# IBS during testing and class is unbearable?



## jvic0913 (Aug 17, 2012)

I'm new to this site and forums in general but I'm definitely not new to the symptoms of IBS. Does anyone else find that it's unbearable during class to focus when you have constant cramps, bloating, gas, and eventually headaches from all the anxiety? In high school, I eventually took the easy way out and went to alternative home-school type schooling in order to reduce the stress and help me to focus better.However, I'm going to be going to college soon and taking exams again. How am I supposed to perform well when I'm preoccupied with my IBS troubles? From past experiences, the silence in a testing environment heightens my IBS symptoms. Because of this, I almost go into a panic attack mode every time. I hate that it's completely silent in the room and my stomach is SO LOUD and in pain/ turmoil. Going to the bathroom doesn't really help either since I have IBS-C anyway.I just want to avoid all of this. Also, I'd like to add that this has nothing to do with not being prepared for the test (what my parents seem to think) Even when I KNOW answers to questions, sometimes I can't concentrate because of my IBS. All I can think about is that I NEED to get out of the room.What do I have to eat the week or day before in order to avoid all these symptoms? If you guys can relate, can you please share with me some of your tips to combat IBS during testing? I've considered going vegan. Do you think this will help? I've tried pills such as Gas x and Beano and both of them did little to help. I've never had a problem with tests before I developed IBS. Now, it's one of my biggest fears.


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## Wonderlust (Aug 17, 2012)

jvic0913 said:


> I'm new to this site and forums in general but I'm definitely not new to the symptoms of IBS. Does anyone else find that it's unbearable during class to focus when you have constant cramps, bloating, gas, and eventually headaches from all the anxiety? In high school, I eventually took the easy way out and went to alternative home-school type schooling in order to reduce the stress and help me to focus better.However, I'm going to be going to college soon and taking exams again. How am I supposed to perform well when I'm preoccupied with my IBS troubles? From past experiences, the silence in a testing environment heightens my IBS symptoms. Because of this, I almost go into a panic attack mode every time. I hate that it's completely silent in the room and my stomach is SO LOUD and in pain/ turmoil. Going to the bathroom doesn't really help either since I have IBS-C anyway.I just want to avoid all of this. Also, I'd like to add that this has nothing to do with not being prepared for the test (what my parents seem to think) Even when I KNOW answers to questions, sometimes I can't concentrate because of my IBS. All I can think about is that I NEED to get out of the room.What do I have to eat the week or day before in order to avoid all these symptoms? If you guys can relate, can you please share with me some of your tips to combat IBS during testing? I've considered going vegan. Do you think this will help? I've tried pills such as Gas x and Beano and both of them did little to help. I've never had a problem with tests before I developed IBS. Now, it's one of my biggest fears.


I know exactly what you mean, I had the exact same anxiety last year. I spoke to a counselor at my university who referred me to my school's disability service office. I'd never considered myself to be someone with a disability before but in some respects ibs can be just as or more disabling to life than other disabilities. I do well in school but was so nervous about the people around me during exams and labs that I could barely concentrate or sometimes had to run the the bathroom. The DSO at my school made arrangements with my professors to allow me to write exams in an individual room and be excused from labs if I had a really bad episode that day, they kept the condition anonymous to avoid embarrassing me as well; it took a lot of stress off of me and greatly improved my test taking ability. Don't be afraid to ask for help, anyone going through what we go through deserves it.


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## Koz (Aug 7, 2012)

Wonderlust said:


> I know exactly what you mean, I had the exact same anxiety last year. I spoke to a counselor at my university who referred me to my school's disability service office. I'd never considered myself to be someone with a disability before but in some respects ibs can be just as or more disabling to life than other disabilities. I do well in school but was so nervous about the people around me during exams and labs that I could barely concentrate or sometimes had to run the the bathroom. The DSO at my school made arrangements with my professors to allow me to write exams in an individual room and be excused from labs if I had a really bad episode that day, they kept the condition anonymous to avoid embarrassing me as well; it took a lot of stress off of me and greatly improved my test taking ability. Don't be afraid to ask for help, anyone going through what we go through deserves it.


I'm new to IBS and going to be new to College, I'm not sure how im going to handle it. In high school i just thought what i had was acid reflex and ignored it but now that a hospital blood work lab thinks i may have IBS and is sending me to a GI, I think I have hidden anxeity. Classes are going to be a nightmare for me,


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