Category: My Open University Journey Page 12 of 16

Wow, very quick return for my third TMA – deadline was noon yesterday and I have it back today!! Amazingly got 95% which I am both shocked and really pleased at!! Some of my tutor’s comments are amazing as well. 😀

It’s brightened a day where I was seriously doubting my ability to go on studying. I’m really struggling with the ME and seem to be going backwards instead of improving at the moment. Taking notes is proving difficult as is spending any meaningful amount of time on the computer. Kinda ironic I chose a Computing, I.T. and Business degree ain’t it?! In my defence at the time of choosing my degree and even my current course I wasn’t this severely affected by M.E – it has got worse in recent months.

Anyway with the help of assistive software etc. & the support of my friends and family I’m hoping I’ll be able to continue. Think today has just been a ‘down’ day where every little thing I’m struggling with seemed insurmountable!!

That’s all for now!

Well it’s been a while since I last posted on this blog – apologies! Things haven’t been easy but they have improved since when I last posted, I’m no longer stuck in bed with the curtains drawn! Mainly sofa bound instead, and studying does prove difficult with such limited energy levels but I’m just about managing.

So what’s new?

I scored 93% on my second CMA and 83% on my second TMA which amazed me considering how ill I had been whilst doing it!

Today I have submitted my third TMA. This one I found tough going as it involved a lot of group work on the forums – factoring in checking & replying to posts on the forum as well as reading the course materials and getting the assignment tasks done was really difficult. I have literally not been doing much else! But it’s now done and I’m allowing myself a few days rest before tackling Block 4; Security, including encryption & biometrics, which I’m really looking forward to studying!

Yesterday I bit the bullet and registered for my next course which will start in October. Or more precisely October 05th. So I won’t even get two weeks between this one ending and that one starting but oh well, it’s the one I want to do! Anyway as of October I will be studying B203 Business Functions in Context!! Well as long as all the forms go through ok – currently awaiting the finance forms to come through the post for me to fill in and send back to them!

Think that’s all that’s happened this past month or so…now I’m off for a bit of rest! Bye for now!

Sorry for being so quiet for a whole month! I have spent most of that time in bed or on the sofa resting, coupled with any necessary study to get assignments in on time.

I am now slowly starting to improve, although still much worse than I have been for years (in fact maybe ever!) Things are looking up.

Some of the symptoms I now have, and other things that have gone wrong:

• Noise & Light sensitivity to varying degrees depending on the day.
• Muscle weakness particularly in my hands, wrists and legs.
• A ganglion cyst on my right hand.
• Painful hypermobile joints

These are just the symptoms to be added to the ones I was already suffering. Creating quite a list now…

Some good things to have happened in the time I’ve been resting have been:

• I’ve found out I have some amazing supportive friends who really are here for me no matter what!
• I scored 82% on my first Computer Marked Assignment (CMA).
• Amazingly, unbelievably managed to score 100% on my first Tutor Marked Assignment (TMA) for this course!!!

• I’ve started looking into getting help – mainly in the form of self-help, teaching myself the basics of CBT but it’s a start.

I realise the style of my blog posts has changed, but at the moment I find it easier to write in short points like this than any other way. I hope that doesn’t put you off reading!

Hope everyone had a lovely Easter, I know I made the best of a difficult situation and managed to enjoy myself a little. I plan to update this blog when I can, but it may not be particularly regularly at the moment as I get myself back on the road to recovery.

Well my health has deteriorated a lot since my last blog post, in fact I’ve spent a few weeks in bed with the curtains closed really struggling to do anything. However I have persevered and managed to continue with this course. I have lost that week ahead but I am almost ready to submit TMA02 due on Friday. And the CMA has already been submitted.

Got some excellent news during the really bad time healthwise – I scored 82% on my fist CMA and amazingly, unbelievably got 100% on TMA01!! Still can’t quite believe that! But it’s given me the incentive to keep going.

That’s all for now! I have a TMA to finish and submit!