# My school won't work with me!!



## hobocob86 (Jan 16, 2004)

I've never been on here yet but things seem to be pretty cool. I'm 17 and I've had IBS for ...somewhere around 6 months. I'm constantly relying on acid reducer and a/d medicines,my doctor has prescribed medicine but nothing has helped so far, and most has just made things worse. I've tried to attend school, however each time my attempts fail. I've discussed my situation with all of my teachers and administrators,but they refuse to help. We tried homeschooling with a teacher from my school for awhile but the school won't allow me to continue with home schooling. Many of my teachers have accused me of faking, which shows their ignorance.I've tried to convince my parents to allow me to drop out, but it didnt go over to well. I attended school a total of about 12 days last semester and 3 days this semester, I'm going to fail....no doubt. What have you done about schooling?


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## Rima (Nov 3, 2003)

Welcome to the group! im sorry youve had a bad response from your school. I would think that they would send you make up work and such. They cant refuse to help you if you have a doctors note. Also, have you ever checked out online schools? I have some friends who go to highschool online....they can sit at home and take classes etc. maybe you can ask your school if they know anything about that.


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## JackieGian (Mar 23, 2002)

You need to look into something called "504". It is a medical classification. Once you have a 504 classification, the school must accommodate your medical condition. It's kind of like being "classified" with a learning disability.Here is a link to the government site: http://www.section508.gov/index.cfm?FuseAction=Content&ID=15 Here is a link to a brochure you can print out to show your teachers, etc. It was written by a member here explaining IBS to others: http://www.ibsgroup.org/main/aboutibs.html What about your parents? Are they supportive of you? My 16 yr old son has had IBS for 2 years, I would NEVER, NEVER, NEVER allow a teacher to accuse him of faking. Your parents need to be your advocate in this. We haven't had to go the 504 route because my son's school has been terrific.Whatever you do, DO NOT quit school. Do not let this ruin your life. The first six months of IBS seem to be the worse as it throws you and everyone around you for a loop. When my son was first diagnosed, he missed 18 days of school in the first two months.What are your symptoms? Are you worse in the morning? What meds are you taking?


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## Joshua22 (Jan 22, 2004)

Hey, I am in the same situation. I am 17 and attending high school (well trying to at least). I miss so much school and I am so behind on my work. My teachers are not very supportive except for a couple and the administrators sometimes either care less or are extremely helpful - depends on their mood. I am currently looking into going to a Charter school to get my high school credit so I could maybe have more flexible hours, and a lot more comfortable environment to deal with my stomach issues rather than at a high school. My mother is supportive but sometimes she tells me just to suck it up and she thinks I donï¿½t even try. If you need anyone to talk to or if you find a good alternative to getting through school let me know.


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## bujoldreader (Jan 25, 2004)

Here are a few websites to look at for the online schooling option; I took a class through Brigham Young in high school, and it was very good. The professor even asked me to send my picture and some information about myself, so she could get to know me. Here are the sites: http://ce.byu.edu/is/site/index.dhtm http://www.jmhs.com/ http://www.educationdirect.com/diploma/ http://www.detc.org/HighSchools.html Hopefully these will provide you with some better alternatives than dropping out of school completely.


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## hobocob86 (Jan 16, 2004)

Thanx for all the replies theyve been helpful. Im going to look into homeschooling, due to symptoms becoming wirse and extreme loss of weight, leaving me in bed. I dont get out at all I havent left the house in about a month and a half, my moms very supportive but my dad isn't behind me atall. If home schooling doesnt work out by the time i turn 18 Im quiting and moving out....its as simple as that.


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## JD20 (Jan 26, 2004)

Ramon, this sounds exactly like my story. My best advice would be to do what you have to do. If homeschooling don't work out and you don't feel you are capable of going to regular school, what about night schooling? That's what I did and its a more laid back environment with shorter class time. It was also a plus for me because my IBS was worse in the mornings. I would definitely look into it.


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## drdahlman (Nov 6, 2000)

Ramon, You have no need to suffer, there is a solution. I have had many patients your age and younger who had trouble attending school because of their symptoms. The therapy that I use in my clinic will completely eliminate your symptoms. I describe the whole protocol in a 34 page article available at my website for free, www.drdahlman.com. You never have to buy anything from me, you can utilize the advice and find any products you think you might need from health food stores. If you want a guarantee that the program will work, you have to allow me to guide you through the program, but you probably don't need me.Please read the article and realize the effects that the antibiotics have had on your gut and the effect that certain foods have on your discomfort. Restore bacterial balance and eliminate the offending foods and you'll be a new person.You can email me from my website with any questions. I'll help you any way I can.


