Supporting Your Teen Living with Ulcerative Colitis

I wasn't diagnosed with ulcerative colitis until I was in my mid-thirties. All my life, I'd been told that I simply had an 'overactive bowel', which didn't turn out to be the case. Living through my teens without knowing why I was constantly running to the bathroom or bowled over in bed with severe stomach pains was terrible, and I wouldn't wish that fate on any teen living with ulcerative colitis today.

Medical research is sufficiently advanced that any teen should receive the proper diagnosis of any inflammatory bowel disease, such as Chron's or ulcerative colitis. If your teen is living with this condition, you can certainly make his or her life better by knowing about the disease and how it affects his or her life. Although most teens put up a façade of independence and apathy, the pain of this disorder can be devastating without a support structure.

Don't Ask, Don't Tell

My father used to tell me that I needed to 'suck it up' whenever I complained of severe abdominal pain or irritation of my anus. This isn't something that any teenage boy or girl wants to admit, and it's not a subject that comes up over polite conversation at the dinner table. However, if you adopt a 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' policy with your teen, living with ulcerative colitis will be that much harder.

What you have to understand is that a teen isn't going to talk to his or her friends about this disease. There will be no complaints of anal inflammation or constant diarrhea, and parents are these teenagers' only resource. Let your child talk to you about the embarrassment of ulcerative colitis, and don't wrinkle your nose or show signs of distaste when the subject comes up. If it bothers you just to hear about it, how do you think it feels to live with it?

Pain is Relative

Many of today's teens are dramatic and constantly seeking attention, but don't dismiss complaints of severe pain as simple drama. As you can learn from Dimpel Patel's article on the subject, My Battle with Ulcerative Colitis, complaints of severe pain can mean a serious issue with the large intestine, which may require surgery. Teens with ulcerative colitis have grown accustomed to continual pain, and spikes in discomfort can indicate a larger problem.

Whenever I was suffering from what I now know are ulcers, my parents refused to let me stay home from school, accusing me of 'faking'. Since I didn't have any other symptoms, such as a runny nose or a fever, they had no reason to let me stay in bed while I dealt with the pain. It is important for teens living with ulcerative colitis to be given special attention, which might mean missing school now and then to deal with symptoms of the disease.

Accidents Happen

I can remember only two times during my teen years when I was unable to make it to the bathroom, and my adult life has thankfully been free of accidents. However, parents should understand that some victims of this disease have more trouble holding it than others, and accidents can and will happen. If your teen is sent home early from school or forced to wear gym clothes all day, talk to his or her teachers to make them aware of the situation.

The last thing you want is for your teen to suffer ridicule at school because he's living with ulcerative colitis. No, it isn't a fun disease to have, and yes, it can be embarrassing. Doing what you can to avoid humiliating experiences will lessen the blows when things do happen that your teen simply can't control.

Take That Medication

While it is important for parents to support their teen who's living with ulcerative colitis, there are times when they have to be just as tough as they are understanding. Many teens resist the notion of taking medication because it makes them 'different' from their peers at school. However, I am living proof that not taking meds for ulcerative colitis can make the adult experience with the disease that much harder.