Irritable Bowel Syndrome Message Boards | Can anyone relate to keepin up a normal facade?

I can really relate. It seems only people who have this problem or who are very close to use and see how it affects us daily can really understand what a toll it takes. I feel I have been keeping so many people at a distance both socially and in my career because I've found generally lots of people don't comprehend what IBS does to your life. I mean, it's not even possible for me to go to someone's house for dinner without bringing my own food because between IBS, acid reflux and food allergies what I can eat without making me sick is severely limited. And every time I go out I have to be aware of where the bathrooms are because there's a good chance I'm going to need one desperately for an extended period of time. I feel extremely lucky to have an understanding husband but I do feel that IBS has limited my life in lots of ways. My social life is almost non-existant and my career too has been limited by my inability to travel and makes plans I can keep (because I just don't know how I'll be on the day). Truly, I think most people have no idea how hard we have to work to look "normal."

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