There’s an experience so many people who live with chronic, invisible conditions have in common: that moment when someone looks at you and, upon hearing you have an illness, exclaims, “But you don’t look sick!”
This phrase can be taken multiple ways. Some choose to take it as a compliment; others feel it undermines the (very real) symptoms they feel and questions the validity of their diagnosis. In any case, the phrase often reveals that the person who said it doesn’t understand how appearances and a smile don’t necessarily indicate how you feel when you have a chronic illness.
The problem with so many people who live in my world of chronic illness is that we never fake being ill — but we’re masters at faking being well.
Check out my latest podcast episode where I talk about my experience with this and how you can get others to understand lupus symptoms.
Please feel free to send me a message.
Blessings,
Gina
