# Worried about move from high school to university with IBS!



## emma707 (Jan 18, 2012)

I'm 17 right now and will be (hopefully!) going to University next year. I'm worried about how I'll be able to manage my IBS. My high school was brilliant when I told them I had IBS and they put a few things in place to make life a little bit easier for me, such as a private exam room with bathroom facilities nearby and in class I don't have to ask to go out to the bathroom - I just leave the classroom and go when I need to. I get major anxiety and flare-ups when I'm in a big room (such as an exam hall) with lots of people which makes IBS almost uncontrollable. Also, all my teachers know about my condition and are very discreet about it, especially when I unexpectedly have to leave class, sometimes more than once, in the middle of a lesson. I was wondering if anybody knows how a university would deal with my case of IBS? Moving to university is a worrying time for anybody but I'm even more worried incase my condition gets worse because the freedoms I now have in high school are taken away :S


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## Cassie90 (Oct 4, 2011)

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## PrettySickly (Jul 14, 2011)

Emma, You're actually going to prefer college to high school as far as IBS is concerned. At least that was my experience. In college, you can choose to sit near the door and no one looks at you or even notices when you come and go. If you can't go to class one day, no one cares! My time in college was so much easier than it was in high school or it is now. Enjoy it. Message me if you want any tips. I ended up graduating 2nd in my class of 5,000 even though I ran to the bathroom daily with diarrhea. Good luck.


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## Jake123 (Jul 5, 2012)

I agree with PrettySickly. College, in my opinion, is much better because of the ability to "work around" your IBS. I'm in college now and I tend to sit near the back or near the door in case I need to leave. No one has ever cared about me doing so, if anything they just think I must be planning on leaving early for that class. I feel that college is less stressful in this sense because of the more flexibility it offers. You can now choose and set your schedule, which I think is a great plus. For example, I typically choose my classes to be in the early afternoon since this time is when I am usually less likely to have any flare ups. One thing I would strongly recommend is to try and keep your typical eating habits the same, or as close to as it is when you are at home. I learned that, when in college, there can be times you can become accustomed to "eating like a college student". For me, this became a problem. But now that I know to watch what I eat, everything's fine.I think you'll really like college. Yes, the whole moving away and living on your own is a new and different step, but college is an amazing time that I'm sure you'll never forget. As far as letting your university know, I'd strongly recommend it. I didn't my first year and my grades were impacted because of it. I have the most issues when taking exams, and I tend to rush through them hoping to not have any issues. But for this term I contacted my school's student dissability services and they only needed a doctor's note and they will let me be able to take my exams in a separate testing room to help me. I just need to have a meeting with them to further discuss my paperwork and they will approve it. But just like Cassie90 brought up, it would probably be better to get a note from a GI Doctor than a family doctor, but you could always include a note from both.I wish you the best of luck and hope that everything works out for you!


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## Arcade (Jun 29, 2012)

Just wanted to say this was really helpful advice for someone in a similar situation! Countless times in my sixth form days I would have all sorts of movements and churnings in my stomach and felt as if I couldn't leave. It was absolutely horrible. So it's nice to know at University that you can slip in and out fairly unnoticed







.


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## Kcb8 (Sep 4, 2012)

I completely agree with the posters above. I just graduated after 4 years of university, and I developed IBS-D in the summer between my 2nd and 3rd year. To anyone about to go to uni with IBS, please don't stress about it because it is absolutely manageable, and I'd imagine much easier than coping with it at school. You will absolutely have a great time at uni even with IBS, it just takes a little more planning than it does for most people! I'm not really saying anything that hasn't been said already here, I just want to back up what's been said above, because I know it's a worrying time for anybody without the added stress of IBS, but you'll be fine! What you have to realise is that you can pretty much come and go as you please at uni, especially in your first year or two. You can choose classes that are in the afternoon (if morning is when you feel worst, like me). You don't have to turn up to lectures if you're feeling particularly bad that day - people skip lectures all the time for much less! And if you're in a lecture and you start feeling bad, you can slip out - again, people do it all the time, and those lecture theatres are so big nobody will notice. Sit at the back and at the end of the row if you're worried, and it's the easiest thing in the world. Don't worry too much about missing things in class as lectures almost always go up online these days afterwards. In terms of smaller tutorials, say with 5 or 6 of you in a class, it can be a little trickier. In my 4th year I had a three hour class every week at 9am in my tutor's study, with just 4 other students. But I survived! You'll always get a 5-10 minute break in the middle of classes that are longer than an hour, and most uni buildings will have more than one set of toilets so you can sneak off to one of those to avoid the dreaded cubicle situation. I do want to echo what's been said above though, about making the right people aware of your IBS as soon as possible - everything that Cassie90 said is so important. I didn't ever tell my university, because I only developed the problem halfway through, and it took a year of tests after that to even get a diagnosis. I absolutely think things would have been much easier if I'd told them. For example, if I'd told the tutor I had the 3 hour class with about it straight away, my life would have been much easier - I don't think he would have minded in the slightest! Similarly it would have helped a lot to have the special circumstances mentioned above in my 3 hour exams. I got a bad flare-up in one of my final exams but didn't tell anyone, and that one exam lost me my First (by 0.3%!). So I can't stress enough that, as much as you can handle it on your own (and I managed for two years), it really is best to tell your university and tutors. They won't bite, and it'll ease your mind so much! I'm sure they hear it all the time.Tell your new friends as soon as possible as well - get that over with, and then just try to make it something to laugh about with them. Don't try to hide it as it'll just stress you out. One thing I've gradually learned is that people are so understanding. Try to get accommodation with an en suite bathroom, but if you can't, you'll be alright. Just let the people you share with know as soon as possible, and nobody will mind. In terms of drinking, obviously that makes IBS worse. I dealt with it by just taking it easy for most of the week, and then having a big night out on a Friday when I knew it didn't matter if I spent all of Saturday in the bathroom! Just plan your nights out, and don't ever feel pressured to drink if you don't want to. Also, do your best to avoid the typical student foods. You'll have the odd drunken pizza and chips, but when you're up to it, try to learn some simple fresh meals to cook for yourself. My biggest tip is, if you're in self-catered accommodation, take one day a week to make a big batch of something healthy (vegetable soup, stew etc) and freeze it, so you'll have it ready when you're busy/hungover. Also, invest in a Kenwood Mini Chopper - makes cooking so much quicker and easier! Finally, if you're having a really rough time, talk to someone. Uni's have plenty of counselling and student support services, and there's no shame in using them. Obviously the first few weeks, when you're homesick and nervous and maybe drinking a lot, will be hard on your stomach, but don't give up, and don't think it'll always be like that. You'll figure out a routine that works for you, and there are always people there to help. Don't keep it bottled up - I wish I hadn't! Hope this helps, and most of all, have fun. Now that I've left, I really do realise that it's one of the best times of your life! (P.s, sorry for the long essay!)


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