# Tired of explaining my condition to everyone



## Genie75 (Jun 22, 2009)

Hello, My IBS was stable for 10 years, but in the past 2 years or so, symptoms have been changing fast and rapidly. I now have a lot of pain whenever I eat. So I was blessed for 10 years. In order to minimize pain, I eat in a particular way which I don't really want to go into at the moment. Because I had been so sick with norovirus (stomach flu), then food poisoning twice in a row in the span of 3 months (very very sick), my digestive system never really got back to where it was before norovirus. I eat fibre free (proteins, raw diet, home made juices), and it minimized the amount of pain and suffering I go thru. I actualluy look very healthy eating this way, and my symptoms are minimal allowing me to keep on working and a few other things I like to enjoy. I still have to keep a bathroom near by at hand though, and I did actually purchase depends just in case cause my bowels are so unpredictable. Basically I'd rather have the diarhea any day rather than the pain. Because my situation has been dire with the recurrent severe gastro upsets with the 3 bouts of virus and food poisoning, and I felt I was going to go onto disability pretty quick, I have changed my life style. I no longer eat at restaurants or attend any events where food is involved. So this means no BBQ's, no potluck dinners, no lunches out with the girls, etc. And I have not been able to travel as much neither cause I have been too suck. I am happy living this way. However, I feel that I am often having to explain myself as to why I can't attend events and I get very tired of it. I would like to just say no thank you and leave it at that, but apparently people get offended easily and I end up telling them my whole crisis with almost ending up on disability, being so sick, etc. I feel this is an invasion of my privacy and my private medical health. I am tired of having to explain this. I worry it will effect me at work and that bosses may start to worry that they will have to replace me and start planning for it. This is not what I intend. But I know how gossipy people can be. Please, how do I deal with this tactfully? Am I over worried? Maybe there is nothing wrong with telling people how sick I am? I don't know. I am happy eating the way I am and in my life choice of not attending any events that serve food till I can tolerate more foods better (if that ever happens again I don't know). Can't people just leave me alone in my small world of happiness that I've tried to create for myself? (I do go out for tea with people if there's a washroom at hand and I'm not feeling sick). Just feel like this one lady keeps pressuring me so much. I don't like it. No amount of explaining seems to help. She now wants to change the activities to match my needs. I said to her I can't predict how I'm feeling from day to day. I would feel bad if they change all their plans to suit me and I end up sick that day. I have actually once had to cancel out of an Xmas dinner once cause I woke up Xmas day with really bad diarhea that wouldn't go away and I had no appetite.


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## Genie75 (Jun 22, 2009)

Genie75 said:


> Hello, My IBS was stable for 10 years, but in the past 2 years or so, symptoms have been changing fast and rapidly. I now have a lot of pain whenever I eat. So I was blessed for 10 years. In order to minimize pain, I eat in a particular way which I don't really want to go into at the moment. Because I had been so sick with norovirus (stomach flu), then food poisoning twice in a row in the span of 3 months (very very sick), my digestive system never really got back to where it was before norovirus. I eat fibre free (proteins, raw diet, home made juices), and it minimized the amount of pain and suffering I go thru. I actualluy look very healthy eating this way, and my symptoms are minimal allowing me to keep on working and a few other things I like to enjoy. I still have to keep a bathroom near by at hand though, and I did actually purchase depends just in case cause my bowels are so unpredictable. Basically I'd rather have the diarhea any day rather than the pain. Because my situation has been dire with the recurrent severe gastro upsets with the 3 bouts of virus and food poisoning, and I felt I was going to go onto disability pretty quick, I have changed my life style. I no longer eat at restaurants or attend any events where food is involved. So this means no BBQ's, no potluck dinners, no lunches out with the girls, etc. And I have not been able to travel as much neither cause I have been too suck. I am happy living this way. However, I feel that I am often having to explain myself as to why I can't attend events and I get very tired of it. I would like to just say no thank you and leave it at that, but apparently people get offended easily and I end up telling them my whole crisis with almost ending up on disability, being so sick, etc. I feel this is an invasion of my privacy and my private medical health. I am tired of having to explain this. I worry it will effect me at work and that bosses may start to worry that they will have to replace me and start planning for it. This is not what I intend. But I know how gossipy people can be. Please, how do I deal with this tactfully? Am I over worried? Maybe there is nothing wrong with telling people how sick I am? I don't know. I am happy eating the way I am and in my life choice of not attending any events that serve food till I can tolerate more foods better (if that ever happens again I don't know). Can't people just leave me alone in my small world of happiness that I've tried to create for myself? (I do go out for tea with people if there's a washroom at hand and I'm not feeling sick). Just feel like this one lady keeps pressuring me so much. I don't like it. No amount of explaining seems to help. She now wants to change the activities to match my needs. I said to her I can't predict how I'm feeling from day to day. I would feel bad if they change all their plans to suit me and I end up sick that day. I have actually once had to cancel out of an Xmas dinner once cause I woke up Xmas day with really bad diarhea that wouldn't go away and I had no appetite.


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## Genie75 (Jun 22, 2009)

I went to HR cause I was very stressed out about it. They talked to her about it. Told her it was causing me undue stress and that anything I told her about my medical condition is not to be gossiped about. I'm feeling better now. I have been trying to deal with this problem for a long time in work force. I guess this is what they mean to know when to ask for help.


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