My first week of grad school with chronic illness



First week of genetic counseling graduate school vlog! I’m so excited to share this journey with you as I complete my two-year master’s program in genetic …

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  1. Your videos make me feel so much less alone. Iā€™m a grad student in Tennessee a year into doing a masters in International Affairs/Political Science, and as isolating as zoom classes were, they were so helpful for my chronic pain. Starting school again was such a big adjustment physically and emotionally. Migraines and fatigue have been the biggest battle. Going to sleep early (taking sleep aids if necessary), once a month massages, sumatriptan rx, keeping up with even just a little PT consistently, resting when need be, and telling my professors about EDS, chronic pain, fatigue and migraines and them allowing late work have been the most helpful things. I bring my cane on days I need some extra support. I literally just bought a rolling backpack too because walking on campus with books is no joke! I wish you all the best in this journey, and also to anyone else with chronic illness pursuing a degree.

  2. It's soooooo hard to differentiate "am I feeling this as a symptom of my illness or is it a separate issue?" Which is so frustrating. And I feel like my doctor is also like???? idk if it's your NCS or anxiety or something else the human body is so magical but soooo messy XD

  3. I have neurocardiogenic syncope (which is also a form of dysautonomia like POTS is) and I live in Florida and I love it here but the weather does trigger my symptoms really badly a lot of days. Especially around, like, 3 PM walking to class will make me have a presyncopal episode which doesn't really mean I'm going to pass out but sure does feel a lot like dying lolol. I just found your channel and I'm definitely sticking around since I'm chronically ill and working on applying to grad school right now! I'm so scared of the idea of moving to a new environment and how that could hurt my symptoms, how not having enough humidity could make me forget to drink enough water, and how demanding grad school is when I feel like I am always in an energy deficit to begin with. So thank you! And hope you're having a good health week this week!

  4. I also just started back at school in person in New York! Itā€™s so great seeing someone else with similar concerns adapting and figuring out how to do school successfully with chronic illness. Iā€™ve been trying so hard to navigate feeling included with saving my energy, because I know the semester is only going to get harder. Also THANK YOU for mentioning going places, Iā€™ve had a doctor question why commuting was so hard and I didnā€™t have an answer for him then but you explained it so well- itā€™s the walking, the being upright, and no options for lying down.

    Anyway, so excited to see your journey, hopefully we can run into each other sometime! It would be so great to make more chronically ill friends in NYC, Iā€™m really missing community right now.

  5. I love this and would love to see more talking about your experiences as a chronically ill person in graduate school since I am planning to go to graduate school in a few years and have gotten great ideas for helping myself out from your videos

  6. I also have hEDS and POTS and I tried trigger point injections recently. While it felt amazing for about 2-3 days, unfortunately it cost like $200 for two shots even after my really good insurance covered a hefty portion of them. It just wasn't worth the cost benefit analysis for me. Hope they work better for you though!

  7. Hi Izzy! Absolutely loved this video ā¤ļø. Iā€™m applying to GC school this year and itā€™s awesome to see these week in the life at school videos. Hope youā€™re doing well!

  8. Would really like to see more videos about how you made it through undergrad with the EDS and such, even before I knew what I had, school was very difficult. I want to go back for a third time now that I have answers but I have three majors I want to pursue and being a 25-year-old blind screen reader user and Nuro divergent with a lot of other chronic illnesses and mental health issues on top of EDS, need help LOL

  9. Such a great video and perfect timing, I start my masters in occupational therapy next week. Iā€™ve been quite apprehensive but it really helps knowing Iā€™m not the only one going through this. Would love to see more videos on chronic illness study tips! It would be great to hear how much you have disclosed your chronic illness to the university and the lecturers, if you felt comfortable sharing of course. I never know how much to share with new advisors, too little and I can come across as lazy, too much and I could seem incapable. The chronic illness life being complicated as always haha

  10. I don't have EDS, but ME/CFS and POTS and I'm currently thinking about going back to uni. Honestly, I could've watched you for another 2 hours. This was so informative and inspiring, so please, please, please do more of those videos <3

  11. I loved it. I want to make videos about how I conserve my energy working full time and having so much going on. It's not easy, but so glad the pandemic lets me work from home permanently. šŸ™ŒšŸ¾

    I loved this video and so happy for you and school and being able to save your spoons. Hoping the scans go well and you rock school. Hugs and good vibes your way! Keep up the great work and definitely make more vids to keep us updated on school and life. Thanks Izzy!

  12. i really enjoyed this video! i don't have EDS but i do have another chronic illness + it's really nice to see someone in a similar situation to me doing grad school – i want to go to med school so it's really cool to see that it is actually possible to do a rigorous course with long-term medical conditions.

  13. Cool to find someone with chronic pain just like me (mine on my wrist) and dealing with masters which where I will be in a year from now. You have so much energy as an online student and look so happy. Keep up with your great work!!

  14. Loved this vlog being retired nurse I still love to learn… I would need to find a new way now to retain info previously even with handouts I would go home re write them all and years later can still pull random info out of head however could not sit long enough neither could I manage to write of type all notes.. Where there is a will there will be a way tho.
    If I can get symptoms under control considering doing a Major and Minor Degree in Psychology and Counselling.
    I figure I could then work from home and round symptoms.
    I just got my daughter similar rolling Rucksack to save her back and shoulders she has sewn on patches, buttons, and added pins to jazz it up.
    Take care and enjoy course šŸ™‚

  15. Can you please make video on how to manage pain and live life. Itā€™s not easy and which doctors you see if possible coz most doc say itā€™s hypermobiity syndrome and Eds is a fad and itā€™s so discouraging

  16. If youā€™re comfortable, Iā€™d be interested in hearing what accommodations you have worked out with your schoolā€™s disability services. Itā€™s hard to balance what is worth using, I feel like I lose out on a lot of valuable in class discussion by doing things online and/or taking absences

  17. This is cool. I was wondering what to expect from that masters/graduate programme. But I'm wondering why a genetic counseling degree doesn't start with an extensive genetics course.
    That's what I would expect and do. You're becoming a counselor for genetic stuff so you should be able to know the genetics plays in physiology and anatomy as well as human development.
    I'm curious to see how this is going to progress. I love studying the medical field and am currently trying to find a graduation project in my field (biomedical engineering). I hope I'll find something that totally fits me like this degree seems to do for you.
    Good luck šŸ˜€

  18. If I had learned how to conserve energy when I was in school, it would have been a lot easier. Itā€™s cool to see you working toward something youā€™re passionate about. All the best!!

  19. Congrats on your first week!!!! So excited youā€™re doing this !! Def do not feel guilty for not going in when youā€™re able to do it from home- we only have so many spoons per day and only you know how much you can handle on a given day. Hugs ā¤ļøšŸ¦“šŸ¦“

  20. Ahhh thank you Izzy! Your videos always make me feel less alone ā™” I'm currently working on my BS in nursing and my fatigue the past week has been so terrible, and my pain was flaring like crazy all day (even now). My clinical rotation got moved of when I'm going in and I'm still not informed on some info so I've definitely been very stressed which has not helped

  21. Being outside in Texas is hot especially since Iā€™m dealing with random dizzy spells which have been undiagnosed and the heat makes my gp worse I get nauseous. If Iā€™m not sipping on something very cold I canā€™t stay outside . Thatā€™s why I attend class only once a week in person

  22. It's so hard for me to be okay with staying home/not going out when I need to conserve energy! I get the worst FOMO but I know it needs to be done so that I can function. Thanks for showing that it's a valid and "ok" thing to do šŸ™‚

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