My Student Has Crohn's - What do I have to know?

i have had to deal with crohn's disease and school recently.i missed 50 days of school in one grade do to my illness.it can be embarassing for a child to have to go to the bathroom at school and explain to people.especially teens.your student probably has tougher mornings and that's why the come in later.they may feel better by afternoon so that's when they come to school.if you see them socilaizing with other kids,it could be because they want to seem as normal as possible,even though they are not.you might want to set up a meeting with their parents to see what you can work out so your student can learn from your class.also,try to learm as much as you can about crohn's disease as you can,to help you understand.and just remember to be patient.the child and their family is going through alot.if you would like to reply to me with any questions or comments,i will be happy to talk to you.

drs

Wow- First off I just wanted to say I am soooooooo glad that you have taken the time to come on and learn more about your student (as most ALL teachers would not). Crohn's is a tough tough illness that many never take the time to learn about. It is not a pleasant illness. In fact, it is a very painful illness and is usually like a roller coaster. You can be in agonizing pain and in the hospital and then two hours later back to normal and then again and again and again. This is what your student is going through. Please learn more about Crohn's by going to the CCFA website, researching online, etc. I am sure you are so busy as you are a teacher but what lucky students you have to even take the time to get on here. I have been diagnosed since I was 21 years old and I am now 27 years old and suffer from severe Crohn's. One of the probs is that no one understands this disease and people (teachers, employers, etc.) don't take the time to learn about it.
If you have any questions please ask.
And again Thank You for taking the time to learn more about this Lifetime illness.
Brittany

I would echo what the others have said, but I would also say that what got me through high school was being terribly organised. All I did in year 11 and 12 was go to school, come home, do homework and sleep. I always tried to be pages, if not chapters, ahead of what the other students were doing so that I could stop work completely if my health got too bad, without having to worry about losing ground in school.

As a concerned teacher, you could help your student learn some techniques to become more organised and disciplined in her work, if she seems like the sort of person who could benefit from that guidance. Another thing you could do is give her a plan of the entire year's work - for instance, a list of the books that have to be read, the chapters that have to be answered, and so on, so that she could work independently from home or hospital, and could even get ahead of her class if necessary.

If you give a lot of lectures during class time, you could arrange for them to be taped so she wouldn't miss out on important explanations. I coped with missing so many classes by reading around the subject, watching documentaries on television, reading the newspaper: basically, doing everything possible to get as many different perspectives on each topic as I could. That was how I compensated for the missing in-class discussions and debate. I found the material for myself, but I'm sure that a motivated sick student would appreciate extra material being provided by a concerned teacher.

If passing the subject requires a lot of group work and in-class participation, you might like to devise an alternative assessment strategy for this student.

It would also be helpful to be respectful of the student's time and energy. I got sick enough in high school that I had to make a choice: I could go to school, or I could study. I couldn't cope with school and then come home and do several hours' homework. It just wasn't possible. Eventually, I stayed at home, missed the classes that were basically a waste of time, and studied independently. I made an effort to be at school for the really worthwhile classes, and it was before and after those classes that I was able to socialise with the other students. What I am trying to say is that if you or your students muck around during a period, that is a period's worth of work that your student will have to do after school. In other words, she will lose an hour's rest, and she will pay for it for the rest of the week. And she will become resentful, and disenage, and no wonder.

I apologise for the rambling, but it's getting late here. I hope that what I have said is helpful, and wish you well in helping this student. There should be more teachers like you.

I.

Dear Concerned Teacher,

i am sure I can relate to how you are feeling. My brother has had Crohns since he was 15. He missed alot of school in the beginning. Luckly for him one of his teachers had this disease. I will say alot of mornings he wouldnt attend class but sometimes in the afternoon he would. Please just work with the student and understand this is probably the hardest thing to experience especially so young. My brother ended up graduating with high honors and is now 24. He has had one surgery right after graduation. Since then he was on remicade for about 5 yrs which was the greatest drug ever. He was never better. However that has all taken a turn for the worse. Since August he has been battling with major flare ups. He was hospitalized for about 15 days with a weight of 144. His weight started to get better but now again is down at 156. He just started with Humira so hopefully he will bounce back soon. I would also suggest talking to the principal. I am not surre what your policies are on eating in class but my brother was allowed to eat anytime he needed to and bring whatever he wanted to drink in class as well. It makes it alot easier on the person. Stress is a very bad thing also. It can cause flare ups also.