# Eating disorder? NO!



## bluejeanbabyamy (Aug 8, 2007)

Hi all,I'm new to the forum. My name is Amy, and I'm a 21-year-old entering my last year of college. I was recently diagnosed with IBS and have been taking numerous tests at my GI doctor since January. After taking a breath test, the doc is convinced I have SIBO. I took one course of Xifaxan and had no change. I'm about to take Neomycin. Needless to say, I'm pretty frustrated at the lack of clarity about how to remedy my symptoms at this point. I pretty much always feel what I describe as "full" -- or bloated -- to the point where I'm uncomfortable and can barely eat more than a few bites of food. I dread going out to meals -- ESPECIALLY on dates -- with others my age who always confront me about why I'm eating so little. In addition to this, I have emetephobia -- an INTENSE fear of vomiting -- so I don't want to push my stomach to any limits for fear that it'll make me sick."Stop being anorexic!" my friends say when I leave lots of food behind on the plate. If only they knew that I'd kill to scarf down my whole sandwich, a basket full of fries and some ice cream rather than a few measly bites. Sometimes I'll try not to eat for a few hours in anticipation of a going out type of meal so I'll be even the tiniest bit more hungry, but that usually doesn't work. So I'm wondering, how do you all explain yourselves to others who give you a hard time for not eating much? More importantly, has anyone found relief from eating certain foods, trying anything? I'm desperate.Amy


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## Patient (Jul 5, 2007)

First of all, welcome to the forum!As for your question, depending on how close you are with your friends, I would probably just be up-front about it. You don't need to go into brutal details, but just let them know that you've got stomach problems that don't allow you to eat a lot. If you're not comfortable with that, like in the event of a first-date scenario, then I'd probably just say something like; "I've got a small stomach." With my IBS, generally I'm just pretty open about it, and tell people that I've got a disorder with my stomach and leave it at that. That usually fends them off. As for leaving food on your plate, have you maybe tried ordering smaller meals? That might make it look like you've eaten more.I hate sitting there with a group of people and looking at the food on my plate, starving to death, and wanting to eat it all--but not being able to from fear I'll need to run to the bathroom five minutes after I do. Usually, I just take a few bites and grab a 'to-go' box, which generally shows them I'll be eating it later; leaving me able to cop out with the 'I'm not hungry right now' excuse. As for different foods triggering it, our bodies all vary, so you'll need to do some experimenting before you find out good and bad foods. For me, spicy and greasy foods are a *big* no-no. I can comfortably drink the broth of soup usually no matter how bad I'm feeling. Dairy are things I try to stay away from because I'm lactose-intolerant for the most part, but sometimes I can't take it and just dive into a bowl of ice cream. Of course, on those nights, I have to cancel all plans ahead of time and kick back for TV, working on websites, or gaming.


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## SpyderDan (Aug 5, 2007)

I can relate a lot to this myself. "Full" is definitely the term I use the most because it fits and it's the only way I can describe it. As for explaining it to friends and stuff, I usually just tell them the truth. We all know stress makes IBS worse and the stress of having to come up with an explanation they'd buy or wouldn't gross them out is too much. So I just tell them I've got IBS, I can't eat a lot in one sitting. Then when they call me anorexic, I take a swing at them, lol.


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