Petition Letter
To the Associate Dean (Studies),
Over the past school year, and especially in the Fall and early Winter term, I have had health concerns that have affected my performance in school and caused me to fail a course. I would like to appeal this failed course, SOCY 122 by proving how my health declined over the course of the school year with proof of my diagnoses of Grave¿¿s Disease.
Around the second week of classes in September I began to feel unwell. I chalked it up to exhaustion brought on after Orientation Week, the first week of classes and just adjusting to life at Queen¿¿s University in general, but as weeks went I began to feel worse and worse. I was absolutely exhausted all the time, I had tremors in my hands and all over my body, I couldn¿¿t sleep, my heart would race to the point where I could hardly breathe, I lost weight rapidly, had a significant increase in bodily functions, would sweat through my clothes and I developed moderate anxiety and depression.
By the time midterms came around these symptoms were some days so bad that I could hardly move from my bed. In my lectures and tutorials, it was exceptionally hard to focus on anything that was being taught. It was like there was a fog around everything I was seeing and trying to learn, nothing would sink in. It also impeded my caliber of work on my written assignments. As exams approached, I realized that I was not where I wanted to be standing, grade wise, in most of my classes. I made the choice to focus what little energy I had on the courses that would lead me to my desired faculties. I had to make the choice to either do poorly in all my classes or to sacrifice one for the sake of the others.
After finishing the Fall term exams, I was able to go through a battery of tests and was given a preliminary diagnoses on January 4th by Dr. Ofori of internal medicine. It was found that I have Grave¿¿s Disease, a disease that causes the thyroid gland to over produce thyroid hormone, dangerously increasing the speed of my metabolism and the rest of my bodies¿¿ processes, also known as an intense form of hyperthyroidism. I was then referred to an endocrinologist in Kingston that specialises in thyroid diseases, Dr. Robyn Houlden. I had my first consultation with her on January 14th, where I received my official diagnoses, and began another series of tests, one of which being a radioactive iodine scan, on January 20th and 21st. Dr. Houlden considered me to be extremely symptomatic.
Since then I have been on a prescription of Tapazole (Methimazole), that is supposed to slow the production of thyroid hormone in my body and eventually stop the over-production altogether. Taking Tapazole can lead to kidney and liver damage, so it is required that I get bloodwork done every four weeks to monitor my levels. I have also had other health issues crop up, including a bout of kidney stones and recurring bladder infections most likely connected to my hyperthyroidism.
I am still symptomatic, but the peak of my illness was through the Fall term and because the decline of my health has been an ongoing battle and I could not officially declare that I had Grave¿¿s disease until after first semester and all drop dates had passed, I was left at a standstill with appealing for my failed class, SOCY 122, until now. My Grave¿¿s Disease has had an adverse effect on all my course grades. I am now taking two courses over the summer to make up for my failure and to hopefully increase my GPA to the required level.
Please consider my appeal and proof of ailment.
Sincerely,
Alexandra Parry, Student I.D.: 10194843
Over the past school year, and especially in the Fall and early Winter term, I have had health concerns that have affected my performance in school and caused me to fail a course. I would like to appeal this failed course, SOCY 122 by proving how my health declined over the course of the school year with proof of my diagnoses of Grave¿¿s Disease.
Around the second week of classes in September I began to feel unwell. I chalked it up to exhaustion brought on after Orientation Week, the first week of classes and just adjusting to life at Queen¿¿s University in general, but as weeks went I began to feel worse and worse. I was absolutely exhausted all the time, I had tremors in my hands and all over my body, I couldn¿¿t sleep, my heart would race to the point where I could hardly breathe, I lost weight rapidly, had a significant increase in bodily functions, would sweat through my clothes and I developed moderate anxiety and depression.
By the time midterms came around these symptoms were some days so bad that I could hardly move from my bed. In my lectures and tutorials, it was exceptionally hard to focus on anything that was being taught. It was like there was a fog around everything I was seeing and trying to learn, nothing would sink in. It also impeded my caliber of work on my written assignments. As exams approached, I realized that I was not where I wanted to be standing, grade wise, in most of my classes. I made the choice to focus what little energy I had on the courses that would lead me to my desired faculties. I had to make the choice to either do poorly in all my classes or to sacrifice one for the sake of the others.
After finishing the Fall term exams, I was able to go through a battery of tests and was given a preliminary diagnoses on January 4th by Dr. Ofori of internal medicine. It was found that I have Grave¿¿s Disease, a disease that causes the thyroid gland to over produce thyroid hormone, dangerously increasing the speed of my metabolism and the rest of my bodies¿¿ processes, also known as an intense form of hyperthyroidism. I was then referred to an endocrinologist in Kingston that specialises in thyroid diseases, Dr. Robyn Houlden. I had my first consultation with her on January 14th, where I received my official diagnoses, and began another series of tests, one of which being a radioactive iodine scan, on January 20th and 21st. Dr. Houlden considered me to be extremely symptomatic.
Since then I have been on a prescription of Tapazole (Methimazole), that is supposed to slow the production of thyroid hormone in my body and eventually stop the over-production altogether. Taking Tapazole can lead to kidney and liver damage, so it is required that I get bloodwork done every four weeks to monitor my levels. I have also had other health issues crop up, including a bout of kidney stones and recurring bladder infections most likely connected to my hyperthyroidism.
I am still symptomatic, but the peak of my illness was through the Fall term and because the decline of my health has been an ongoing battle and I could not officially declare that I had Grave¿¿s disease until after first semester and all drop dates had passed, I was left at a standstill with appealing for my failed class, SOCY 122, until now. My Grave¿¿s Disease has had an adverse effect on all my course grades. I am now taking two courses over the summer to make up for my failure and to hopefully increase my GPA to the required level.
Please consider my appeal and proof of ailment.
Sincerely,
Alexandra Parry, Student I.D.: 10194843