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## Kaylis9d9 (Mar 15, 2004)

When I was a junior in highschool, I went on home instruction using that 504 thing... It was fine until I went stir crazy and January of my Senior year I went back to school for half days... I also had it where the teachers were given notices to allow as many bathroom visits as necessary. Tell your mother to do research on the subject, and since this condition doesn't often go away, she will get used to it.


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## daisysp (Jan 13, 2004)

I see Dr D hasn't written on this site for a long time, yet I hope you all look into his program. I am an 8 yr suffere myself yet both my boys ended up with IBS. My oldest is now 17 and ready to leave for the Army; he's over his IBS yet has to eat perfectly to keep the symptoms at bay. No wheat (flour products), no dairy, no pop, no junkfood, no sugars. He eats protiens, good carbs and vegetables with a couple of fruits. He had constipation IBS and finally now has lost 50 lbs cause he gained so much from his C. My youngest now has IBS and we are putting him on the same program. This summer he'll go onto Dr D's program like I am. He needs access to a bathroom more often that at school. For years I told his teachers and the office they have Incomprisis so they need to be allowed to use the bathroom whenever. I was adament about it and would not accept non-compliance. You guys need your parents to get on the school about it............you deserve to be there yet to be able to jump up if you need to. When I get a teacher not following protocol, I have a sit down with him or her and they see my point of view.Write to me if you have any questions. Follow the dietary guidelines I wrote above (I am a nurtitional consultant) and see how far you get with that.


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## Auroraheart (Aug 8, 2000)

