16 Things You Learn Having A Chronic Illness

All the helpful, funny, dumb, and sometimes shocking things you learn having a chronic illness

1. Sometimes illness is invisible.

Chronic illness is rarely something that makes you stand out of a crowd. Instead it's passed along through awkward conversations to aquintances. Or acknowledging "so and so told me you have...." and then pretending it makes you feel better when they tell you their *distant family member* has *most likely unrelated chronic illness,* too.

2. Or maybe you just get really good at hiding how you feel.

Someecards

Sometimes it's to attend something special, or be with someone special, but most of the time, it's just to get through a normal day.

3. The spoon theory really starts to hit home.

..and might even make it easier to explain how you deal with your illness to others.

4. "Recovery" or "Stability" is rarely as easy as it sounds.

...and no thanks...I don't just need your supplement or yoga....

5. Learning their may not be a treatment for you, or that the ones that should work don't, is hard.

Knowing your a guinea pig can make you feel like your helping the cause, but isn't exactly fun.

6. Not everyone is going to understand.

....and for everytime I've heard one of the above....I'd be a bingo millionaire!

7. But finding friends with the same illness can make it 1,000 times more barrable.

They tend to know what to say and can just "be there." Maybe it's someone close or maybe someone far away, or maybe just a support group...but they are there...and your not so alone anymore.

8. Making promises feels like a HUGE gamble.

Breaking promises at first feels likes you're going to lose everyone by letting them down, but as you go on, you realize it's the real loved ones that stick around and understand. Doesn't mean it doesn't sucks though.

9. You get really good at spotting the good doctors.

You can tell if your appt is going to be worth while within the first 2 min. ...and can spot a good nurse from a mile away!

10. Switching doctor's can be ..... complicated

Oh. My. Goodness. Explaining the disaster that is your life.... multiple times... And gathering the evidence to support it.... Is complicated mess.... Make that a 5 spoon expenditure!

11. Being a self-advocate is so important!

Knowing your illness is so so so important! ...and makes you feel smart.

12. You suddenly have a pill-taking routine, that sometimes turns on auto-pilot.

Pills pills pills pills.... The joys.

13. All the food knowledge you will learn...whether it's required or not.

Trying to explain why you can't do a fad diet gets old. Not on a diet for your illness?...have fun with all the suggestions from everyone and their sister!

14. Reading your body becomes a full time job.

The Awkward Yeti / Via theawkwardyeti.com

It's not always a exact sience, but you get damn good at it.

15. You start to cherish the moments that you just feel "normal."

What even is normal? Idk, but sometimes being "weird" is overrated.