Studying When You Have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome – Part 1

Studying can be extremely difficult when you have Chronic
Fatigue Syndrome /Post Viral Fatigue Syndrome /ME And if you
experience severe brain fog, concentration and memory problems,
it can be a near-to-impossible feat But if you **do** feel well
enough to study, there **are** options out there which can make
things a lot easier for you
So what do you do if you want to study but have CFS/ME/PVFS?
Well if your condition is moderate-to-severe then taking a term-
or year-out to recover from your condition is definitely worth
considering But for some of us this just isn’t an option
In addition, some of us may already be studying a course when we
first develop this condition Not wanting to stop the course, it
is not uncommon for us to try to carry on, regardless of our
struggles to keep up with the course’s pace and intensity
What’s more, often it’s not a case of ‘just managing your
course’ either If only it were that simple! College and
university life opens up a ‘brave new world’ of socializing,
parties, and events – things that most CFS/ME/PVFS sufferers
struggle to keep up with, if at all
—– SIDE NOTE —–
Alcohol for example, can play a big role in socializing,
especially at university But many (if not most) CFS/ME/PVFS
sufferers are alcohol-intolerant so beware!
Check out the article below for more info:
http://wwwsleepydustnet/TheSleepydustEMagazine-sleepydust-ezi
ne-issue-001htmlart1
—– SIDE NOTE —–
From a personal perspective, studying with CFS/ME/PVFS is
something I’m very familiar with I was diagnosed with Post
Viral Fatigue Syndrome (PVFS) in the second term of my first
year at university, so most of my university-life was spent as a
PVFS sufferer
Although the PVFS wasn’t nearly as bad as it is now, I still had
to battle with the brain fog, exhaustion, weakness and the many
other dreadful symptoms that come with it That was in addition
to the emotional stress of getting used to the illness and the
restricted lifestyle it imposed on me In fact, not being able
to do as much as I would like to is **still** something I’m
trying to get used to even now!
Many students move away from their home to study further a
field And while that often can make sense for a healthy
individual, I think that in some cases, the strain of living on
your own/with friends/in halls/dorms can make coping with
CFS/ME/PVFS even more difficult
When I was a university student I lived away from home, firstly
in halls, and then with friends I studied full-time but with
hindsight I think that studying **part-time** would have lifted
a lot of the stress for me The pace would have been slower and
I may have even been able to attend more classes too (I missed
many of them)
With hindsight, I think that it may have been easier if I had
considered either:
1) going to a **local** university or college and studying
**part-time** or;
2) opting for a ‘home study’ course (distance learning)
So if you feel that you can study but perhaps not full-time,
then going part-time could be an option for you And if you feel
that you are not able to manage a full-time or even part-time
course, then home study (distance learning) can be a viable
option
I think that living in the home environment while you study may
make it much easier on you (if your home environment is a safe,
calm environment and if you are surrounded by people who know
and care for you)
Studying when you have CFS/ME/PVFS **is not** a decision to be
taken lightly, particularly if you are considering moving far
from your familiar home environment and studying full-time That
is not to say that it cannot be done, because it can But how
well you manage will be largely affected by your living and
course arrangements, and the severity of your illness
That doesn’t mean there aren’t ways around it! The location of
your university/college, and the length of your course/
frequency of your classes can all have a bearing and this is
especially relevant when you study as a CFS/ME/PVFS sufferer So
bear this in mind Try to keep your options open and don’t rule
out taking a term- or year-out, part-time study or home-study
The second half of this article will feature in another issue of
the Sleepydust E-magazine, where we’ll take a look at studying
techniques and exams
To read more tips about how to manage and deal with your ME and
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome visit:
http://wwwsleepydustnet/MYALGIC-ENCEPHALOPATHY-cfsme-homepageh
tml
And to learn more about working from home when you are
chronically ill or disabled, visit:
http://wwws
leepydustnet/WORK-FROM-HOMEhtml
Copyright, Claire Williams, 2004-2005 All Rights Reserved
——-
** Publication Guidelines **
The article above may be freely reproduced provided that:
(1) you only mail to a 100% opt-in list; (2) ALL links are LIVE
hyperlinks (3) the article is published in its entirety
including the title, copyright notice, the author’s bio
resource box (which must be placed directly below the article)
—–
Claire Williams is editor of sleepydustnet and has suffered
from Post Viral Fatigue Syndrome since 1995
She created sleepydustnet to help ME / Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
and Fibromyalgia sufferers deal with their condition – from
handling their money worries, to recovering from their illness

Tags | alcohol, brain, impossible, intensity, lifestyle, personal, problems, stress, syndrome, world