There is a brochure on the main site by a former member here named Molly. It may help to print it out for your teachers, and your Dad.Here is the link Molly's Brochure And here is what it says:IBS explained for people who don't have IBS (Written by "Molly" a member of the IBS Self Help Group Bulletin Board.)1) WHAT ISNï¿½T IBSWhen my doctor informed me that I had IBS I thought all my problems were over. At last! There was an actual reason why I was experiencing all those miserable symptoms. Symptoms that ranged from inconveniencing to incapacitating. Symptoms that didnï¿½t follow any rules and could pop up at any time of day to throw a monkey wrench in a plan, or ruin a social event. Well, all those icky medical tests were worth it because the mystery was over. Let the curing begin!Then I asked my doctor what IBS was. He told me it stood for Irritable Bowel Syndrome. ï¿½How excitingï¿½, I said. ï¿½And what is that exactly?ï¿½He said, "IBS is a functional bowel disorder of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, characterized by abdominal pain and alterations in diarrhea and/or constipation."A diagnosis of IBS has been reported by 10 to 20% of adults and symptoms of IBS obvious thought, ï¿½If they canï¿½t figure out whatï¿½s are responsible for over 3 million yearly visits to physicians. Research suggests that IBS is one of the most common functional GI disorders.IBS exhibits a predominance in women, representing over 70% of IBS sufferers.Irritable Bowel Syndrome is the catch-all diagnosis that is given to people who are experiencing symptoms, usually chronic, with their gastro-intestinal system that are not being caused by a known GI condition or disease. A large percentage of people who suffer from IBS have found that they canï¿½t cure it, or make it go away. The best they can do is make changes, through trial and error, in their diets and lifestyle to tone down the symptoms as much as possible.Now, youï¿½re probably thinking, ï¿½Ooooh, I want to hear the details of those symptoms about a much as I want to hear my mother describe going into labor with me.ï¿½ Relax. We want to tell you the details of our symptoms about as much as we want to hear your mother describe going into labor with you. This brochure is not about IBS symptoms, itï¿½s about how living with these symptoms impacts a personï¿½s life. Besides, there isnï¿½t enough room in this brochure. Two people who have both been diagnosed with IBS could be experiencing symptoms that are exactly the opposite from each other. One of them might only be able to eat certain types of foods that, if the other person ate them, would trigger a severe IBS attack. One of the frustrations and dangers of having IBS is that whenever you get advice, thereï¿½s a real chance that it could be bad advice for you. IBS is not a true diagnosis, itï¿½s a catch-all term the medical community uses when theyï¿½ve ruled out everything else. And it really should stand for, ï¿½Iï¿½m Basically Stumpedï¿½.2) WHAT THIS BROCHURE ISOne thing that most IBS sufferers have in common is that itï¿½s hard to communicate to the people in their life about what itï¿½s like to live with IBS. There are several reasons for this. First of all, talking about problems with your GI system is socially taboo. I mean, yuck! Itï¿½s a topic youï¿½d associate with an infantile comedy routine, not with a conversation between two coworkers, or two people out on a first date. Secondly, like many chronic conditions, it changes how a person gets through their day. It makes simple daily routines, like going to the bathroom, or ordering food, complicated and difficult. And different. And when your day is different from everyoneï¿½s around you, it can be very isolating and hard to explain. Unfortunately, people with IBS often find that they have to explain over and over again. In restaurants, in the office, on trips, and at home. Because even though 20% of the population suffer from some form of GI difficulty, the other 80% have a mental block about believing that itï¿½s really real. Or that itï¿½s really as bad as people say; that thereï¿½s a genuine difference between having a ï¿½bad stomachï¿½ for a few days and having a chronic condition that effects your whole life.3) THE TOP 5 LIST This brochure was put together with feedback from an IBS Self Help Group website. A question was posted on the IBS Self Help Group Bulletin Board, ï¿½What are the top 5 things you wish people who didnï¿½t have IBS could understandï¿½The following list has more than 5 items, but many people listed similar things and agreed with what other people posted.Now, as you read this list please keep in mind, whoever gave you this brochure didnï¿½t do it to accuse you of everything on this list. They gave you this brochure to communicate with you the day to day issues of living with IBS. Itï¿½s an embarrassing condition to describe, and itï¿½s a difficult lifestyle to explain. This brochure is a way of helping you to help whoever gave you this brochure find ways to live as normal and uncomplicated lifestyle as possible. To not let IBS run their life, or ruin it.1) IBS IS A HIGH MAINTENANCE CONDITION. You canï¿½t simply take a pill and make it go away. And it takes a constant effort to keep it from getting worse. Things like questioning a waiter about the ingredients of of every dish or always checking to make sure there is a bathroom nearby may seem like an inconvenience. But theyï¿½re nothing compared to the inconvenience of triggering an IBS attack because you ate the wrong food, or not being able to get to a bathroom in time. 2) IBS IS NOT TEMPORARY. It's not something you get over in a few days or even weeks. You may never get over it.3) Iï¿½M NOT A PICKY EATER, I JUST DONï¿½T WANT TO GET SICK. Please don't push me to eat foods I have already said "no thanks" to. I know what my stomach can and can't handle. 4) WHEN Iï¿½M HAVING AN ATTACK, I NEED SPACE. Please give me my space when Iï¿½m in the bathroom. I appreciate your concern, but you can't help, and your hovering just compounds my embarrassment. 5) THE RULES ARE ALWAYS CHANGING. And so are the symptoms. Medicines, or herbs, or a special diet that was helping to keep a personï¿½s IBS symptoms toned down may suddenly stop working. New symptoms often appear out of nowhere. Foods that didnï¿½t bother a person with IBS for years could suddenly trigger a vicious attack. One of the reasons IBS is so difficult to explain is that it keeps changing.6) Iï¿½M NOT USING IBS AS AN EXCUSE NOT TO DO THINGS. Making plans to go out can be really scary when the symptoms (and the rules) can change at anytime. Please respect that there are times when I canï¿½t go out, even if I want to. And please don't look at me funny when I ask if the place we're going has a bathroom. Understand that this condition is completely unpredictable. If we go out together, be prepared for me to run off at any moment to find a bathroom.7) PEOPLE WITH IBS DONï¿½T TALK ABOUT IT TOO MUCH. There is nothing a person with IBS would love more than to only have to explain their health condition, and their health needs, once and only once. Unfortunately, most people donï¿½t get it the first time. Or they think itï¿½s just a temporary problem that will go away by next time. And so IBS sufferers find themselves having to bring up the subject the next time. And the next time. 8) PEOPLE WITH IBS ARE NOT OBSESSED WITH THEIR BOWELS. Have you ever heard of an asthma sufferer who was trying to explain their condition being called ï¿½respiratory obsessedï¿½? And youï¿½d never hear of someone describing their heart condition being called, ï¿½cardiovascularly obsessedï¿½. But because our GI systems are such a taboo subject, people who try to explain their GI problems are labeled, ï¿½Bowel obsessedï¿½. And sometimes by their own doctors! 9) IBS IS NOT CONTAGIOUS. I'm not going to make you sick. And if Iï¿½m in a relationship with you I still need you to hug me and love me.10) IBS IS NOT ï¿½ALL IN OUR HEADSï¿½. Itï¿½s true that stress can compound the symptoms. But the "all in my head" routine makes us feel like weï¿½re being called crazy. Believe us, weï¿½re not crazy, weï¿½re just not feeling well.11) THERE ARE MANY IBS SYMPTOMS. Some not even related to sitting on the toilet. And for many people with IBS, the symptoms are frequently changing. 12) DONï¿½T TAKE MY CONDITION PERSONALLY. Just because I don't want to go out doesn't mean I don't want to spend time with you. I can't always go places where there are no bathrooms, but maybe we could go someplace that does.13) I CANï¿½T ALWAYS HELP BEING LATE. If I'm late, its not because I didn't plan or didn't care, I just can't help it. If I'm not where I said I'd be when I was supposed to, I might be around the corner in the bathroom, but trying to get there.14) I CANï¿½T CONTROL HOW OFTEN I GET SICK. And if I wasnï¿½t putting in a constant effort to keep my symptoms toned down, I would be getting sick even more often. Please donï¿½t make me feel worse than I already do by accusing me of ï¿½Always being sickï¿½.15) SOMETIMES, THE ONLY THING THAT HELPS IS SPACE. If I don't feel like being with anybody, that means *anybody*, not just you.16) ITï¿½S NOT FUNNY WHEN YOU HAVE TO LIVE WITH IT EVERYDAY. You know, everyone should be able to laugh at themselves, but there is a limit. To quote someone from the IBS Self Help Group Bulletin Board: ï¿½ If I hear another "spastic colon" joke I may totally lose it!ï¿½ Sometimes the best way to show a little compassion, is to show a little tact.4) THANKS FOR YOUR UNDERSTANDINGThanks for taking the time to read this brochure and understand what itï¿½s like to live with Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Whether you are a family member, friend, or coworker of someone with IBS, your understanding is very important to them.When a person develops IBS, their body becomes a very difficult place to live in. By taking the time to understand IBS, you have helped to make their environment an easier place to live in.IBS Self Help Group (www.ibsgroup.org) ï¿½Copyright 2003 All rights reserved.This page may by copied ONLY with this copyright notice intact.Disclaimer ï¿½


