Health Impediments

[katherineH]

Hello!

 

I was wondering if anyone knows what health impediments might prevent someone from entering a religious community.  I realize that MS, cancer, cystic fibrosis kind of illnesses would be clear barriers to a vocation.  But what about chronic conditions like PCOS, high blood pressure, etc.? 

 

Thanks for your help :)

 

Katherine

[hoosieranna]

It's generally best to contact specific communities.  Some medical communities might be able to handle conditions better than other communities.  You're likely to get a variety of good answers here because people have very different experiences.

[nikita92]

What about medications that have to be taken daily! For high cholesterol etc

[Lilllabettt]

Time for everyones favorite answer -- "it depends!"

 

There are communities with the specific charism of allowing people with weaker constitutions to live consecrated life. I know of someone with MS who entered in a wheel chair. On the other hand, Mother Teresa's Sisters have very stringent requirements because part of their charism is to give the "best of the best" to the poor - to include the most physically capable servants. And then you have the majority of communities that fall in between.

 

So it depends. But just from my experience of discerning religious life with a chronic illness - the high blood pressure will not be a problem for most communities. PCOS it would depend more on how it presents. My understanding is that in some cases it is asymptomatic and in others quite debilitating. 

[katherineH]

Thanks for the replies everyone - in my case, I have a chronic neurological disorder that hardly affects my daily life, but I have to take blood pressure medicine and anti-seizure medication to alleviate the symptoms (even though I don't have high blood pressure or seizures).  I guess I was wondering if maybe communities would see this as too much of an expense insurance-wise and not accept someone because of it.  

[marigold]

Welcome, Katherine! I agree with the other posters - don't hesitate to look into community life (unless there are other life issues of course) and ask the communities personally when you get to know them.

[TheresaThoma]

Thanks for the replies everyone - in my case, I have a chronic neurological disorder that hardly affects my daily life, but I have to take blood pressure medicine and anti-seizure medication to alleviate the symptoms (even though I don't have high blood pressure or seizures).  I guess I was wondering if maybe communities would see this as too much of an expense insurance-wise and not accept someone because of it.  

 

I'm also on daily meds and the responses I have gotten from communities has varied. Some communities have told me that being on medication is an impediment whereas others are completely ok with it.

What can be helpful is to have all your facts together. This can be very helpful for the community when they make a decision. I was able to tell them what medication I was on, how often I had to take it, how much it cost, and what I needed to get a refill. This obviously wasn't part of my first contact with the community but something I asked after exchanging a couple of emails. 

Something else that has helped me personally is to take a generic over a name brand. That reduces costs significantly which is helpful even in just everyday life!

[brandelynmarie]

:welcome: I know of one community where you are expected to leave all prescription meds behind when you enter & I'm not certain I agree with that approach.

However, the Visitation nuns & the Benedictines of Jesus Crucified are very accommodating. :nunpray: :nun:

Like the others above, I'd say it depends ;). I think a well managed long-term condition would be looked upon more kindly than not. :)

[Cherie]

:welcome: I know of one community where you are expected to leave all prescription meds behind when you enter & I'm not certain I agree with that approach.

Are you sure that is an accurate description? Because that is a definite red flag. It's a community's prerogative not to *accept* candidates that may already be on prescription medication for whatever reason, but to accept someone, then force them to come off ANY medication they are on, is extremely imprudent, to put it mildly. I can think of numerous medical conditions that likely would not considered an impediment to religious life but that require management with prescription medication.

[OnlySunshine]

Are you sure that is an accurate description? Because that is a definite red flag. It's a community's prerogative not to *accept* candidates that may already be on prescription medication for whatever reason, but to accept someone, then force them to come off ANY medication they are on, is extremely imprudent, to put it mildly. I can think of numerous medical conditions that likely would not considered an impediment to religious life but that require management with prescription medication.

 

I agree with this.  I know of several orders that require you to be off certain types of medication (antidepressants) for at least a year before applying but I've never heard of an order force you to come off any medication.  If they aren't treating you, they don't have a say in discontinuing medication.

[brandelynmarie]

Are you sure that is an accurate description? Because that is a definite red flag. It's a community's prerogative not to *accept* candidates that may already be on prescription medication for whatever reason, but to accept someone, then force them to come off ANY medication they are on, is extremely imprudent, to put it mildly. I can think of numerous medical conditions that likely would not considered an impediment to religious life but that require management with prescription medication.

I agree with this. I know of several orders that require you to be off certain types of medication (antidepressants) for at least a year before applying but I've never heard of an order force you to come off any medication. If they aren't treating you, they don't have a say in discontinuing medication.

I have heard this about this community from a couple different sources. It may be their way to weed out anyone who has a chronic condition as opposed to a minor one, like say one is on a low dose hypertension med & the solution would be change your diet, exercise more & get off of it...I don't believe they are forcing anyone to go off life-giving meds for a chronic condition in order to enter....
But that really limits who can enter, doesn't it? And when I think of all the holy men & women religious who struggled with illness, it gives me pause....& yes, I agree it would be a red flag for me. Edited September 25, 2014 by brandelynmarie

[BarbTherese]

I agree with this.  I know of several orders that require you to be off certain types of medication (antidepressants) for at least a year before applying but I've never heard of an order force you to come off any medication.  If they aren't treating you, they don't have a say in discontinuing medication.

 

It was a condition of my entry into a stable well known monastic order in my forties that I cease all medication.  The prioress felt that if I did have a vocation, I would be able to successfully effect this.  Undoubtedly, since psychiatric medication is so strong, I went into withdrawals and rather severely, although this was not the reason that I left, rather I left because of attitudes prevailing overall in the community.  But daily life quite suddenly off all medication together with culture shock going from the secular world to monastic life (and still very much pre V2 in my community) did cause me quite a few problems including a lack of sleep and complete loss of appetite.

I had had no problems with my mental health on the medication prior to entry and for quite a long time.  By the time I arrived back in Bethany in Sth Aust having left the community, I was not in good mental shape at all until I took up the medication once more and until it took hold once again and some weeks ahead.  For a week or two I dithered on the edge of an episode until finally I succumbed to it. 

A better move would have been to ask me to come off the medication and be off it for 6 - 12 months before entering.  That way I could have very slowly reduced it with my psychiatrist's assistance.  She did predict that I would have an episode coming off medication so abruptly, and she was right.   And if I had used my own common sense, I would have requested time to slowly reduce the medication and then stabilize, in hope, completely off it for a period.  But psychiatry is still unsure whether it is the medication keeping me well and episode free, or whether I could come off it completely as some with Bipolar have done.  I prefer nowadays not to take the risk and gamble at almost 69years of age and really treasuring with great Joy and Peace stable mental health after over 20 years in what seemed to be a wide awake nightmare that totally disrupted my daily life....and with frequent hospital admissions during the year - up to 6 or 8 admissions yearly, perhaps more.