BACK TO SCHOOL!

Back to School means back to stress!

Well, it’s that time of year again. Instead of back to school they should just call it what it is- back to stress. I don’t know about you but I’m not really stressing the homework as much as I am the bathroom- like which one is closest to me at all times. Which single stall is close to my classrooms and which teachers have read my 504 and which haven’t. Who will freak out if I need to eat something to calm my stomach in the middle of their class or what if I rush out of the room after lunch mid-class due to a stomachache? Also how many mornings will I be tardy due to bad mornings with IBD still? Mostly I think I’m just stressed about last year happening to me again this year. Fall means viruses and now that I’m immunocompromised, getting a virus is a nightmare…. Never knowing if it will set off a flare and my symptoms or not. My mom’s been pumping me full of emergenC gummies and vitamin C capsules hoping for the best.

Here are some things I do to help make my school mornings and days run smoother:

1. Wake up 2 hours before I need to leave the house. This way I can take all my meds (30 mins prior to food) and supplements, have a healthy fruit/veggie smoothie and still have enough time to deal with my remaining morning IBD issues that keep me in the can!

2. If my stomach feels at all off from my usual morning situation, I bring extra tums and pepto in my backpack! And that day, I probably won’t eat lunch in school or I will bring a premade shake from ensure or katefarms! Chocolate is the best!

3. If my stomach seems pretty good and it has lately, I will bring a sandwich, a fruit cup in 100% juice and something like pretzels to eat throughout the day if needed.

4. Plan for my big snacks and sometimes even Lunch after school.

5. Try NEW foods or supplements or meds AFTER SCHOOL.

6. Bring a large insulated water bottle filled with ice and water and ICE WATER calms my stomach!

7. DON’T HAVE TOO MUCH SUGAR. Sugar is a trigger for me so I try to limit it and especially red dye to after school and weekends!

8. Last thing, and the biggest hardest thing! At school, the first week, I try to be straightforward asap but also make light of my situation with my teachers and friends- I’m upfront and honest that I might need to rush out to the bathroom and about my diagnosis. If we can’t all laugh about it and all pull together to help me get by, I’m not sure how I would manage.

It sucks we have to think about these things as teens with IBD but I find that extra planning around potential situations and also my workload and talking it out REDUCES my stress and hopefully, my symptoms. Because as we know best, managing our stress is everything with IBD.

Next time, a funny post about a movie I want to make called “poop on a plane”!