School for Students with Ulcerative Colitis

For a child with Ulcerative Colitis, school can present many problems. These problems change based on the age of the student and the severity of the condition. The condition may be mild enough that no medicine is required or it may require medicine, which usually consists of some form of steroid. Steroids present their own problem in that they create weight gain and what is known as a "Cushing-Like" or round appearance. This can be particularly disturbing to young women.

Additionally, in very severe cases, there will be a surgical operation performed, which creates the need for major lifestyle changes; that of a new waste opening.

There are several things parents have to be aware of as their child passes through the stages of school.

First, a parent is smart to consider the extent of peer awareness. It is not necessary, early on, for a child to tell everyone they suffer from this illness. However, some kids are different than other kids and just don't have a problem with it; Ulcerative Colitis is truly a unique illness; changing person to person both in physical and emotional impact.

Sports present a unique problem as does the necessity of restroom privileges; often more demanding and frequent than those of other children. In the case of our son, contact sports were not considered to be wise nor were imbibing in excessive fluids all at one time

Typically, it is important to talk with the principal or counselor of your child's school to make them aware of the severity of your particular child's condition. Further, as with our son, a special diet had to be made available to him and this had to be discussed.

When our son first started school, we were more worried about seeing that he became aware of his condition before he worried about dealing with it as far as interacting with other people. As he got older and into high school, "being social" became way more important, however, by that time he was well-liked and the illness was just a "non-event".

There is the problem of "Flares" with Ulcerative Colitis. These can occur even with a student is being treated. They can be debilitating and are certainly discouraging. Most schools today have a facility for students who are not out too long as far as a tutor; this is especially true if the child is attending a public school. However, even though a student has no control over this illness, they are required to attend, in one form or another, a certain amount of school.

Looking back over our son's school career, it plays out in stages. His condition was (and is), thankfully, fairly mild. He started school with a teacher who watched him closely but did not smother him or make him an unnecessary target for the other kids; she let him become self-sufficient.

As he moved to junior high school he started to play sports but we were able to determine that sports like volleyball and baseball worked best for him on a modest basis since even taking fluids could cause discomfort.

Finally, in high school, our son was comfortable with who he was and had developed methodologies to be careful regarding the availability of restrooms and how to deal with discomfort.

We have found the person to be very helpful besides our doctor is a dietician who helps minimize the impact of diet on the bowel.

We do have friends who have a daughter who is on a steroidal medication and has the common physical side-effect of a round face. This is very difficult for her and it is at that time that information becomes more important and, in many cases, so does counseling.

Ulcerative Colitis is going to impact your child in school and it is going to impact your family, however, planning, consistency and the proper support can certainly minimize its impact.