College

[Corinne]

Hi
I'm starting another semester of college in about a week and having a little trouble dealing with the stress of school and the IC. Just wondering if there is anyone else around my age in the same situation. If anyone wants to talk, let me know.

Thanks,
Corinne

[rnewman]

Hi Corinne!
I just wanted to let you knwo you are NOT alone.
Every semester, finals is like the kiss of death for me! (as my doctor would say...) I am lucky, all of my friends are nursing students (as am I) so they sympathise, they want to learn more, and well they just plain make fun of every time I have to go- I know where every bathroom is, in every building on campus. But, I have begun pelvic floor retraining excersizes that seem to be helping a lot. If you want to talk, email me!
Rachel

[Corinne]

Thank you so much for replying to me. I'm hoping to go into nursing, but im just so afraid of all the work involved and im not sure if i can handle it. I am just studying the basics right now. How do you like nursing? Hopefully things will get better though and I'll be able to make it through! It helps to hear that someone with IC is making it through nursing school [img]smile.gif[/img] Well hopefully we can talk more, thanks for understanding [img]smile.gif[/img]

[rnewman]

Dont be afraid of nursing!!! I mean....I wont tell you its easy....but the prerequsites like anatomy and physiology arent any harder than nursing itself, its just that once you get into it you are applying the information rather than reading it. (which i like much better....id rather be in clinicals than in a classroom....then people cant count how many times you get up to go to the bathroom, you can just duck around the corner in the hospital, haha) But seriously, nursing has been one of the most rewarding things I have ever done and you will meet other nursing majors and they will become close to you and you will have your own support group to get through it all. I have found that group.....and will be so sad to leave some of them in May....and, they are all going to be nurses, so they are always interested in my health and how Im dealing with the IC. (one of my profs even wanted me to present on it.....I didnt do that though, thought i would be embarrased...) Anyway, its a great field and Im sure you have heard how much they need us new nurses and hey, you could even go into womens health and research IC. My love is in Pediatrics. Anyway, as far as the flairs.....try excersizes....but I dont really know what else to do. Sometimes cranberry juice or cran aid tea helps with the pain. What do you do? Are you on any meds? Good luck with classes!
RAchel

[Corinne]

Rachel,
I really hope to make it through nursing school, I have always wanted to work in the nursery or labor and delivery. But I keep seeing more and more things that you can do with nursing, thats what i like so much about it. I thought i could work for a urologist and help people with IC. I don't know, have to see when i get that far [img]smile.gif[/img]
As far as exercise, some things bother me, but I just started doing yoga and I really like it. Right now I only take Detrol LA, sometimes it helps and sometimes it doesnt, I might have to try something different. What meds are you taking?
What part of MA are you from? I was in Boston about 3 years ago for vacation and I really liked it there. Thanks for the help
[img]smile.gif[/img]

[rnewman]

Hey-
One of the greatest things in the world about nursing is that you will NEVER get bored. I have so many different things in nursing that I want to do- and I keep learning about new things I can do every day. Dont worry about nursing school at all- and hey, if I can be of any help its all about who you know [img]smile.gif[/img] I am origionally from NJ, and I currently live in Amherst, Massachusetts (which is western mass, like 1.5 hours west of boston) and go to UMass. I graduate in May and I am planning to move to Boston and work at one of the MANY hospitals there and possibly go to grad school. Boston is a beautiful, amazing city (and I thinkthe average age is like 27 or something) and I am excited for that! (I will have to find a new uro tho, mine is in NJ.) Anyway, as far as meds---
I TAKE NOTHING. (well, lipitor, but thats another issue....and my primary care doctor thinks that celexa might help as I get flare ups with anxiety, but my uros not sure so I havent started it yet.) I took detrol LA for four months- I started in June and in October I decided to stop. I had the same exact complaint you did. AND, on top of that it made me so constipated (which I have problems with already..) I couldnt take it. I didnt want to live on laxatives. And then after a while, the laxatives didnt work anymore.....so I stopped. My uro said that he used Detrol before diagnosing IC, becuase if it works that means that the person has an overactive bladder (detrol is a medication that stops bladder spasms. it also stops bowel spasms- thats how you get constipated, nothing moves.) and if it doesnt work, or only occasionally, that means that it isnt bladder spasms that are your problem its IC. Talk to your uro. I am seeing a physical therapist and doing pelvic floor retraining excersizes and they seem to be helping a great deal. The frequency is about the same, but I dont run anymore, I can wait ten minutes if I have to. ITs a great feeling. Let me know how you are doing....where are you going to school?
Rachel

[Corinne]

Detrol is having the same effect on me, I think I have IBS too. I will probably stop taking it soon, my doc said there are other things I can try and that this is only the begining(I was diagnosed in Oct). But frequency is my biggest complaint. So hopefully we can both find something that works for us. I saw your other post about having a flare today, I know how awful that is. I have figured out that soda and chocolate(my 2 favorite things of course)seem to get me into a flare and its awful. I wish I could tell you something that would help but I guess you'll just have to see what bothers you, thats what I'm still trying to do.
Right now I am at a community college in St. Louis getting all the basics out of the way and then there is a nursing school that I would like to transfer to. You can email me too if you would like, hope your flare gets better and i hope the test on sat. goes well for you, good luck [img]smile.gif[/img]

[rnewman]

Thanks for the luck......here goes nothing ...
I will let you know! [img]eek.gif[/img] Anyway, give me your email and I will continue this there, as I dont know how to get it on this web page yet. Mine is [email protected]
In health
Rachel

[Corinne]

HI
My email is [email protected]
Talk to you later
Corinne