Petition Letter
Hello My name is Ben Linden and I am a fourth year majoring in Economics with a minor in Mathematics and Certificate in Business.
The reason I have applied for an AG standing was due to a physical deterioration that I first began to notice near the end of October 2022. I have a condition called Hashimoto which is an autoimmune disorder that causes hypothyroidism. In the grand scheme of diseases, I am very lucky to have gotten something that is non-life threatening and is very treatable with daily medication. When the medication is working properly the disease is essentially non-existent. However, when the medication does not work properly the main symptoms include depression, anxiety, fatigue, and general mental fog. When you experience all these symptoms together often for weeks and sometimes months at a time it makes school nearly impossible. Most days simply getting out of bed can feel like an impossible task. Each day is a battle with depression, anxiety and constant fatigue. After a couple of weeks of noticing the symptoms associated with Hashimoto I knew something was very wrong and reached out to my doctor to get blood work done on November 9th, 2022. I have had Hashimoto since I was a kid and regularly get blood work as my medication needs to be adjusted. The blood work tells you your TSH (an indicator of hypothyroidism), anything above 5 units means that your thyroid is underperforming. In the past when I have felt terrible my blood work is usually around 4-5 units over the threshold. This time it was 26 over, five times past the threshold (documentation will be attached for reference). I could no longer function. I could no longer make it to classes, I stopped socializing and quickly fell behind in all aspects of life. To try to alleviate the depression and anxiety I stopped taking my ADHD medication. I met with a doctor through Queens who gave me a prescription for a higher dosage of thyroid medication in mid-November but it would take several weeks to start working.
After three weeks since I noticed my deterioration I found myself in an academic position in which I knew it was too late to catch up with exams approaching. While the ceasing of my ADHD medication made me mentally healthier it only made it harder to meet deadlines and keep my head above water. The fatigue and mental fog were overpowering.
With the new dosage of my thyroid medication not being effective for several weeks, I had to do something to alleviate the academic pressure. I reached out to my QSAS advisor who recommended I contact my professor in ECON 231 and ECON 332 (same professor) for an extension on the course's term papers. My professor was very supportive and on November 16th, 2022 granted an extension on the papers. The extension greatly alleviated my academic situation but with my first exam less than a month away the stress started to overwhelm me. I, unfortunately, had to make the tough choice of putting my mental health second to my academics and doing whatever it took to ensure I pass my exams.
At the end of November, I started taking my ADHD medication at a significantly higher dose than I had been in the past to compensate for the symptoms of my thyroid condition. Taking the ADHD medication again mixed with my thyroid problems made my mental and physical health substantially worse but allowed me to at least study enough to pass my exams. While I may have done better on my exams under normal circumstances I passed and I am okay with that considering
Once exams were done while I was happy to be done I was sadly at an all-time low. The mix of the ADHD medication and my thyroid issues throughout the exam season rather than resting when I needed it was extraordinarily taxing. In the end, I had never been so depressed and anxious. Exams were over though and with my thyroid levels coming back to normal I once again had to stop my ADHD medication to help my mental health. With the winter break, I had some time to rest and most importantly of all I would have the time to finish the papers and be done with this nightmare
However, there was one thing I didn't account for. Suddenly stopping such a high dose of ADHD medication caused withdrawal symptoms. Each day I was feeling happier but the withdrawal caused immense fatigue and mental fog making it impossible to get any work done. After over a month of pushing during exams when it felt like my body was begging me to just recover I had to take a break to get better and let the withdrawal pass. I was, unfortunately, unable to get any significant work done on the papers.
At the start of the winter semester after nearly two weeks of withdrawal, I made a promise to myself to never take my ADHD medication again and am very happy to say that I still haven't as of now. I had my blood work done and it came back to normal which was fantastic news. This semester, however, was the first time in seven years I haven't been on ADHD medication and I am realizing just how hard school is without it, but I have never been happier I tried to do some work on the papers throughout this semester but without being on my medication and working part-time I am barely passing the majority of my classes, and any free time from my classes I have to use for my job. I don't know if I should have just kept taking my medication and pushed a little longer but I know that the two IN will turn into fails soon and with my hardest exam season yet there is no way to finish them.
Once I finish this semester it is into the summer where I only get more busy. I have to do summer courses to make sure I graduate on time and am going full time with my job. I may even have to move out of the country where I will be training day and night to make sure I keep my job offer once I graduate. I have no idea if I will have the time this summer to be able to finish the papers and need to put 110% into my job.
If I am unsuccessful in getting an AG standing for the two classes I have no idea what I will do. The GPA I have dedicated the last four years to, putting my literal sweat and tears into will be destroyed beyond salvage. After my GPA drops I will still need to redo the courses delaying my graduation and having to explain to the company I am supposed to join full-time that I need to be given another semester before I can start praying they will still take me. I am sorry to ask and I hate that I ended up in this position but please consider my appeal for AG standing. Thank you for hearing me out and regardless of your decision truly appreciate your consideration.
Note:
Please know that the document attached called 20170776_2019-06-25_LINDEN_BEN is a long read and does not need to be fully read. It is documentation for my learning disabilities and shows my diagnosed ADHD.
