School Absences And Leaving School

[CeliacMom2008]

UGH! It's the second full day of school and we're already in trouble! My son had diarrhea this morning but after one big incident he felt much better. So I sent him to school with instructions to call me if it came back. Well he just called. No D, but he said his stomach has been cramping up really bad and then stopping and then starting up again. He said he could stay at school another 45 minutes (end of school day) and I said I'd pick him up instead of him riding the bus. But I feel bad now...the teacher said he sent him to the office, who sent him the the nurse, who was backed up 5 kids, so the teacher had him use his cell phone to call me. Maybe I should've just picked him up.

Last school year I felt like he was eternally late (due to bathroom needs in the morning), missing school (appointments or D), or coming home early (due to D). I can't believe we're starting off the new year this way as well. He has been great all summer. Then he was glutened 3 weeks ago and had relatively minor intestinal issues which (as you know if you read my post) perplexed me. Now this! What a roller coaster!

UGH!!

[CeliacAlli]

UGH! It's the second full day of school and we're already in trouble! My son had diarrhea this morning but after one big incident he felt much better. So I sent him to school with instructions to call me if it came back. Well he just called. No D, but he said his stomach has been cramping up really bad and then stopping and then starting up again. He said he could stay at school another 45 minutes (end of school day) and I said I'd pick him up instead of him riding the bus. But I feel bad now...the teacher said he sent him to the office, who sent him the the nurse, who was backed up 5 kids, so the teacher had him use his cell phone to call me. Maybe I should've just picked him up.

Last school year I felt like he was eternally late (due to bathroom needs in the morning), missing school (appointments or D), or coming home early (due to D). I can't believe we're starting off the new year this way as well. He has been great all summer. Then he was glutened 3 weeks ago and had relatively minor intestinal issues which (as you know if you read my post) perplexed me. Now this! What a roller coaster!

UGH!!

Sorry to hear that=[. Hang in there! Hope he feels better!

[taweavmo3]

This is something we struggled with alot last year. We actually got "the letter" that all parents get when their kids have missed 10 or more days. No action was ever taken though, although we were ready for it....especially since the weeks where she was absent the most were b/c two different teachers had actually given her gluten, lol.

I may be too easy on the kids, but if they feel crummy I let them stay home. I'm really blessed that I only have to work on dh's days off, so there's always someone here if they want to stay home. My dd also has an expressive delay, so she has a hard time telling me exactly what's wrong.....she just gets extremely moody and whiny, but doesn't really tell me "I don't feel good". So if she's having an off day, and it's a huge struggle to get her to school....I let her stay home b/c something is usually up.

What makes it hard too is that symptoms last up to 2-3 weeks after a major glutening, and while I try to send her when the vomiting and D have passed....she still gets headaches and fatigue that make it hard to function at school. I'm hoping this year goes better. When to keep them home is always a tough call!

[dandelionmom]

I pretty much leave it up to my daughter. If she feels like she can make it at school, I send her. We're still only dealing with half day preschool though. I'm not sure how we'll handle a full day. She missed a lot last year but it was our first year on the diet so I'm hoping she'll feel better this year.

[CeliacMom2008]

OK, he's home now. He said he was fine after he called me, but before he went to the office his stomach hurt a lot. He said he had tried to wait it out, but it was really bad cramping. Then he said it just went away. I'm sure the new teacher (that I just met yesterday after school to explain things) was thrilled. I guess that's what my biggest problem is. I hate to be an inconvenience and I don't want him labeled as a "difficult" kid or a hypochondriac or a whatever other negative term I should insert in there. I completely understand that he felt awful, he had terrible D this morning and he thought he needed to come home but then really didn't. Again, I say UGH!

Deep breath...so we talked and I told him he needs to decide between these three options and we'll stick with them next time (OK, I'll stick with them, because he really had already decided he wanted to be home): feeling crummy but not going to feel any better at home so stay at school, feeling crummy and don't want to ride the bus home so call mom, feeling crummy and want to go home now.

And the reality of it is I'm just as nervous as he is about a new school year, FOUR new teachers, one new principal, and all that stuff!!

[gfp]

There are quite a few things going on here:

1) I'm 40 and I find it embarrassing wondering if that next movement of gas will be a liquid one! I'm sure the thought of this for your son is a major factor. Heck getting a haircut can be cause for being bullied at school, let alone pooping yourself in class!

2)

And the reality of it is I'm just as nervous as he is about a new school year, FOUR new teachers, one new principal, and all that stuff!!

The school need to be more sensitive..... IMHO ...

the teacher said he sent him to the office, who sent him the the nurse, who was backed up 5 kids, so the teacher had him use his cell phone to call me

OK, this stuff happens... I wouldn't want to be at school with my tummy gurgling and standing in line to see a nurse!

[taweavmo3]

The beginning of the school year is always tough. We have meet the teacher night tonight, and I have to get my letters and such ready to handout to everyone. I really dread this time of year, not knowing if the new teachers are really going to "get it" or not. Last year, we had several occasions where teachers gave my daughter regular food, even though I had sent in safe stuff. So this year, I am going to try harder to really get the point across how serious this can be. I no longer care what anyone thinks of me, lol.....I do try to make it as easy on the teachers as possible since I know they do have alot on their plate, but I'm also not just going to sit back and take it if a teacher I have talked to several times gives her regular food.

