Posted 4/4/2007 8:55 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks Lil; I was just thinking Try needed that very brochure for family and friends.
We have had several other teens with IBS come on here. A number of them have had to apply for special homeschooling because they can't go to regular school anymore. There should be a program set up with your school for kids who are too medically ill to attend classes. The one guy who was in it said that he had to meet with a small homeschool study group of other sick kids and a teacher for a short amount of time a few days a week, but most of the time he was on his own to study and learn. I think they had some sort of web contact with the teacher too. Anyways, while his IBS didn't go away, he felt that it wasn't as bad either once the stress of ridicule and finding a bathroom had gone away. You just need to meet with a counselor or advisor at school and discuss your options for leaving school for the rest of the semester and find out what options they have for you to study at home. Surely there's got to be one teacher there somewhere that cares a little bit about you and will be your advocate.
Shame police are now arresting kids for pulling the old laxative-in-baked-goods joke. Nothing like sending everyone you know to the bathroom while YOU laugh at them for once! Lol, fun to think about, anwyays.
It's hard to get a picture of your life at home just from the little that you have written, but it seems like your dad is a bit on the verbally/psychologically abusive side. I mean, if this is the only thing he's totally stupid on, then he's probably not abusive, just an insensitive, immature lout (hey, my dad's been immature my whole life). If he is constantly blaming you for other things out of your control, if he is constantly telling you that there's something wrong with you, that you're fat or ugly or stupid or lazy or not as good as your siblings, anything of that nature, then he's being abusive. You can always talk to your school counselor about it, because you are not required to live under that sort of abuse.
It's a shame that you seem to have such sucky friends (frenemies--new slang word I picked up the other day); they could be a refuge for you if they wanted to be. I've heard of more than one kid bunking down in a friend's parent's house because the parents at home were too much to handle. Of course, at 15, your friends may just be going through their own stupid, insensitive lout stage and may grow out of it, but there's only so much you can take, despite whatever other redeeming qualities they may have. But, if any of them have parents that you are close to, you may want to talk to them about your situation and ask for advice. Another good place to go is to other family members whom you are close to. Heck, when I moved back home after college, my mother got so needy and controlling and making all sorts of crazy accusations against my then-boyfriend (now husband) that I ended up moving out and moving in with my grandmother. My grandmother has always been my escape from my mother when she's in one of her moods. You may just need to escape from your Dad and other siblings. While stress makes IBS worse, it doesn't cause it in the first place. You may, however, make your IBS better by getting out from under all your ridiculing jerky friends and family members.