Is it realistic for me with lupus to pursue a career in medicine?

[fragorosvar]

[Hidden]

I think you should forget 'realism' - and think about what you WANT to do.

You don't give any information about your lupus - how long you have been ill, which particular symptoms you have, what drugs you have to take, etc. so we don'y know how bad your lupus is right now. I'm assuming, in what follows, that it is fairly mild right now.

Yes - of course there is a chance you won't complete a medical degree (you could say the same of anyone). But lupus CAN go into remission for long periods of time, and if you don't try you will never know if you could have done it.

If this is your passion - go for it. (You may not be able to have the fabled social life of a medical student, but presumably that won't be too disastrous).

[Riverbird]

There are loads of different areas of medicine you could work in - some less stressful and active than others, and lots of doctors working who have a variety of illnesses or disabilities themselves, if that is what you want as a career and vocation then go for it. The best of luck with what you decide.

[Ghogh77]

Absolutely we need more of 'you' in the profession. My sister is a 'sister' in a surgical unit and she had lupus her personal knowledge has been priceless good luck!

[Jennie_103]

We definitely need more doctors who understand! Maybe you could arrange to speak to some newly qualified docs and get their opinions? Isn't there an online docs forum - doctors.net I think.

And ask the University - find out the hours for the placements and the expected hours per week for the course time.

Get in touch with your university's disability unit too though - you will probably need some adaptations of your course in terms of deadlines and work placements and you will need them on your side from the start. You should also be eligible for Disabled Students Allowance to enable you to buy equipment or pay support staff. It's worth doing - the paperwork isn't too awful - and the more you can reduce your strain the better your chances of finishing the course!

Jennie

[Sher78]

U can do whatever u want, I myself went thru nursing college after being diagnosed & in all honesty, ok, u may find it tougher than some1 who is not a lupoid (then again maybe not!) but u probably have more determination & feel u have more 2 prove BECAUSE u have lupus, which in turn could spur u on more. Never say never & u don't lose anything by giving it a go ;0)

[Petrof]

I actually also wanted to study medicine 35 years ago. At the end I decided not to because I knew how extremely demanding not just the studies but also the actual job is (I studied music instead and went into teaching) - I did not have a diagnosis at that time (that came 20 years later) but I knew there is something wrong with me but nobody could tell me what. I don't regret anything and I don't know if I would have managed, it is hard to say. From my selfish reasons, I would love you to do it, because, as other have said, it could be very beneficial for us all and of course you as well, if you had the knowledge as well as the direct experience of what it feels like to have lupus. Of course, only you can make this decision, depending on your symptoms etc. It maybe a good idea to consult it with your rheumathologist. I did manage to get a PhD in education and had a great career as a teacher and a musician...

[megs_tom]

I don't want to out a downer on things, but a degree is hard enough without being poorly too. I am in my final (4th) year of my teaching degree. Have not been well since the start of my third year and I can tell you it has been bloody hard!! You need to think about the placements you will need to do. This has caused a problem for me this year as although the uni have been supportive on the academic side, they have not wanted to discuss my health problems with my placement school as they think it could cause me problems. The staff at your placments will already be taking on extra work by showing you how to do things and supporting you, can they support you when your poorly and off ill?

Sorry that this sounds negative but it is also a realistic point of view based on personal experience. As much as employers are supposed to be non-discrimatory, the fact is a lot do discriminate. As one of my lecturers quite unsympathetically put it 'what employer wants to employ someone who is going to be having periods off work regularly'. She makes a good point even if it is unfair.

Anyway, apart from this negative side I do believe we can achieve anything we put our heartsand minds into. As long as we take everything into consideration, weigh out the good and bad and make a sensible decision. How about seeing if you could do some volunteering in this area? Then you would get a feel of the job and know if you could manage it. I know in the teaching profession, I admire all teachers as they work bloody hard and it is an extremely demanding job. I don't think I could do it justice with my health the way it is and I would say my health is reasonably ok compared to some people on here.

Good luck with whatever you decide and I hope I haven't across too negatively, just wanted to be honest. Take care xxx

[sharonleane]

IF your body and mind can stand the MAJOR work load....then i say go for it. One plea i do have though and that is you write a book. As you are obviously medically minded and are a lupus sufferer...we also need to help explain this awful condition to our familys as well as understand it more ourselves.

whats more, we are being let down by the medical profession.....so reach the professor goals and preach it to the medical profession so that they learn more too. good luck x

[fragorosvar]

Thanks for all support! I am currently in my third year of med school. I think that finishing med school isn't the problem; the problem is being a good physician that knows what he is doing. It might be that I am getting paranoid from reading too much about SLE and always imagine the worse case scenario, but I am starting to think that my brain capacity won't suffice when I am out in the clinic. Nothing is confirmed but I think I am one of those that gets "lupus fogs", which makes me afraid. I really want to have a MRI done, but I don't think my physician will let me. From my experience, all they care about is the blood tests, which do not really say much about the lupus. Anyway, thanks for all the support!