IBS and university

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so i have been told this week that i have irritable bowel syndrome and i have applied to go to university this year. i'm just looking to hear from people in a similar position and to hear what they did about it. i have been given some medicine and it has been working well, but the problems have not completely gone away.

do you think i would be able to ask for an en suite room with this condition? in the nicest way possible, i still want to be with 'normal' people in my accomodation. do they tend to put medical requirement students together or what? i just think it might be more sensible for me to get a room with a loo. i have already done my application for accomodation, but i have not been given an allocation because i just have a conditional entry.

i'm also worried that my drinking capacity will be down and that i might not be able to consume alcohol much at all. i like to party and it is important to go out and be with my mates at the start of university. i'm not a huge drinker normally, but i want to get to know people and this is a great opportunity. i just don't want to be getting ill whilst i'm out and about. how have people been able to get around that?

thanks a lot.

I have IBS and had an en-suite when I lived on campus during my time at uni. I did state it on the application and I think it may have been taken into account. It's possible they do put particular groups of people together to a certain extent as in first year I was with a girl in a wheelchair, I have a disability as well.

I suppose it depends on how alcohol affects you. For me it's usually the next morning so I was alright going out.

I take anti-spasmodics as well but only when I have a flare up, not every day like it says on the packet. Yogi's Stomach Ease tea has been my main life saver.

Reply 21

Dimplebug

Original post by Anonymous

Hi there,

I was in the same situation as you three years ago (I've just graduated from university). I'd suffered from IBS a few years before going to uni, and I was pretty nervous about going. I'd definitely say though that if it makes you feel more comfortable having an en suite, then do it, especially when you're going to be living with people that you don't know to start with. I only applied for student accommodation with en suites, and it was a big reassurance in my first year to have my own bathroom. Maybe even ring the people in charge of accommodation? I'm sure they probably get lots of students asking for specific accommodation due to various issues.

In terms of going out, I don't drink at all, but still went out during Freshers' Week (albeit not as much as the rest of my flatmates). My flatmates were fine once I had explained why I didn't drink or go out much (I didn't go into full details but I think I just said I had stomach problems or something!).

Unfortunately IBS is one of those things that decides to rear its ugly head quite a lot, but at university you find ways to deal with it. For me, it was taking antacid tablets before a lecture/seminar if I felt particularly bad, and informing my lecturers about my condition right from the start, but highlighting it again if I was starting to miss quite a few seminars. If you want any more advice feel free to message me!

IBS and university

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