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ibs and relationships

im in a ltr. ive had IBS symptoms for the past couple years and ive been in a serious relationship for about a year and a half now. weve been living together for little over a year now..youd think id be comfortable with him by now, he has gotten comfortable but i cant seem to get to that point 100%. especially with this embarassing problem. my stomach issues have put a lot of strain on our relationship because im always hurting and or depressed it seems. it really negatively impacts my mood and our relationship. i want to be able to be completly comfortable with him. i dont feel comfortable farting in front of him. i have a few times . im a gassy person and get bloated a lot so this makes it difficult. holding it in is not good i know, it causes more cramps and stomach pains and the muscles cant take a lot of that. i wonder if maybe because i can never relax those muscles is why i get so much cramping and abdominal pain??? i dont want to have to leave the room every time i feel like i have to pass gass.also i get in a bad mood when he or my friends will fart in front of me and laugh because i want to be able to be that open and outgoing but its much more difficult for me! grr. i have tried to talk to him about my anxieties and about all of this but he doesnt seem to get it or understand me. its so frustrating. can anyone offer some advice?! any one experience the same problems or similar?
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Avatar universal
There is no reason you should accept IBS.  There are reasons for the digestive tract to be out of whack.  It all boils down to what you are ingesting. Go to health food store and buy a pH test strip.  If you are lower than 7.3, your body is in an acidic state and that is not good.  The chemicals they put in our food scares me to death.  MSG has 13 other names and will cause IBS..... Microwave makes food so your body cannot tolerate to digest it.  Lunch meat has sodium nitrates.  Breads have mycotoxins.  I can go on and on but something has your chemistry out of whack and it is time to fix it before it gets worse!
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Avatar universal
Guys will always have the easy road in this department. They've been brought up believing that burping, farting and anything of the like is funny should be let out shamelessly, while women are told it's not lady-like and can rarely even let them out around our best girlfriends.
It's completely understandable that the IBS you suffer with is affecting your relationship so I hope you're not taking the blame for any tension or stress between you and your boyfriend. Was it your choice to have to deal with an irritable bowel? No. And are you doing the best you can to cope? Of course you are. He's probably not perfect either and you accept him anyway, right? He obviously feels the same about you because he doesn't understand what you're so worried about.

You don't have to comfortable enough to let it all out in front of him and all his friends, but just trust him enough to know that if you do let one slip, he's not gonna run for the hills. Anxiety doesn't help IBS anyway, so the more you relax about it, the less uncomfortable your symptoms will be.

Take it easy on yourself girl! You have nothing to be ashamed of.

All the best,
Brittany
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