The reason I have applied for an AG standing was due to a physical deterioration that I first began to notice near the end of October 2022. I have a condition called Hashimoto which is an autoimmune disorder that causes hypothyroidism. In the grand scheme of diseases, I am very lucky to have gotten something that is non-life threatening and is very treatable with daily medication. When the medication is working properly the disease is essentially non-existent. However, when the medication does not work properly the main symptoms include depression, anxiety, fatigue, and general mental fog. When you experience all these symptoms together often for weeks and sometimes months at a time it makes school nearly impossible. Most days simply getting out of bed can feel like an impossible task. Each day is a battle with depression, anxiety and constant fatigue. After a couple of weeks of noticing the symptoms associated with Hashimoto I knew something was very wrong and reached out to my doctor to get blood work done on November 9th, 2022. I have had Hashimoto since I was a kid and regularly get blood work as my medication needs to be adjusted. The blood work tells you your TSH (an indicator of hypothyroidism), anything above 5 units means that your thyroid is underperforming. In the past when I have felt terrible my blood work is usually around 4-5 units over the threshold. This time it was 26 over, five times past the threshold (documentation will be attached for reference). I could no longer function. I could no longer make it to classes, I stopped socializing and quickly fell behind in all aspects of life. To try to alleviate the depression and anxiety I stopped taking my ADHD medication. I met with a doctor through Queens who gave me a prescription for a higher dosage of thyroid medication in mid-November but it would take several weeks to start working.
After three weeks since I noticed my deterioration I found myself in an academic position in which I knew it was too late to catch up with exams approaching. While the ceasing of my ADHD medication made me mentally healthier it only made it harder to meet deadlines and keep my head above water. The fatigue and mental fog were overpowering.
With the new dosage of my thyroid medication not being effective for several weeks, I had to do something to alleviate the academic pressure. I reached out to my QSAS advisor who recommended I contact my professor in ECON 231 and ECON 332 (same professor) for an extension on the course's term papers. My professor was very supportive and on November 16th, 2022 granted an extension on the papers. The extension greatly alleviated my academic situation but with my first exam less than a month away the stress started to overwhelm me. I, unfortunately, had to make the tough choice of putting my mental health second to my academics and doing whatever it took to ensure I pass my exams.
At the end of November, I started taking my ADHD medication at a significantly higher dose than I had been in the past to compensate for the symptoms of my thyroid condition. Taking the ADHD medication again mixed with my thyroid problems made my mental and physical health substantially worse but allowed me to at least study enough to pass my exams. While I may have done better on my exams under normal circumstances I passed and I am okay with that considering
Once exams were done while I was happy to be done I was sadly at an all-time low. The mix of the ADHD medication and my thyroid issues throughout the exam season rather than resting when I needed it was extraordinarily taxing. In the end, I had never been so depressed and anxious. Exams were over though and with my thyroid levels coming back to normal I once again had to stop my ADHD medication to help my mental health. With the winter break, I had some time to rest and most importantly of all I would have the time to finish the papers and be done with this nightmare
However, there was one thing I didn't account for. Suddenly stopping such a high dose of ADHD medication caused withdrawal symptoms. Each day I was feeling happier but the withdrawal caused immense fatigue and mental fog making it impossible to get any work done. After over a month of pushing during exams when it felt like my body was begging me to just recover I had to take a break to get better and let the withdrawal pass. I was, unfortunately, unable to get any significant work done on the papers.
At the start of the winter semester after nearly two weeks of withdrawal, I made a promise to myself to never take my ADHD medication again and am very happy to say that I still haven't as of now. I had my blood work done and it came back to normal which was fantastic news. This semester, however, was the first time in seven years I haven't been on ADHD medication and I am realizing just how hard school is without it, but I have never been happier I tried to do some work on the papers throughout this semester but without being on my medication and working part-time I am barely passing the majority of my classes, and any free time from my classes I have to use for my job. I don't know if I should have just kept taking my medication and pushed a little longer but I know that the two IN will turn into fails soon and with my hardest exam season yet there is no way to finish them.
Once I finish this semester it is into the summer where I only get more busy. I have to do summer courses to make sure I graduate on time and am going full time with my job. I may even have to move out of the country where I will be training day and night to make sure I keep my job offer once I graduate. I have no idea if I will have the time this summer to be able to finish the papers and need to put 110% into my job.
If I am unsuccessful in getting an AG standing for the two classes I have no idea what I will do. The GPA I have dedicated the last four years to, putting my literal sweat and tears into will be destroyed beyond salvage. After my GPA drops I will still need to redo the courses delaying my graduation and having to explain to the company I am supposed to join full-time that I need to be given another semester before I can start praying they will still take me. I am sorry to ask and I hate that I ended up in this position but please consider my appeal for AG standing. Thank you for hearing me out and regardless of your decision truly appreciate your consideration.
Note:
Please know that the document attached called 20170776_2019-06-25_LINDEN_BEN is a long read and does not need to be fully read. It is documentation for my learning disabilities and shows my diagnosed ADHD.