I'm also getting a lot of pressure from my parents on this one.

(a) That's a beautiful dress

(b) Mono is why my mom graduated a semester later than she had planned. It's not an unusual effect, unfortunately.

(c) I have the Cowboy Junkies "Anniversary Song" as my ringtone for my DH, everyone else is just ring, no tone.

I always have something, you know? For some reason, I can't seem to wrap my head around the fact that this is "more valid" or whatever.

If you end up hospitalized, will that emphasize the validity?

Again, I'm SO not trying to be harsh here, but even if you just had only *one* of the mono/pneumonia/RSV trifecta, that qualifies as Really Fucking Sick. Any one of those 3, on its own, is enough to put someone in the hospital. And pneumonia and RSV will fuck with the lungs of a non-asthmatic; someone *with* asthma is even more susceptible to lung issues.

You don't have a cold, sweetie. And I know it feels like you *always* have something, but that's actually not true. Prior to getting sick, you've had a LONG stretch of *not* being sick, being healthy and very active and zipping around and even jet-setting (ha!) down to the islands for vacation.

I know it seems to you like you're always sick, but that's not true any more. It might have been, once, but you need to re-work your self-definition. Yes, you're sick right now. And yes, you certainly won the sick whammy lottery this time. But being sick now doesn't mean you're *always* sick.

You've made huge strides in just the time I've known you, vw. HUGE. The thing to remember here is that everyone gets sick. And you're part of everyone. Being sick like this just means you're one of the Normal Folk, not a perpetually sick sickie.

Accept it. You're a normal, functional, healthy person who happened to get really damn sick. This is when you get to pimp for sympathy, chocolate, and DVDs!

Man, the Teppy-wisdom continues to hover somewhere near Scrappy level.

I know school shouldn't be a concern, but it is and for more reasons than I described.

I was supposed to graduate this Spring. I'm not. There's a really good chance that because of that MassRehab won't cover next year's tuition. I haven't even told them I'm not graduating, because I'm scared of the answer. I haven't come this far to not finish, dammit. I could, potentially, get enough loans to cover next year, but then I'm pretty much maxed out on the private loans front. So, if I don't graduate next Spring, I'm not going to.

I have to agree, the Tep wisdom is large. Listen to her, vw. I don't understand why your parents would be pressuring you given the severity of your illness.

Ask yourself honestly, would graduating a semester later really be that bad? If it will perseve your health, physical or otherwise, then I think it's a no-brainer.

ETA: x-post. Money is a concern, I get that. How bad are your loans right now? Usually you can always get federal loans, right?

Anyone here ever had to go back for an ultrasound after a mammogram?

I did. Twas nothing, thankfully.

mono ain't over till it's over

Damn. No truer words, yo. I have a will of iron over certain things. Mono took me to school, kicked my ass, humbled me and basically taught me a lesson. Some things, one simply must bow before. Mono is the man...metaphorically speaking.

I don't understand why your parents would be pressuring you given the severity of your illness.

Because they know the reality of the money situation. They want to see me graduate...not get this far and have to quit.

Usually you can always GED federal loans, right?

Yeah, but that will only cover the tuition, not any living expenses.

YAY! I am done with my author project!!