The victim of any Chronic illness will readily understand the following:
"Hey, how are you today? Are you feeling any better?" - The dreaded opening sentence of basically everyone you have to socially interact with.
You then have two options:
1) I'm fine.
2) No, I'm really not.
The first one you're blatantly lying through your teeth on.. but by then you're so fed up of the same old rhetoric that you just smile and wave. The people close can spot it a mile off. Others, not so. Some will just gloss over it, others will stop you then and there.
The second option causes a variance of retorts from the patronising "Oh you'll be fine, just give it time" to "Oh no, aren't you ever well?" or how about the famous.. "You're still ill? But you look better!" Then there's that horrible awkwardness afterward, when they ask you to elaborate and you either feel majorly attention seeking, or you're now then boring the pants off the person who asked the question.
You also get this strangely odd feeling, as if you have to validate it. If you're out of the house for an hour or two purely to stop the madness from setting in, or you have a little energy for a change. It's like a slight guilty feeling from the fact you don't look like you're sick for a change.
Lately I've given up on trying to respond full stop. I've had a multitude of health issues again, that I'm just battling on with. (FYI This isn't a cry for attention, it's just life.) I'm no different to a vast percentage of the population. In fact, after recent events, I'm feeling quite bloody lucky to have been dealt the cards that I have.
This is just a little blogpost to tell people to be kind to all - You don't always know what's going on behind that smile and wave.
"Hey, how are you today? Are you feeling any better?" - The dreaded opening sentence of basically everyone you have to socially interact with.
You then have two options:
1) I'm fine.
2) No, I'm really not.
The first one you're blatantly lying through your teeth on.. but by then you're so fed up of the same old rhetoric that you just smile and wave. The people close can spot it a mile off. Others, not so. Some will just gloss over it, others will stop you then and there.
The second option causes a variance of retorts from the patronising "Oh you'll be fine, just give it time" to "Oh no, aren't you ever well?" or how about the famous.. "You're still ill? But you look better!" Then there's that horrible awkwardness afterward, when they ask you to elaborate and you either feel majorly attention seeking, or you're now then boring the pants off the person who asked the question.
You also get this strangely odd feeling, as if you have to validate it. If you're out of the house for an hour or two purely to stop the madness from setting in, or you have a little energy for a change. It's like a slight guilty feeling from the fact you don't look like you're sick for a change.
Lately I've given up on trying to respond full stop. I've had a multitude of health issues again, that I'm just battling on with. (FYI This isn't a cry for attention, it's just life.) I'm no different to a vast percentage of the population. In fact, after recent events, I'm feeling quite bloody lucky to have been dealt the cards that I have.
This is just a little blogpost to tell people to be kind to all - You don't always know what's going on behind that smile and wave.
