# A warning to mothers/fathers of children with IBS



## AmericanPatriot (Dec 6, 2009)

I strongly, *strongly* encourage parents of children with IBS to make sure that you talk to every one of their teachers to make sure they are aware of their condition and that refusing to let them use the restroom will *not* be tolerated.I remember having an "accident" in 6th grade, and I remember the helplessness it caused and the irreversible mental damage it inflicted upon me and continues to inflict on me to this very day (18 now and getting ready to attend surgical technologist school).From my own point of view: do not get angry at your children if they don't want to go to school on a certain day because of the problem. It will make them feel angry with you and will make them feel like you do not care about them and will cause them horrible anxiety, social, and mental problems.How do I know this? Because I have went through the situation myself, and every time my parents got upset with me for wanting to stay home, I started to resent them because they didn't understand what I was going through (they never forced me to go when I didn't want to though, which I am thankful for).When teachers told me I couldn't use the restroom, going to school every day made me extremely anxious and caused many social problems. I was so scared that if I made friends, they would stop being so if they found out I had an episode of IBS in public. As a result, I became extremely introverted and cold, as a defense mechanism.If any of you are more interested in my story and what I recommend, you can feel free to contact me through any of the means available on my profile page.


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## meboubou (Dec 14, 2009)

Good point American Patriot. My parents don't seem to understand and I'm 23... and it does irritate me when they mention my attendance to school... If it was my fault, I'd take the blame but I hate nothing more than actually missing school and then getting my whole classes attention when my teacher asks : ''Why were you not in AGAIN''... (University in China can be a big pain in the ...) So parents out there, especially those who are here to understand (And to all the children who need their parents to understand, send them on this forum) be patient. IBS is not something that can be controlled. Adults and Children alike stuggle everyday with IBS, the last thing they need is their parents to judge them on something like this...


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## LookToTheWesternSky (Apr 11, 2010)

The worst thing for me was when no one knew, even my parents. Granted, it wasnt as bad back then, but I was still dealing with really bad anxiety because during the year 11 exams I just couldn't consentrate on the work- my number one focus was getting out of that exam room- particularly on one exam where I had already gone to the toilet and 30 mins later I had to go again- and still had like an hour and a half left. Worst feeling ever. I ended up leaving early.Speaking out was the best thing I did


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## Ginge...:) (May 7, 2010)

I'm 17 and on anti-depressance, a major reason for this is IBS. I find my attendence at college is an absolute nightmare and although my tutor knows about my issue, its still difficult to make her understand how hard to problem can be to handle as i think knowone understands it unless they have it themselves My mum suffers from IBS too, which can be good as it means she sometimes understands my frustrations about attending college when im having a bad day. However, leading up to me going onto anti-depressance we argued a LOTTTT about my attendance and it did make me feel more angry that she knew how i felt, but she has learned to manage her IBS...while i'm still learning and struggling with it. I feel like she has taken a step back now, and if i cannot cope and am having a bad day, she will allow me to make my own decision about attending, which has actually made me feel like i want to attend more often, since htings aren't a battle anymore. I agree that Speaking out was the best thing i did







Although, if i had not found out about my mum suffering IBS, it would still be a secret as i battled for two years on my own before confronting my mam


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