IBS - Irritated Being Single

There's no question that having digestive problems is a handicap to romance. Even the most loving spouse has to put up with a plenitude of embarrassing and exasperating situations. Now imagine trying to find a dating partner given that handicap.

Craig Jex has a solution to offer. Irritated Being Single is the first online dating service for those with digestive problems.

The site says:

The dating scene can be difficult for anyone. But if you suffer from Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) or Crohn's Disease it can be cause of added anxiety and embarrassment. Irritated Being Single is here to aid IBS and Crohn's Disease sufferers who would like to date but find it difficult to build new relationships due to symptoms that can be beyond their control. There is no better feeling than being with someone who understands exactly what you are going through.

That is why Irritated Being Single hope IBS and Crohn's Disease sufferers as well as sufferers of any other bowel disorder will embrace this dating service in the wish of meeting their soul mate without being embarrassed about their conditions.

Craig was interviewed on Tim Phelan's blog. Here's an excerpt:

The site went live in April 2006 and is slowly growing with members. When I discussed the idea of having a dating site for sufferers of IBS the reaction was quite mixed. There were a few people who thought it was a bad idea. Their thoughts being that people don’t like to talk about poo and who would want to go out with someone who constantly needed to use the toilet. Some of their points I could understand but others were a little narrow minded. But I’m used to that; I can’t tell you the number of times people have said that my IBS is all in my head – I think that’s the worst thing you could say to someone who suffers from this condition. Everyone has suffered from the shits at one stage or another in their lifetime so if they can just imagine what that must be like to live with every day then they would soon realise it’s not all in our heads.

Dating is always a nerve wracking experience and having IBS makes it that little bit worse so having a dating site where sufferers wouldn’t have to worry about their condition had people thinking it was a good idea.

Although, the majority of people probably thought it was a good idea especially when you take into account the figures you mentioned due to the fact that if half of the world’s IBS sufferers signed up I would be a millionaire. Those figures really are amazing especially when you consider those who haven’t been diagnosed yet as they’re too afraid to bring their bowel habits up with a doctor.

The signups are growing very slowly. On This is Local London (yes, Craig's site is a UK site) Kerry McQueeney wrote:

He has 70 people registered on the website but hopes more will come forward when they hear of it.

They should. Channel 4 is due to screen a documentary about Craig and the website at the end of August.