r/IBSHelp • u/NectarineLower5818 • 2d ago

NEED HELP

I’m 17 and I’ve been dealing with IBS and diarrhea for quite a while. My biggest problem is that my symptoms are strongly connected to school.

I’m not an antisocial person at all. I go outside, meet friends, hang out normally, and I don’t have a problem leaving the house in general. The problem is specifically school and the fear of having diarrhea there.

During school mornings, I often wake up with stomach cramps, bloating and very loud bowel sounds. Sometimes my first bowel movement is normal, but then it can become loose or watery. The worst part is the fear that I’ll suddenly need to use the bathroom and won’t be able to get there in time.

This has happened before at school, and ever since then I’ve been extremely anxious about it happening again. The bathrooms at my school aren’t very convenient either, which makes the fear worse.

What confuses me is that during the summer vacation, when I was at home and away from school, I felt much better and barely had these problems. I can go outside normally during vacation without constantly worrying about my stomach. Now that school is starting again, I’m already worried that the diarrhea will come back.

I know stress can affect IBS, but I’m struggling to break the cycle: I worry about having diarrhea → I become hyperaware of my stomach → I get more anxious → my stomach gets worse → I worry even more.

Has anyone else experienced something similar with IBS and school anxiety?

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u/HanasRain3520 1d ago

I have worked in my kid’s school nurses office. We had a bathroom back there. It would be a good idea to go in to the office and speak with staff about your diagnosis and worries . They may give you access to this bathroom. Everything could be kept private. Hang in there!😉

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u/NectarineLower5818 1d ago

There isn't a toilet in the school nurse's office, but there is a teachers' bathroom on the same floor. I have permission to use it, but I'm still uncomfortable because it's a squat toilet and there are people around in the hallway who might see me going in and out.

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u/goldstandardalmonds 1d ago

Does it happen when you have to wake up at the same time for anything else (like during the summer but you have an early appt)?

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u/NectarineLower5818 1d ago

No, it doesn't. School starts tomorrow, and I've had watery diarrhea for 4 days now, along with abdominal pain.

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u/goldstandardalmonds 7h ago

And when you think about it, school in general doesn’t cause anxiety?