IBS doesn't just affect your body, it affects your whole life. When you suffer from something as long-term and as difficult to treat as IBS, almost every aspect of your life is altered.
Food - this one goes without saying. I can't eat pizza, bread, pasta, doughnuts, cheeseburgers. I don't eat anything anymore because I want to; everything is evaluated according to how much damage it may inflict on me rather than the pleasure it might give.
Friends - by my count I have had at least three friendships end because of IBS, directly or indirectly. Some friendships can't survive the fact that I'm an old grumpy guts when I'm ill. Some get trashed when I can't travel, or stay overnight, and some just end because I can't pretend to be happy all the time.
Travel - I don't. I kept travelling until I was 20, but the final horrors of a choir trip to Hungary and almost crapping myself in a back street put an end to that idea.
Work - I work from home because of IBS. I nearly lost my first proper job because of IBS. I could never do shift work, or night work, because of IBS.
Entertainment - I don't go to things if it means getting up very early in the morning, or staying out very late at night. I don't drink alcohol. Mostly I stay at home and watch TV.
IBS takes over everything. I try very hard not to be eaten alive, but it's difficult.
I've found that IBS just wears me out both physically and emotionally. When one's digestive system is on one's mind so much, who feels like going out and having fun?
I've been reading through your blog and website for the past two days and it's made me feel so much better. I don't personally know anyone who also has IBS that I can relate to. I'm 21 and I've had IBS with constipation since I was 18.
I wouldn't say I've had any friendships end because of IBS, but I've missed out on seeing friends during summer breaks from college because I was feeling too sick to go out. I also cannot travel because I get terrible cramps and can't have a bowl movement if I'm staying in an unfamiliar place. Last summer I stayed in a hotel for the weekend for an anime convention with my boyfriend and two friends. To make a long story short, I was miserable the whole time and could hardly eat at all. I felt so bad because I felt like I made my friends have a bad time as well. They all said they weren't made at me, but it was still embarrassing.
Anyway, thanks for sharing your experiences.