Irritable Bowel Syndrome Message Boards

Nobody's asking you to sacrifice your life.

The truth of the matter it is difficult for many of us to go out to eat because our guts just are not stable enough to do that. It's hard to enjoy and evening out when your bowels are screaming at you to find a bathroom NOW. Been there, done that.

For example, when my IBS was really, really bad, I could hardly handle the drive to work, and it was only 10 minutes in reasonable traffic. I didn't go out to eat much at all for about 4 months, either, because I just could not handle it. Over time, it got better. By the end of that first year, I was able to go out to eat once or twice a week, but I was still very careful. Five years later, I'm happy to say I can go out to a restaurant and just about anything except beef or cheese, but it didn't happen overnight.

You don't HAVE to stay home and "cook, cook, cook," as you say, but if your IBS is not stable, you will have to tweak your lifestyle a little bit. That may mean eating at home a little more often or carrying a safe snack with you when you're away from home for more than a couple hours.

I never have been much of a drinker, so I can't speak to that part very well. However, I have tweaked the diet to my own tolerances, which I won't go into right now because they don't follow the IBS diet guidelines. IBS does not get better overnight, but give the diet a shot and see if it works for you.

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