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## SassyKittyKat (Mar 29, 2004)

Since the earliest I can remember I have been having stomach problems. Today I finally went to the doctor for it and he dianosed me with IBS. I don't have the full on IBS I just have the terrible trapped gas stomach ache. But anyway, I had so many problems with this at school. Anxiety attacks. I missed about 60 days out of the whole school year in 7th grade. I was in such deep sh*t with the school board for missing so many days. It was like hell. But no one understood my problem and my teachers didn't even know what an anxiety attack was. Everyone thought I faked it also.Since school wasn't working, My parents (their amazing!) let me do homeschool. I've been homeschooling for about 5 years now and I'm just now starting to get my life together. I commend every single IBS person who can still manage to go to school and work everyday. Your amazing. I don't understand how it's possible. Socially, It's not.


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## SassyKittyKat (Mar 29, 2004)

That was great, AuroraHeart, thanks for posting.


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## aprilshowers517 (Feb 28, 2004)

Hey! I know exactly how all you guys feel. I'm 17 and have had IBS since about the 1st or 2nd grade. When I hit high school it got really bad. I'm not going to graduate on time, but I'm taking classes at the local community college online. The program is called Running Start and the government pays for you to take classes. You just have to pay for your books. I know this is hard but just hang in there. I've missed so much school and it completely sucks. Just try your hardest to get an education. Don't take no for an answer.


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## WhoaNellie1487 (May 5, 2003)

Welcome to the board!Wish I could help you out with your schooling... I'm homeschooled,I have been for a while. It's helped me out a lot. My mother teaches me... Where do you live?


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## Gassylassy (May 28, 2004)

I completely understand you situation. I recenly graduated high school. I've had IBS since I was 7, and its no picnic. I missed almost everyday of grades 3 and 4. After a long struggle with eliminating foods, I have finnally been able to make it through an entire day of school. Its alot of work, but once I found out my trigger foods it made my life soooo much easier. I even get to go out occasionally. I had big problems with my treachers thinking I was faking it too. nothing makes you feel better than someone who doesn't believe in you.


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