you have a disability or disease your professors have to work with you. I enrolled in Coll and started the fall after I graduated H.S. and ended up sick and in the hospital 3 weeks into the term. I dropped all of my classes because my instructors refused to help me out, then I was talking to a Social Worker about it and he said that next time I get sick during a term in school they have to help me because I can't help getting sick. Once I was able to get reenrolled the next term I didn't have any problems from that point on.

Online classes were also offered at my school which was wonderful to take those, which ones are available for your course of study. Some require 1 or 2 trips to the campus but some you do all the work from home, which would be great if you got sick.

Good Luck and Have Fun,
Lindsey
23 w/CF and CFRD

 

[Faust]

I don't care if you bash me mockingbird, or think i'm annoying. I personally find people who nitpick at a point given by someone else, when that point was given to clarify a safety concern within someone elses question, as extremely annoying, but I don't feel like getting banned so I'll hold my tongue and just ignore whatever you have to say from now on (to bad this site doesn't have an ignore feature like other sites do, cause I could ignore those I see fit, and others could ignore me). While we all know bacteria and viruses can be extremely bad for CF patients, not everyone, including 14 year olds, might be aware of how dirty a hospital is, and if he/she were to become a general nurse and had tons of patient contact, don't you think that would massively increase his/her chances of contracting something? Theres fields in nursing that are less likely to expose yourself to those things.

 

[anonymous]

Happiness,

You definitely need to do what you love... you are so young and who knows how CF will change in your lifetime. It has changed dramatically in my life time and only more good can occur.

Also, while you need to choose carefully what nursing field you want to go into, to protect yourself from catching something from a patient, but also you have to choose a nursing field where you do not put people at risk for any bugs you might have. I am not sure if nursing schools interview and suggest the fields that you would be at risk for, or what areas you might put others at risk... you have lots of time to do research.

Good luck
Joanne Schum
luckylungsforjo@aol.com

 

[JennifersHope]

Like I said I am due to graduate nursing school in 17 weeks.., I work in an emergency room.. and I have no problems.. It is all about common sense... CFers who culture stuff are only contagious to non cfers if they are having a productive cough or an excerbation..

I know ppl who have been so germ phobic their whole life and still ended up with Cepacia... I have not been germ phobic, though I am very careful, good hand washing, where masks when I am coughing or around someone with a resp. illness.. and I hardly culture anything...I do not ever, ever, ever take care of other CF patients.. nor do I go anywhere near them or anything that belongs to them...other then that I don't have any restrictions.. I can work with cancer patients, newborns whatever... as long as I am not in an excerbation

I know it can change... Nursing schools do not interview you other then getting a health clearance from your doctor... If your doctor says you can do it then they can't argue..period.. believe me I know I have been down this road....

IF you have any further questions let me know

 

[luke]

Elisabeth,

I think it is great you want to be a nurse...A midwife would be a good choice for a person with CF. As far as the peds nurse maybe not such a good idea. You don't want to expose yourself to other CF patients that may have cepacia. On the other hand you probably wouldn't want to work in NICU because those kids are immunocompromised and you might get them sick. When I was still working in the hospital my doctor was head of pediatrics at the hospital I wanted to work at. When I discussed it with him he told me I couldn't work in his hospital, he was joking but I knew he meant it. Maybe a surgical ICU would be a better choice if you want to work in an ICU. I think a mid wife is the best nursing idea I have heard for someone with CF.


Good luck with your future!


Luke, MBA RRT, 30/cf

 

[anonymous]

thank you eveyone for all your help it is greatly appreciated and i was amazed at how many of you caould reply so quickly
thank you
Elisabeth aka Happiness

 

[cdale613]

I'm so happy to hear that you are planning on college, no matter what the degree. Although community college is a perfectly good choice for a lot of people, and can be very, if not more, accomodating that four year schools, don't talk yourself out of four year school, grad school, law school, or med school right off the bat.

As you get older, assess what you think you can handle, what you want, and what you're willing to give up to get it. Many four year schools have the resources to be very accomodating to students with special needs, especially if you know all of your options, and take the time to go through the bueracracy to get them... you may qualify for a single room due to medical needs, special scholarships/financial aid, etc. Whether or not professors will accomodate you is, in large part up to how open you are with them about your CF.... I tried to get through classes without letting my professors know... I didn't want to feel like I was receiving special treatment - now, if I needed hospitalizations, was missing tons of class due to CF stuff, etc., I would have let them know. I digress....

Secondly, if you are considering going for advanced degrees, be sure to evaluate your medical insurance status - if you are on SSI/ Medicare, you shouldn't have too much of a problem. Personally, I was covered under my parents insurance as long as I remained a full time student - up to the age of 25. This motivated me to go directly into grad school while I still had coverage - I would have liked to take a year or two and get some work experience, but couldn't risk not being able to return to school for lack of insurance. Of course, now that my Master's work is done, I'm thrilled to have gotten it out of the way.... now to figure out how to get a law degree......

Best of Luck, and keep studying!

Chris

25 w/ CF