Irritable Bowel Syndrome Message Boards

Hey Wendy,

I just wanted to pipe up by saying that I totally empathize. It's been over a year since I've been in a committed, intimate relationship and 90% of the reason is due to my IBS discomfort. Although I do have a lot of my symptoms under control, I still have big problems with gas and bloating. And I'm at the age where I feel most guys will get "weirded out" if I try to explain my issues without getting graphic. It's just really difficult to even consider dating because almost all dates center around food or alcohol, and for me that is limited of what I can eat, particularly when it comes to eating out. Like you, I worry that I will never find someone who will except me for me, IBS and all, and therefore won't get married and have children. I do try to be positive, but that can be difficult when the majority of my friends my age are either married, engaged, or in serious relationships. I just try to keep my mother's words in mind -- she's a big proponent of "everything happens for a reason." So I'm sending you good thoughts and wishes that your IBS will not hold you back when it comes to pursuing the things you need and want in life -- and an unconditional loving relationship is certainly on that list

Take care.

Julie
IBS-D, GERD, lactose intolerant

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"We cannot change our past... we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it."

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