The impact of dining out was so bad for Emma Frost she gave up on going out altogether. Photo / Supplied
The impact of dining out was so bad for Emma Frost she gave up on going out altogether. Photo / Supplied
A dinner date at a nice restaurant may sound appealing to most people, but for one woman, it was her worst nightmare.
Thirty-year-old Emma Frost has opened up about how her flagrant flatulence stopped her going on dates and, ultimately, finding love.
Suffering from chronic gastro problems for the past fifteen years, Frost experienced such extreme gas after eating she gave up on dining out altogether.
"My biggest fear was breaking wind in public but there was nothing I could do about it," she told The Sun, adding she ended up always having to wear baggy clothing to disguise how much her stomach bloated after eating.
Frost experienced extreme bloating after every meal. Photo / Supplied
"If I did go out with friends or on a date I'd either have to sit and eat nothing or rush out halfway through when the tummy trouble started.
"In the end it was easier not to bother going out. I couldn't go anywhere without checking how close I was to the toilet."
The interior designer was tested for Coeliac disease at 15 but the results were negative. She was advised to try cutting out certain foods instead.
"My symptoms were so persistent that my doctor was sure I must have a intolerance to something and so I began cutting out food groups to see what made the biggest difference.
"I started with dairy and that had no effect. But I did find when I cut out wheat and gluten and my symptoms did improve a little."
Frost was in a long-term relationship with a man she has a seven-year-old daughter with. When the relationship ended, Frost found the emotional stress of the break-up made her condition worse.
Frost decided dating with her condition was too hard and decided it would be easier to remain single. Photo / Supplied
"It was exactly the time in my life that I needed to be going out with friends and socialising, but going for food was just a nightmare for me," she said.
When it came to getting back in the dating game, Frost found it impossible: "Inevitably dates take place at restaurants or bars and I was just struggling after each one. Once I even had to leave half way through a date because my tummy swelled so much."
She decided it would be "easier and less painful" to remain single.
But her luck in love changed when Frost started taking a health supplement containing marine collagen, ginger, aloe vera, peppermint and vitamin C.
Designed to improve the digestive system, Frost claims she noticed immediate relief but thought it was just a coincidence given the plethora of remedies and concoctions she'd tried to no avail in the past.
"But when I stopped taking LQ, the symptoms came back. I was amazed and haven't stopped since."
A few weeks later, Frost felt well enough to go on a date and met someone she now lives with.
Looking back on how much her condition impacted her life, she shared: "I want to break down the embarrassment of talking about things like this because I want to help others suffering in the way I did."
