Irritable Bowel Syndrome Message Boards

Hey everyone
I've been going through a really hard time with my ibs the last two months. I was usually ibs c and I caught a tummy bug from my nephew 2 months ago (1 month before my wedding) and it never really left me. I kept getting reoccurences involving days and days of feeling sooo bad.
Finally last week I was just sobbing and went to see a gastro. he was really really nice and said that he wanted to put me on antibiotics (flagyl) for 10 days, because it is very common in ibs for a 24 hour bug for normal people to last 6 months in ibsers. I am also on a very strict naturopathic diet, which really helps me (unfortunately heathers doesn't), and am only on day 4, which makes me feel very weak and lightheaded at first. I am also on my period...more lightheadedness.
Anyway, my husband is usually super supportive, but today he said 'I wish you'd think of me sometimes' with respect to social arrangements. We just got married and everyone (endless relatives) are inviting us to their houses for dinner...and yes, it IS quite a nightmare for me. This IBS has made me quite sociophobic when it comes to food because so many times people make me feel so stared at and analysed and I've been labelled as obsessive and anorexic. My diet is much stricter then heathers which makes it difficult to tell people about. I am really trying hard this time to stick with it for a few weeks so that I can start to reintroduce foods and finally, after ten years, know what I can and cannot eat. So these months are going to be harder socially. But I feel like it is a small price to pay for the longterm comfort, both socially and physically.
My husband wants me to become more assertive, but I am not a person that relishes being the centre of attention at all, and its hard for anyone that doesn't understand the fear associated with eating to GET how challenging it is to have to explain yourself time and time again to a table of strangers. Yawn.
So I kind of flipped out on my husband and I think he got a shock. I was sobbing and shouting. Its obvious that these last two months have brought me to the end of my tether with this IBS malarky. I find it hard to even have a sense of humour about it at the moment.
I know its hard for him too, but in comparison to me, its not as hard. I really didn't need to feel the added guilt of being his burden at this point.
sorry to rant...really appreciate you all listening....

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Feel the fear and do it anyway!

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