Don’t take it personally
Even though it is very hard to do, you should never take it personally. According to Bryan, if someone doesn’t want to be with you just because you have IBD, then that person is definitely not for you and you shouldn’t want to be with them, because they don’t deserve you.
Se recommends opening up to people about your problem because it will help you ease tension. Talk to your friends about it and you’ll see that you’ll feel so much better.
“The more open I am with it and the way it makes me feel, the more understanding people around me are. I may feel horrible sometimes, but I still want to have an active life,” Bryan says.
You need to be patient
Andrew Tubesing, an author and support-group leader from St. Paul, Minn., who has a type of inflammatory bowel disease called indeterminate colitis recommends being patient, even though it’s hard. You shouldn’t expect people who never heard of IBD to be understanding and supportive right away.
Sometimes it takes time for them to process things. He shared that when he was diagnosed, both he and his wife needed a lot of time to understand what IBD is, but they made sure they were informed about the condition.
He shared that the other person will go through the same process as you do, without the symptoms. So you need to be patient because it can be hard for them as well. Give people time and space to process the information and understand what you’re going through.
