I have dated about 20 something men in the last few years, from here and other sites. All of them had ED or some form of it. (I was told this by them BEFORE they saw, or met me, by the way).
It didn't affect my seeing them as prospective partners, thinking I could make allowances for their problems, give them pleasure in other ways, but strange thing is, on meeting me, they (most of them), cited my weight as a reason not to date me again......
So many say it doesn't matter, but they also say they aren't attracted to overweight people, or those with mental illnesses, or physical disabilities, or only certain kinds of disabilities, (like there is a difference or something) etc.......
How are they ever going to see the person underneath, if they are blinded by their own shopping lists of physicalities for the perfect one?
I think that if you are truly capable of loving, then you are capable of loving anyone. After all it is about giving isn't it, not receiving?.........
Many cancers are growing for twenty years, before people are dignosed with having them. There is no knowing who has what, when you meet them, young or old.
In love, you take your chances, and if you get a few good years all the better. It is something to take you through a lifetime without them. Sometimes it will be the only true love we know.
I don't think people should ever base their choices of partner on whether they have physical or mental illnesses. The pull of attraction to who they are, should be the only judgement we make regarding who we are with.
It is about how comfortable we are in their company, and how many good things we want for them, that counts.
Apparantly, had I been a drinker, I'd never have had the problems I have. My only drinking consists of half a glass of wine at Christmas. Ironic isn't it?
My brother used to be an all-Ireland decathlon bronze medalist. He went in to the police as a career, and ended up promoted and at a desk in latter years.
Just recently he decided to up his exercise a little again and entered the Dublin City Marathon, that he used to run in his youth.
He is 50 now. He ran it a few weeks ago, (26+ Kilometers), in a 15 minutes shorter time than he did aged 25.
My mother had a similar complaint, though not the pain and arthritis.
She had food intolerances, and got what appeared to be stomach pains. 3 months before she died they took her in hospital and fasted her for weeks, nothing but water.
(She was dying of pancreatic cancer but we didn't know it then).
They sent her to a differnt hospital and they fasted her too. She was sent home and told to take paracetamol for the pain, and in all that time (Feb to May), she only lost 7lbs.........
A week later she went in again for more fasting, and 48 hours after that she was dead......
Weight isn't all down to exercise or how much food we eat.......
I still push the limits so am not bed-bound like I was a couple of years ago.
Everything is pain, which only lessens on the days I don't eat.
I don't let it stop me doing anything I want to do though.
Was just making a point that one solution doesn't fit all. Steroids bloat you like all hell.
I have been judged for my size constantly and I don't let it get to me too much. People can think what they like. (Most think I am just lazy and eat too much) and many won't even get to know me based on appearance. Sad really.
Not so in my case because I fast at least two days every week. My extra weight is due to my having broken my ankle some years back, and triggering arthritis and fybromyalgia. I ended up registered disabled within two years.
Muscle degeneration, no energy, constant pain, I have steriod injections put in the ligaments in my shoulders and hips every few months so I have some mobility. My diet has gone from normal fresh foods, to practically fresh air.
Arthritis and Fybromyalgia are compromised auto-immune diseases, so it is important to find the triggers. Among those I have found are caffine, also decafinated tea and coffee, certain fruits and vegitables, such as.......
(Nightshade family.....
("The most famous food members of the nightshade family include potatoes, tomatoes, many species of sweet and hot peppers (all species of Capsicum, including Capsicum annum), and eggplant.
Less well known, but equally genuine nightshade foods include ground cherries, tomatillos, garden huckleberry, tamarillos, pepinos, and naranjillas. Pimentos belong to the nightshade family, and usually come from the pepper plant Capsicum annum.
Pimento cheese and pimento-stuffed olives are therefore off limits.
The seasoning paprika is also derived from Capsicum annum, the common red pepper, and the seasoning cayenne comes from another nightshade, Capsicum frutenscens. Tabasco sauce, which contains large amounts of Capsicum annum, should also be considered as a nightshade food").
Also all dairy produce, all pork and pork products, sugar, wheat, oats, sweetners such as aspartamine etc........the list goes on and on.......and I still haven't found them all.
When I say people get lucky, I really mean that.
You could be like me, in pain constantly, resistant to painkillers, and allergic to antibiotics,(all except penicillin, which cures nothing these days).
8 years ago I was 100 lbs, very energetic and healthy. These days I was told by my doctor I could actually die of the common cold.
Brutal honesty, for me, means using the unvarnished truth where and then appropriate.
Children use it with intent to hurt, all the time, as do petulant adults. Teens master it beautifully.
What I tell others about myself can be brutal honesty, but I am selective in using it with others, about themselves, (except occasionally, when they piss me off).
o Married couples who met online have an average courtship period of 18.5 months. Married couples who met offline courtship period last on average 42 months.
o The Better Business Bureau in the US said in 2009 they received 2,660 compaints about dating services. In 2005 they received 824 and only 126 in 2004.
o The online dating industry is now worth $4 billion worldwide.
o In 2010 it is estimated that Craigslist will earn $122 million with $88 to $99 million being profit. The Adult Services listings make up 30 percent of the revenue.
o In the last year 17% of couples who married met on a dating site.
o 1 in 5 singles have dated someone they met on a dating site.
o 1 in 5 singles are currently in a committed relationship with someone they met on a dating site.
o There is an estimated 22.6 million single Catholics in the U.S.
o The top 3 religions where both the man and the woman in a married couple are from the same religion are: Hindus (90%), Mormons (83%), and Catholics (78%)
o In 1960, 88% of men aged 35-44 were married, for women it was 87%. By 2007 this percentage had fallen to 69% for men and 72% for women.
GingerBe Forum Posts (3,106)
Agreed. 
RE: Self-acceptance
We can accept things as they are, without liking what we are accepting.