Having a life: School

Hi! So as a 16 year old girl it's important for me to have a social life. Just because i have a medical condition doesn't change that. It just makes it a bit more complicated. There are things i have to do differently to be able to enjoy and do what other people take for granted. One really obvious example of that is school. 

I go to school Monday through Friday. I do homework, I strive for good grades, and I have friends. Sometimes though it can be a lot harder than you would expect. Lots of things effect how i feel. At high school you can't just say "oh, my stomach hurts I'm gonna stay home even though i have a huge test 4th period."Getting through the week is all based on staying healthy. My hugest barrier is hydration. With my condition, getting dehydrated is a lot easier and prevention is a lot harder. Everyday after school i have to judge how much fluid i need to infuse in order to feel good. I have to eat enough so that i have the energy i need to get through the day. I have to hook up to my TPN (calories and nutrients that are broken down for easy absorption) in time for it to run completely. 

Another barrier for school is actually missing school and keeping up with work. That is one of the hardest part of having a serious medical condition and still going to school. There are going to be those days you can't go to school. There is no avoiding that. No matter how well you take care of yourself, you still have a serious medical condition. Things happen. You get an infection and end up in the hospital for 4 days, you get so dehydrated that you physically can't go to school, you get a blood clot, or you just get the flu because your immune system isn't at its best. Any of these have the same result. You miss school. You miss however many days of teacher instruction, tests, and homework. Once you return to school you face the daunting task of making up your missed work. A lot of the times you are still not feeling 100% and so this task can seem even harder. I made the mistake in the past of thinking that you shouldn't try to make up work until you feel way better. That was a HUGE mistake!! DO NOT DO THIS!! Yes, it started out good, but what ended up happening was that i ran out of time to make up my assignments. The sooner you get caught up, the sooner that extra stress is gone. And trust me, nothing is worse than having multiple assignments hanging over your head. I know. I've been there. 

Last year, i had over the school year, 4 operations, 2 infections, and a blood clot. I missed so much school that i ended up having to drop 2 of my classes and retake them this year. Last year was an extremely hard year. Luckily, this year is going a lot better. I have made i through our first quarter without so much as one absence. I ended with only two B's and the rest A's. But i have also worked harder this year than i have before. That's one of the hugest things to realize. If you really want to do well in school, for me its not just to work hard on your assignments. It's also that you have to work really hard to stay healthy.

 If you have a headache, take some medicine. Go to school and stay as long as you can. This has actually worked in my favor a whole bunch of times. I have gone to school with a stomach ache or headache or just plain not feeling well. Sometimes you end up going home early. Other times you actually feel better as the day goes on. Most importantly, your teachers see you trying. If you eventually miss some days but your teachers know that you try really hard and you would only miss school if you absolutely had to, they are more likely to give you a hand in making things up. Ill probably talk more about teacher relationships later on, but to sum up, school is hard. I love learning and i love school so i work really hard to be able enjoy this part of my life. 

I think that students that don't have to deal with this don't appreciate school as much as me. I mean I am still a teenager. School is still the most annoying thing that was ever created (or at least thats what i tell my friends), and i still wait on the edge of my seat for the bell to ring on Friday that gives us the freedom of the weekend. But i definitely enjoy school. There i said it! I LIKE SCHOOL! Fellow teenagers please don't kill me! And mom, if you're reading this, no that does not mean i'm going to stop complaining about school. 

Anyway, i hope this helps someone coming back to school from being sick or in the hospital. It's funny i don't see myself getting tired of writing all this out everyday. It's actually really calming to know i can go back and read everything i've written if i need advise. Because who would give me better advise... than me??  Alright, Blog Post #2. Off you go into the world of people who may one day read you. Ok.... BYE!!