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Well the hits just keep on coming - got a letter today from the university telling me my application for an exception to academic policy was denied. That means they won't let me have a medical withdrawal so I just failed the three classes I was taking, which put me on academic probation. Yeah, I'm in a real good mood.
Posts: 14428 | Registered: Aug 2001
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Belle,its not a possible final result so don't worry. Needless to say I handled this for my son. Three initial thoughts/suggestions: 1) this may have come from a low level person-from my experience they have to be approved by a committee, 2) they may feel they need more extensive medical documentation (your oncologist needs to include a short (2 sentence) summary that you have a severe colon cancer, which will require extensive chemo, surgery, and radiation, because of which you will be medically unable to engage in any academic activites for blank to blank months, and 3) have someone else-spouse, friend, relative, etc handle this for you. You may be dealing with someone who is thinking if she can handle this then she can handle school. When someone else deals with the school on your behalf it helps get the message- you are to sick to handle/be bothered with things.
Lastly, I don't care how great you feel(and I read you don't feel great at all), please let the people willing to help you help you.
Sorry to rant but it upsets me that you should be disturbed by things like this. Please email me directly if we can help on something like this.
Posts: 19 | Registered: Jan 2006
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Belle, I hope and pray your port surgery goes well on Tuesday.
Another way to approach your academic problems is with your professors individually. Depending on the university, professors have considerable power and can change grades to incomplete or whatever on their own, bypassing the administration.
Also, your professors could be advocates on your side vs the administration if you convince them of the severity of your illness. I think nfl's Dad makes a good point: when others advocate your position, it highlights the fact that you are sick and concentrating on getting better.
Posts: 6316 | Registered: Jun 2003
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I actually talked to each professor, and they were each aware of what was going on and very supportive. Unfortunately, university policy required them to submit incompletes as my grades, and those incompletes were converted to F's.
I still have two months remaining to have those changed over to W's for withdrawal, but it's now in the hands of the Academic Policy department, not the professors. My husband thinks they were just too darn lazy to go through all the paperwork I submitted as documentation for my condition and want me to send something much simpler like a letter from the doctor saying "Hey, she has cancer and was too sick to continue the term." He may be right, I wanted to make sure they had all the information so I sent hospital bills to document the dates of surgery and the pathology report to confirm the diagnosis and a long narrative of exactly what took place and what conversations I had with doctors and with professors. Maybe a simple letter from my doc would have been enough. At any rate, I know my oncologists' office will send the letter if I ask them, so next time I'm in there I'll talk to them about it. We'll see what happens.
I have to be at the hospital at five am, and I talked with the anesthesiology department today so they could get my pre-op interview done. Same exact questions they asked me two months ago, and nothing has changed, but they have to do it new every time. I'm not allowed to take any medication and I told her my nausea was really bad early in the morning and she said that they would give me something at the hospital. Then she said "I normally give everyone a speech about what to expect but looking at your medical history, you've been a guest of ours so often you probably have it down pat."
That's pretty sad, if you think about it.
Posts: 14428 | Registered: Aug 2001
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(((Belle))) I will send you good vibes tomorrow and keep you in my prayers.
Have you seen Wit with Emma Thompson? There's a scene where she's asked to give her medical history for the second time and she's rather confused because she already did it. Anyway, she goes through it all again.
By the middle of the movie she knows enough to simply give her name (and then the spelling) followed by her Dr.'s last name (and the spelling) before the nurse even asks. What you said just reminded me of that. *sympathy*
Posts: 6415 | Registered: Jul 2000
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I need to go to bed but I don't want to. Nerves, I guess.
I just hope they can get a vein, every time I go to this hospital they have trouble either drawing blood or starting an IV. The nurses at my oncologist's office said my veins can't be felt, you have to just go on sight, but they usually don't have trouble. Thing is, at this hospital if one person can't stick you they go get someone else, when I'd just as soon the person tried again. So it seems to take forever to get my IV started. And of course, they can't give me the good ole anti-anxiety meds through my IV until they get it started. They are very nice though, they inject some lidocaine under the skin so you don't feel the deep stick which is considerate.
'Course when you've been stuck as many times as I have it seems an unnecessary luxury, but I guess some folks who are really uptight about getting IV's started appreciate it.
Now I know I've got some nerve issues 'cause I'm rambling about IV's on an internet board at 10:00 pm when I have to be at the hospital in seven hours. Posts: 14428 | Registered: Aug 2001
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Thank you kq. I just told Wes I was nervous about them getting an IV started and he said "If they'd just leave everything in the room, I'll do it."
I can imagine a nurse coming in to start the IV and saying "Oh, did someone else already do it?"
"Yeah, it was the IV fairy."
Posts: 14428 | Registered: Aug 2001
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Whenever something got done overnight, my mom used to say that the "such-and-such fairy" did it. Like, if I got up early and did the dishes, "Oh, I see the dishes fairy came!"
Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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Thinking of you today. And by the time you read this, it will be all over and you'll be home again.
