Category: My Open University Journey Page 14 of 16

Yesterday I had the final training session for the Dragon Software. I’ll admit I’m so glad that it’s over, not because it was that bad in fact it was relatively easy! It’s just how much it takes out of me! I spent the week wiped out from the last session!

Surprisingly today so far I feel okish…although I am taking things easy and slow as I know it can take up to 48 hours for the payback to hit me. Oh the joys of Post-Exertional Malaise!

As for studying well I managed to get some done on Monday afternoon and think I am now closer to being ‘on-track’ with the study calendar – not behind!!
I have a tutor who is very understanding of M.E. which makes life so much easier for me as unfortunately unless my health improves significantly as the year progresses, I will be unable to attend the face-to-face tutorials for this course. Which I am pretty disappointed about if I’m honest, as for me although they do help me with studying the materials, understanding things etc. I find they have the bonus of social interaction. Spending most of my time in the same 4 walls can get pretty damn depressing! I can only hope that as the year progresses my health will improve and I will be able to attend some.

Guess from now on it’s just me and the course books! Hopefully this will make things that much easier for me to manage.

Anyway think that’s all that’s happened recently, unless my foggy brain has forgotten something…which is more than possible!

Well this has not been the most positive start to a new module. I’ve had a severe throat infection which has really taken it out of me and made the M.E. that much worse. So despite all plans of making an early start on the module to get ahead in case of having a bad day, picking up a bug or whatever and not having to worry about falling behind, I haven’t been able to do that because until the middle of last week I was under strict orders to rest!

Luckily at the end of last week and very beginning of this week I managed to make a small start (i.e. I read the module guide, Block 1 companion & introduction of Block 1)

Then yesterday I had 3 hours of training – I was awarded Dragon Naturally Speaking Software & a digital voice recorder through Disabled Students Allowance and have two 3 hour training session on how to use them. Fortunately the training is done at my house and is relatively easy going. The only trouble is doing anything for 3 hours straight at the moment is exhausting and for this I have to sit at the dining table, doesn’t sound like much but right now I’m spending most of the day either lying or slouched on the sofa as sitting upright takes more energy!

So today despite planning on getting some studying done, I am forced to rest yet again. Last night I was so exhausted I was shaking/shivering all the time. Today I am a little better although still a bit shaky  And you want to know the best bit? The next training session is next Tuesday – soo I’m guessing I have a repeat of today to look forward to next week!! And the module officially starts on Saturday…this doesn’t look daunting at all!! :/

Since I relapsed in October I knew this was probably going to be difficult, to have had another infection and relapsed again has made it seem that much harder! But hopefully once this training is out of the way I’ll be able to sort myself out and pace myself better.
I’m not ashamed to admit that right now the prospect of doing this module whilst this ill terrifies me, but at the same time I don’t want to give up. This illness has already prevented me from doing so much, I don’t want to let it take this away from me as well!

That’s it for now. Hopefully I’ll have a more positive update next time!

Posting again sooner than expected as I’ve suffered yet another set back in my health. Since the beginning of the new year I’ve been suffering from a very sore throat, being a symptom of M.E. and knowing that with viruses and the festivities have drained my energy resources I put it down to that.

Wednesday night I started having earache so Thursday morning my Mum insisted I go to the Doctors. Of course she’s always right! It turns out I have a severe throat infection, prescribed very strong antibiotics and ordered to rest! Well that’s all well and good but one of the side effects of the antibiotics is difficulty sleeping (which is also an M.E. symptom), I’ve been getting roughly 5 hours sleep each night the past couple of nights. So resting seems to be all I can do without making myself or this illness worse.

I’m finding myself dozing in the evenings, but unable to go to bed til 11 because I have to take an antibiotic at 10:30. (My fault – took the first one when I got back from the doctors at 10:30am and have to take one every 12 hours! I just wanted to start them as soon as possible) During the day I doze, do a little bit of reading, and spend way too much time on social networks! I have managed to do the washing up today but even that simple task has really taken it out of me and I’ve spent the afternoon not knowing what to do with myself – I’m so tired but unable to sleep, I know if I do too much it will only make things worse yet laying here trying to sleep doesn’t seem to be doing much good either.
Also it’s bad to sleep during the day with M.E. because it can totally mess up your sleep pattern so you become nocturnal! Which I don’t want to happen.

Trying to find productive low energy things to do is proving difficult. My next Open University module website opens this week, normally that would mean I’d start studying before the official start to get ahead but this time I’m not sure it will be possible. I suppose I can print anything that needs to be printed as that can be done from the sofa with very little effort on my part!

Hopefully these antibiotics will get rid of this infection and I’ll slowly be able to improve again. Also hope that I will be able to manage to keep up with my latest module…I will try my utmost to do that as it gives me something positive to focus on and the final result of gaining a degree (hopefully!) will be an incredible achievement!

Righty ho, that’s all for now. I’m off to have another doze! I’m hoping that despite my tired state this all makes some semblance of sense! Apologies if it doesn’t!