Anyway, sorry to go off on a tangent there! I'm a little nervous about a new school year starting, and I think it's coming out, lol. I hope your little boy feels better soon, try not to worry too much. This will pass, and I'm sure the weeks ahead will go much more smoothly. Good luck to all of us starting a new school year!

[celiac-mommy]

Have you been in to talk with the teachers, principal and school nurse? I arm everyone--even the cafeteria staff (even though dd only buys milk) with a binder with all the info regarding celiac disease. I also make an appt with each one the week before school starts to go over all of the info. Maybe we've just been really lucky so far with no glutenings. Plus there is 1 other girl in dd's class with Celiac, so between the 2 of them, they watch out for each other.

[purple]

Can he take a change of clothes to leave at the school...just incase?

[dilettantesteph]

My son, 11, missed 49 days of school last year, during his diagnosis. They kept threatening us with child protective services. They were convinced that it was school phobia despite the celiac disease diagnosis

that I brought in. On the few days when he was well enough to go in, they would take him out of class to talk to the social worker about his school phobia. I was livid. The doctor figured that he was getting sick from cross contamination from school. He brought in his lunch, but... I noticed that they sit very close together and a lot of the kids, especially boys spit a lot when they eat and talk. He started sitting by himself while he ate and then his friends would join him afterwards. After that he didn't miss another day (there was only a little over a month left by then). This year he is at a different school. I am going to try to get him a spot without anyone in adjacent seats.

His doctor also suggested his own lunch tray to avoid contamination by crumbs on the table left by other kids.

As far as the school was concerned I should have been sending him in despite vomiting or diarrhea. Nice

administrators.

I contacted the superintendent of schools and things got better.

Best of luck.

[lovegrov]

Please do not take this as a criticism or anything of the sort.

Kids do sometimes learn they can use any discomfort -- or even make one up -- as a reason to get out of school or to be closer to a parent. I know that my non-celiac daughter tried it a time or two. I have no idea about your situation, but thought I'd put it out there.

richard

[Yellow Rose]

All of you with children in school with celiac need to 504 other health impared your children. That way when they are out of school for their related illness it can't be counted against them and will be an excused absense. You will need to request in writing a 504 meeting. The school has 30 days to comply and set up the meeting. At the meeting you need to bring a note from your doctor saying that the child has celiac. Then you can pass out the info and all the staff will be notified of your childs problem and what to expect. As long as you send a note back to school on the days that your child is out and it states on the note that they were out due to (whatever) because of celiac it cannot be counted as an unexcused absence. It stops the threats of taking you to court and gives you the power to protect your child as well as yourselves. Keep copies of all notes sent as the office, teachers, and children loose notes and you will be required to reprovide if their is an absence question. At the meeting you can request your childrens teachers e-mail addresses and every time your child is out let all the teachers know. They will be more cooperative and can send you assignments via e-mail. One other thing that 504 gets you is a set of books for your home it you request it at the meeting. That way your child can keep up with school work without you having to find the time to go to school, get assignments and books. If your child is in Jr High or High school and you or someone else drops off assignments make yourself a list of assignments that were turned in and have someone sign off on your sheet. Our school lost several assignments and without our sheet my child would have had to redo weeks of work.

[CeliacMom2008]

The dust has settled. We've talked and I believe he was nervous about the bus ride. He normally LOVES the bus ride, but with the D in the morning and then the bad cramping the afternoon he just got nervous. We have the new system and he seems to understand. Call if you HAVE to come home. Call if you want mom to pick you up instead of riding the bus. Tough it out otherwise. It's just a case of getting used to the new things. This is the first year he has different teachers for different subjects. In addition 3 of the 4 are brand new to the school. For a kid, that's a lot of people to get comfortable with. All were wonderful in our meeting Wednesday, but Wednesday was also the day the rule of no leaving class to go the bathroom unless you have permission. Last year his class had a bathroom right off of it, so it wasn't an issue. He was just sure that meant that he couldn't leave even if it was an emergency. So I think that contributed even further to the nerves yesterday. His stomach was better today and the day went well.

On the really positive side of this week, I have lots to report:

1) At my meeting one of the teachers listened very intently to my description of Celiac and all of my answers to their questions and then said, "It sounds like you're describing my son..." He read through parts of the sheet I had brought for them and started underlining all the symptoms his son has. So I encouraged him to talk with his doctor and consider the blood test. Another of the teachers daughter was just diagnosed with IBS and after listening said she would discuss it further with her as well. And if nothing else, 4 more people are aware of something they didn't know before.

2) His main teacher let him use his cell phone to call me when the nurse's office was backed up. He was great and let him talk in the hall so he'd have some privacy.

3) I got a call this morning that someone had brought in popsicles and could I confirm they were gluten-free or bring him one that was - and if I couldn't do it today they would wait until Monday for all the kids. How awesome was that!! So I took them one for my son today and enough for them to have popsicles again next week - and mine were at least partially real juice!! :-)

You know, I've noticed that life with Celiac is a lot of ups and downs. You've got tough it through the emotional and physical downs, but once you do there's usually some really good ups on the other side!

Have a great weekend everyone!