What a blessing to find this board.
My son is in his 3rd week of IBS-D.
He started school a little over a week ago and has been having a terrible time. If he eats anything he's afraid he may have an accident on the bus and during the day teachers aren't always good about letting him get to the restroom.
Today he went to school without eating and even water hurts his stomach. He can't continue to go to school without some kind of breakfast, any ideas?
Geez i feel your pain about this.When i was seventeen my school was 25 miles away.I was so afraid to ride on the bus ,thinking i might have an accident that i quit school.Does he eat fiber rich foods?If he does ,does it bother him?I was thinkng maybe you could get him some granola bars to take along with him on the ride
BeckBeck,
I'm sorry to hear about your son and his troubles. I hope I can offer some help though. I work in the Nurse's office in a school district and whenever students have medical issues such as this, we request a written order from his/her doctor stating that the child MUST be able to leave to go to the bathroom when he/she needs to. There are no questions asked, the teacher cannot deny the student to use the restroom when a doctor has ordered that they must be allowed to go. The "teacher notification" as we call it is sent to each and every teacher the student has during the day and they must sign off that they have read the situation and will comply with it.
I know this doesn't make the problem any easier to deal with physically, but it may help in his anxiety with his teachers, knowing that he can't be denied and a scene won't be made in front of the class. If you have already done this and you aren't getting any cooperation from the teachers, you should have a discussion with the School Nurse and she/he can help you find a solution.
Thanks so much for your input. I will give that granola bar suggestion a close look. Since I read your post I found out they can eat on the bus now, which they couldn't do with their last driver.
We actually did get permission for him to use the restroom whenever he wants last week, just before I read your post. And you are right, it does give him alot more peace of mind.
Do you two find that the extra fiber really does help?
I think he should start taking a water fiber soluble supplement like Metamucil. It's not only safe to take daily but is a stool bulking agent. It works for diarrhea as well as constipation.
Just drink enough water with each dose.
16 year old son with IBS 
