# skipping uni



## brit_girl (Nov 21, 2003)

I've just started a fantastic MA course but my IBS ©is really weighing me down. I'm starting to get known as a skiver cos I miss lectures (my symptoms always flare up when I'm sitting in silence with other people)and I don't have the confidence to tell people about the IBS.My symptoms get really bad around my period- I get really anxious and paranoid for about 5 days. Does anyone else have this problem? Any suggestions? I'm currently only taking slippery elm and it doesn't seem to do much.


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## Kestrel (Dec 19, 2002)

Hey. Try taking some Peppermint Tea with you to the lecture. I do that when I'm having a bad day. I also super dose w/ Immodium for important days that I absolutely can't miss, namely my genetics courses since that's my major. I used to get really bad around my period but I'm now on Depo-Provera birth control shot...well for about 2 yrs now and its FABULOUS! I don't get my period which means, no PMS, no cramps and no increase in IBS since my hormones are at a constant level. Also I get out of spending piles of hard earned money on feminine hygiene products







Hope this helps a bit, although I'm not sure what's availble in the UK...Hugz,Kestrel


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## sillyface (Oct 12, 2003)

i agree with the peppermint tea. i have IBS C as well. at the beginning of this school year i was in the hospital for 3 days. so all my profs know i'm sick, so if i'm not there, they assume that's the reason. i bring low fat snacks with me to school and drink lots of tea and water. things did get better and i found it easier to get through a day. of course there was still the odd day that would get relly bad, and sometimes i just had to go find a place to rest.hope you are feeling better soon!karen


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## jrs (Jun 18, 2001)

I have personal experience dealing with this, and if there's one thing that I would suggest, it's that it's *very, very important to talk to your profs about why you're missing class* . I went through exactly the same thing during the latter half of my undergraduate degree, and the missed classes caused me to flunk out of several courses -- thus being unable to attend graduate school like I had originally planned. Not talking to them will only make them think that you're a slacker instead of understanding that you just have issues from time to time. Most of them should understand and will try to make allowances where necessary. Since this is caused by the anxiety of a quiet room though, I would suggest that a longer term treatment would be to learn stress reduction techniques -- there are a pile of them available and I'd experiment with them to see what works for you. Unfortunately these often require some dedication, and you won't necessarily see results right away, but in the long term it's probably the most effective way (assuming you've got the whole diet thing under control) to allievate your problem.Don't forget -- talk to your profs about this if you haven't already!


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## big bad dad (Jan 20, 2003)

I'm a college professor who also suffers from IBS. Please talk with your professors and let them know what's going on. I'm always a lot more understanding when students let me know what's going on up front, and I can't imagine any professor's not being sympathetic. These days when accomodations are made for any number of disabilities, accomodating someone with IBS cetainly isn't unreasonable.


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## brit_girl (Nov 21, 2003)

Hi Thanks for are your advise. I'll think about talking to my profs and definately try the tea. To be honest it's more the students that notice when I don't show and I end up making excuses to my friends instead of being upfront...hmm...gonna start dealing with this one...will let you know how it goes.


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## jrs (Jun 18, 2001)

That's great -- it's harder with the students because younger people have more trouble accepting disabilities, but it's not impossible to have a relatively normal social life. You just need to come up with a way to tell people why you have problems without going into all the nitty-gritty details, and then as you get to know them let them in on a little more if they ask. Good luck!


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