Nursing as a career with HMS

[kerrylouise37]

Hi!

I have hypermobility which is vaguely under control, I recently went to the hypermonility clinic in london who prescribed me Amitriptyline and lots of exercise and physio which is all helping however last week stupidly I managed to damage my sacroilliac joint and lumbarsacral joint by trying to exercise at home! I have had issues with my SI joint before but its normally ok,

Anyway in september im due to start training as a learning disability nurse but im not sure if I will pass the occupational health due to the back and also many people keep saying 'ooo I don't know how you'll cope as a nurse being hypermobile' which is really winding me up and I just wanted to know if anyone on here is a nurse and if they find it physically ok? And if anyone knows whether hypermobility (espesh issues with the back, even mild) would stand in my way with the occupational health check and ruin my chances of being a nurse?

Sorry for the essay and thanks if you read it!!

Kerry

[Spireite]

Hi Kerry,

I'm not a nurse but my two-penneth is that everyone is different and everyone is affected differently. Jobs also differ. One aspect is that there is no perfect job with HMS. Office jobs are a problem because of hours of static posture which is certainly a struggle for me. I do have a voluntary job with people with a medical condition which is a mixture of personal trainer and a bit medical/nursing and that suits me much better with the moving around. They don't know that I have HMS. But it isn't full-time hours! Hope that helps.

[teaspoon]

Hiya, I also am not a nurse, but I'm a medical student coming to the end of my studies.

As Spireite has said - everyone with HMS is affected differently, so I would say the only way to know for sure is to try it and see.

I find that medicine suits me quite well because it is a mixture of moving around and office work, both of which cause problems if I do too much of them, but seem to balance each other out quite well.

Make sure and apply for Disabled Students Allowance if you can - they will be able to give you equipment that you need (a posturally supportive desk chair for example) and money for things like printing and taxis if you need them.

I hope it works out well for you

[kerrylouise37]

Thank you both for your replies!

[Flora]

I was unable to start training as a mental health nurse a few years ago, cos I didn't pass the medical. Around that time I started to need to use crutches, and failed for that reason. I was told that had my condition remained the same, with me coping with just a knee brace and the right shoes, I would have passed, although I would have had to see occupational health people and been monitored to make sure I remained ok. Hope this helps,
Flora

[Funkycooljem]

I'm currently training to be a midwife! When I started the course I knew I had HMS but wasn't officially diagnosed so I didnt tell them (at the time it didn't really effect me). 5 weeks prior to me handing in my dissertation, a fewer other bits, and doin the last bit of placement I had a huge flare up, to the extent that I couldn't dress myself, feed myself or walk etc :0( I have now been signed off for 3 months so have failed my course and missed graduating with all my friends. I'm back to normal now (ish!) apart from really bad fatigue, so 13hr shifts are impossible! I'm waiting for the examining board to decide if I can have another chance or not. So I guess what I'm trying to say is take it steady! The doc thinks that the stress of my exams etc and stupidly long placement hours caused my flare up! Take it easy and if you find yourself struggling don't burry your head in the sand and keep trying to push onwards like I did!

[kerrylouise37]

Thank you both for your replies, sorry its taken so long for me to reply, my back has gotten progressively worse and now im panicking that I won't pass the occupational health so am trying to get everything sorted so I can be fit enough to start nurses training, hope you get your second chance :]

[suew]

Hi I am a registered nurse and have been for 28 years , Ive had to go in to teaching and assessing as my back , hips and knees and ankles arent up to nursing anymore , please dont let HMS stop you nursing is a wonderful profession and I miss it everyday , I was a ward manager before I went into teaching , I miss the team, the friendship and the patients (believe it or not ) I hope you get through the medical , but be honest . Good luck with your chosen career .

[kerrylouise37]

Hey!

Thanks to everyone that replied to my post! I passed the medical, am now a student nurse and am now 1 week away from my first placement!! The uni is being really helpful and I've got specific disability help like an ergonomic chair for lectures and extra time etc Everything is going really well and the only joint problem (apart from the general full body ache) that seems to be getting worse is my fingers with the sudden increase in typing! Hopefully I can get that sorted and things will keep on the fairly ok manageable pain level they are at now! fingers crossed!

K