Irritable Bowel Syndrome Message Boards

I just had to put my two-cents in on this one because I've been reading the replies for the past week and just love most of them! I am completely blessed to have wonderful co-workers (I am a teacher) and although I have to avoid 99% of what is in the faculty room, my colleagues still offer me things to eat and ask me if I can have some. They never get bent out of shape when I say "no." However, I have dealt with other people being complete jerks about my diet. I am a member of an ultimate frisbee league, and am close with many of the people I play with. It's tradition to hit up a local pub after we play at night, and of course I don't drink. My friends are totally cool with it, but new people are constantly joining the league. Just recently this guy who thinks he's all that at frisbee was at the pub after the game and saw me drinking just a water. His comment was "What, you just go to bars and stand around and not drink?" (complete with a sneer). When I said that I can't drink because of health reasons, he just cut me off and said "yeah, yeah, right." Not only was it rude to cut me off, but I was seeing red since he has absolutely NO IDEA what it is like. Yes, I'd love to enjoy a beer with everyone else, but I know that it's just not worth it in terms of my IBS. Personally, I think there are plenty of adults out there who need to go back to elementary school and re-learn the golden rule: "Treat others how you would like to be treated." So I hear you, I sympathize, and don't ever let people like that get to you. I know how truly hard it is to ignore hurtful comments sometime, but honestly, you shouldn't even have to listen to insensitive, shallow jerks like that (I could use better adjectives, but there would a bleep every other letter

). Just pretend they don't exist and realize that those people who truly care about you love you for who you are and would never judge you just because of what you eat...we're all with you on this

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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