u/Fragmented_Whole

My senior golden retriever ingested sand at the beach and vomited several times overnight last week, eventually bringing up mostly sand and bile. ER X-rays showed a significant sand burden, mostly in the colon, and he stayed overnight for fluids, multiple enemas, and supportive care.

He’s now home. The ER said diarrhea was expected, but over the past 24 hours, he’s had several diarrhea episodes. He has also refused food, but he is drinking little bits of water and he has not vomited.

How long should I expect it to take to normalize? What signs should I look for to go back to the ER?

A few weeks ago, I (34M) met someone (35F) in my neighborhood while walking my dog. It was one of those random, low-stakes encounters that somehow turned into something more. We started going on walks together, and over the course of a few weeks, we realized we had a lot in common. The connection felt easy, warm, and surprisingly meaningful.

We were supposed to go on a proper date, but on one of our walks she asked me if I wanted kids. I told her honestly that, at this stage in my life, I don’t. I’ve never felt a strong internal pull toward having children, and the more I sit with it, the more I think I may want to be child-free regardless of circumstances.

She called me afterward and said my answer had really thrown her because having a family is one of her biggest priorities. It was a sad conversation. Neither of us did anything wrong. There was no lack of chemistry, no red flag, no bad behavior. Just a major life incompatibility showing up early.

I sent her a message saying that I didn’t want to be vague or misleading about something so important, and that it was probably best not to continue seeing each other. I meant it. I still think it was the mature and fair thing to say.

But now I’m finding myself really sad about it.

We didn’t spend a ton of time together, but the time we did spend felt impactful. I feel disappointed that I won’t get to keep learning who she is. It almost feels like I miss her, even though I barely got to know her. Part of me feels like I’m letting someone really special go, and there’s this romantic urge to reach back out and say something like: “This hit me harder than I expected. The glimpses of you I saw got me excited in a way I haven’t felt in a long time, and I’d like to keep exploring this if you’re open to it.”

But the other part of me knows that may just be grief bargaining. Unless my stance on kids has actually changed, reaching back out might only blur a line that was painful but necessary.

I guess I’m wondering: have any of you experienced this kind of early-stage connection where the feelings were real, but a core incompatibility made it unworkable? How did you deal with the feeling that you might be letting someone rare go, even when you know the long-term issue is serious?