Episode5 Segment 2 - Why do I need to go to school when I'm in pain?

So sometimes going to school can be very daunting but staying at home can actually make your pain worse at times.

When you stay at home you're gunna to think more about your pain because you've got more time and less distraction.

By going to school you have less time to think about it because you're more distracted with what's going on with your learning and your friends at school.

You need to keep your mind off the pain and stop those pain signals getting to the brain.

When I'm sore and I feel like staying home and I end up going because I tell myself to, It's Um… sort of hard because you'd still be in pain but you'd get to see your friends and they'd help distract you and all the work would distract you.

And… one time my teacher even gave me a merit award for it.

Um… 'cause he says when- even - when even though you do it- you have it tough you still do it most days.

When you're at school you benefit from getting fresh air, that always helps.

You um… You get to see your friends and you don't fall behind with your school work.

You can get on top of things and you'll be able to pass your grade.

Um… socially as well, it's a good thing to see your friends.

Um… get back into the swing of things, it's very important.

So if you haven't been to school for a long time you might need to go back to school on a graded and paced program and this can be sorted out with your parents and your school.

Whether it be your year advisor or the principal, whoever you identify as your key person at school.

The main thing with this program of getting back into school is to stick to it and make your goals realistic and achievable.

We have our maths and literacy in the morning and in the afternoon traditionally we'll have either kappa dance and P.E.

So that would be ok, he might find that difficult early on to integrate back into… When you're creating your back to school program, it's important that you go to school each day rather than going for a full day here and there and then having a few days off because it was too much for you.

It's quite important to go at the beginning of the day when you're feeling fresh and it's also important to keep in some recess time or some time you can spend with your friends within that program as well before you plan to go home.

I'm saying definitely until recess, eleven o'clock.

But I'd love you to stay a bit longer after that, because I know your friends have missed you and they'd like to hang out with you at lunch time as well Everybody's pain is different and the way they are going to grade themselves back into school is going to be different as well.

So that can be worked out within your program, whether it be going for just one hour a day or going for the first three periods initially.

That's up to you to make those decisions and make them realistic and achievable.

The plan is always flexible that if we move forward sometimes we go backwards and we might go back to half a day and we build it up from there.

So usually what we find that's the most successful transition back into the school.

When I started to get back to school ah, mum and dad met with my teachers.

Um… We talked to the doctors um… asked what they wanted me to do.

They wrote a letter.

Um… we made it very clear you know, about my pain, what's been going on, what's going to happen.

When I did start to go back to school I only did one period a day.

Um… And then eventually I did half a day and then I was able to do full days.