# Can IBS and teaching go together?



## 14996 (Mar 25, 2006)

I just discovered this site and am relieved (no pun intended) to find others who know what I'm experiencing. At any rate I'd like to know if anyone here is trying to cope with IBS-D and be a full time classroom teacher. I was a teacher long ago before IBS and have considered returning but am faced with the obvious dilema: what do I do when I need to spend 10,20 or 30 minutes doing what my bowels demand? Has anyone here faced this and dealt with it, either successfully or unsuccessfully?


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## 19856 (Jul 12, 2005)

Welcome RULDS2.I am not sure if IBS and teaching go together!


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## 14416 (Jun 21, 2005)

I haven't been faced with that dilemma; I wanted to reply, anyways. Working full time with IBS is tough in ANY profession! Picture being a firefighter or police officer and being in the middle of a persuit of some armed robber...IBS acting up (like it always does in the wrong times), and not being able to stop because this guy is "armed and dangerous"! I know people with IBS issues that do things I think are just plain remarkable and unbelievable. Teachers are just extraordinary (in most cases







) to begin with, but a teacher with IBS... whoa! My hats off to you, that's amazing!All I can say is don't let IBS control something you want to do! If you want to teach, teach. I know, I know...so much easier said than done! I'm actually trying to get myself thinking the same thing, except I'm trying to get back in college. Long story short--I moved back home my sophomore year of college, started taking all of my classes online, and haven't been doing too much of anything at all lately. After this semester, none of my classes will be available online. This is where the problem starts. How can I go back to school and sit through 5 classes that run 1 hour and 15 minutes-1 hour and 45 minutes when I haven't even been able to leave the house? How can I drive to class when I haven't even been able to drive to the Walmart that's 30 seconds, yeah.. literally 30 seconds from my house? Basically, I won't ramble on about that, I just wanted to let you know we're all faced with similar issues at one point or another. I've realized it's not going to work to let IBS control my life... either I go to school (tough it out), get my Bachelor's degree in accounting.. or I continue to live as a recluse in my house. It's going to be tough for me, as I'm sure it's going to be equally tough for you to make the decision.I HOPE you make the decision that is BEST for you.If teaching isn't best for you anymore, you definitely don't have to teach! If your heart is set on teaching, and it's all you'd love to do... by all means, do ANYTHING you can to get back in their and mold those young minds!On a side note--I don't know if you teach elementary or highschool, but all I can say is that from what I remember of highschool and elementary...is I sure wouldn't have minded if my teacher needed to step out of the room for 10-30 minutes!


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## 21399 (Jun 16, 2005)

Hi! I was a middle school/high school special ed. teacher for 7 years. The first three, I was like a co-teacher in a regular class so it was OK when I had to leave for the most part. The last four years I had my own class and kids were in and out throughout the whole day. At that time, the IBS was pretty mild and I was very careful about what I ate. So, I was pretty much OK, except on "stress" days like the first couple days of school, days when I knew I was going to be observed, when I had rough parent meetings, etc. My kids knew there were times when I had to leave the room - I was lucky enough that I never had to be out more than 10 min.- and I made sure they knew the emergency procedures in case of fire, etc. And, yes, once when I was out of the room the fire alarm went off - talk about a panic! I teach at the university level now and my class is just 3 hours once a week. That's been pretty tolerable so far. I guess it just depends on what kind of teacher, what level you want to teach at, and how severe your IBS is in terms of if you could teach with your IBS. Whatever you decide to do, good luck and I hope everything works out well for you.


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## 17176 (Mar 31, 2005)

Hello and welcome RULDS


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## 16268 (Jul 5, 2005)

I'm not a teacher, but I am very good friends with a band director at our local high school who also has IBS-D. We talk alot about our symptoms and things, it's nice to have a person to relate to in reality. (Not that this place isn't a godsend). Anyway, he doses up on immodium and tries to have as stress free a day as possible. He is lucky though, he has an assistant so he can leave the class whenever he needs to go if an attack hits. He says he can learn to hold the D in if he has to, and I got him to carry an extra backpack with wetwipes and a change of pants and underwear. He told the school administration about his problem, and they worked with him. I also told my boss about it, because I work in live tv. For 1 1/2 hours I cannot leave my computers. Well, sometimes I just have to go and I have to holler for the producer to come and cover for me while I run to the bathroom. It's embarrassing, but I gotta work, and when you go, you gotta go. I was suprised by how much sympathy I got at work. You never know, don't let IBS hold you back, and research ways to control it. Linda's calcium advice is really good, and there is always the immodium standby. That doesn't mean you won't have a bad day or two, but you can live a somewhat normal life. Lord I ramble. Anyway, my point is, you have options at work, and don't let IBS hold you back from what you really want to do. Best wishes!Jon


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## 21912 (Apr 5, 2006)

This is a very good question because this is what I am investing college in right now. I think that I either need an assistant to teach or be in an alternative setting. My passion is to reach the youth and fight through as "dashboard 47" was saying, but there has been so much dissapointment previously. I live dangerously though as I am sure we all do at times where we do not follow a diet "we should" or stay home when "we should". I just have a hard time believing in this all as perminancy and refuse to feed the fire. I feel like I have been given many solutions for the symptoms, not the problem and I am still after this. So anyway, teaching and IBS good question, does just believing in change create change? That's been answered before... I have hope and guess that I will have to choose a school where I can be accomidated. Too bad so many cuts in education have left teachers without assistants in classrooms. Not to get political-but my $'s going into education and administration change, so myself and others alike can pursue their dreams. My big dream-to road trip with others alike or I'd take a date with someone that relates.Thanks,=)


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## 18065 (Apr 6, 2006)

Hi, I have been reading this site for sometime, but needed to sign up once I read this post. I am a fulltime 1st grade teacher with IBS-D. There are days that are extremely difficult! We have only 2 adult private bathrookms in our school, but they are not always accessible so I really start to panic - which of course makes things worse! I have a very understanding teaching partner so I can leave to run over to the attached church and use the bathroom over there. Imodium really helps me as well as Hyoscyamine when I have an attack. If I can just ride it out it eventually gets better.I love teaching - it is what I feel I was born to do - but boy are there days when I wish I worked out of my home or even had a desk job that I could leave anytime I needed to!I am anxious to be a part of this board!


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