I once thought the IV fairy came to me in the night, and I looked under my pillow for a dollar. She HAD come too -- my search was in vein.
Posts: 10397 | Registered: Jun 2005
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*sending good vibes and praying for you Belle* Let us know how it went as soon as you're up to it. Posts: 6415 | Registered: Jul 2000
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quote: still have two months remaining to have those changed over to W's for withdrawal, but it's now in the hands of the Academic Policy department, not the professors.
First, I hope everything went o.k. with your surgery, Belle.
Second, I would like to strongly encourage you or someone else you know to start personally walking this issue up the chain of command at your school. Almost every school has some kind of open door policy. Take advantage of it. Go to the president's office and try to talk to him personally. If he won't help you, go to his boss at the state level and talk to him. Look into legal options if you have to. Apply pressure. Be persistent. What have you got to lose? Three Fs would be devastating on almost any transcript and I can't see that you have any other choice but to make sure you get those Ws by hook or by crook.
It's outrageous that you're having to do this at your school with all that you are going through. It's ridiculous that they are not working with you. I sincerely wish you the best in getting everything resolved.
Posts: 13123 | Registered: Feb 2002
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The IV Fairy is, of course, a coleague of mine. She's always going on about how Tooth gets all the press, but I tell her people would just mis-spell her name as F-O-U-R anyway.
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Hello everybody - I'm home. The prayers and well wishes were definitely felt, this went off almost without a hitch.
Pixiest, you must have kept the IV fairy busy somewhere else today, because she wasn't there. they tried to start one on my left hand and it didn't work and because my platelets are low the site bled copiously. However, the second attempt on the right hand worked like a charm.
I have no pain whatsoever on the left side, where the port was removed. The surgeon put a new one in the right side. We got there at five, and I was taken back to the OR at 6:15 and we were out the door around 10:00. Not bad at all.
I'm a little sore, but I have some pain meds to take. The local is still in effect, so I'm not feeling the brunt of the pain yet. But, I know what to expect and last time the recovery from this procedure was quick.
Praise God I did not get strep from any of the sickies in my family! How I avoided it, especially with my resistance low from the chemo, I don't know. But they're all on antibiotics and I appear to have escaped it so far.
My church family was praying for me and you guys were praying and sending good vibes and I know it helped me. I had no anxiety or fears about this proceudre at all, and the doctor said it couldn't have gone more smoothly. Hopefully this port will work well for a long time to come and we'll be able to finish chemo with it.
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Best of luck with your recovery! Take care of yourself. You have my prayers, too, for what it's worth.
Posts: 6246 | Registered: Aug 2004
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Belle, I'm so glad it went okay. I was thinking of you all day.
*hug*
Sorry you have to deal with that crap from the school. If they don't reverse their decision, I'll curse 'em for you. Posts: 9293 | Registered: Aug 2000
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I intend to make the school decision a moot point by finishing my novel and getting it published, reaching bestseller status so that I won't have time to go to school - I'll be too busy writing more books.
Yes, I'm high on pain killers. Posts: 14428 | Registered: Aug 2001
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I'm off to bed. In a slightly drugged state I have just now completed the full outline of my novel, and will begin fleshing out the first draft tomorrow. I feel pretty good - the sucker's plotted, the characters are so fully developed I swear I should be charging them rent, and I've never been so excited about a project. Posts: 14428 | Registered: Aug 2001
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I've been thinking about you all day, Belle. I'm glad the surgery went well (as well as can be expected at least). I'm a hard stick, too and it isn't fun (I developed "junkie arm" when I was on the mag). The first couple of times you think, "This isn't so bad, I can take this easily." The third and fourth times you think, "I really wish they'd hurry up with this." Then, when they stick you through a giant bruise, you think, "I am so @#%*& tired of this." I am wincing in sympathy for you.
I am furious, however, about the school situation. They are required to accomodate you, by law, and they should not be making you jump through hoops to get the accomodation you are entitled to. Aside from that, they should just help you out of basic human decency.
Congrats on the novel - I can't wait for my advanced copy. Posts: 3037 | Registered: Jan 2002
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I'm slowly trying to recover some strength, but slowly is the operative word.
Seems I did not escape the strep bacteria that plauged my kids - in fact, as of right now, six out of the seven people in our household are on antibiotics for strep infections. Yes, including me. But everyone is getting better faster than me. I guess because my blood counts are depleted from the chemo.
I've been weaker and sicker than I ever remember being in my life - it's been about the worst episode of illness I can ever remember. Everything from high fever and chills to a terrible sore throat and coughing fits that did nothing good for the incisions on my chest.
I might be turning the corner today. I actually decided to get up, come down here and check my email (40 messages!) and wash my hair. That's a good sign I think.
Posts: 14428 | Registered: Aug 2001
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They are very nice though, they inject some lidocaine under the skin so you don't feel the deep stick which is considerate. ![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
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That is awesome, Belle. Wish you could just have him do it.![[Group Hug]](graemlins/grouphug.gif)
