I can't say how many days I've felt this way! nothing like some sarcasm to make you go "ha! So I'm not the only one who had this thought!" sometimes its rough when people make it seem like those with debilitating illnesses have it easy - they always get to nap and get to miss work! but believe me... we would much rather be feeling good and get to live a "normal" day to day life. it's not like we get to go wild and skip work and daily life because we're out doing crazy, fun things. no, most of the time we're stuck in our beds, tired and sick and just wishing that we would feel better and that the pain would go away.
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#2: "Tell me you hope I'm "feeling better" once more & I'll rip your eyes out. Incurable chronic illness doesn't get "better," ASSHOLE.
Maybe the "asshole" is a bit harsh, wouldn't surprise me if this was made after some bad encounter with someone who didn't really understand. But the rest of it I totally understand. The average person doesn't understand that you won't get "better" when it's a chronic thing. It's kind of disappointing every time someone says they hope you "get better" or "feel better" because you want to believe them but in the back of your head you know that this is your life, you're going to have this illness for a very very very long time, and "better" isn't being in good health it just means having your illness be more managed or better under control - it's still always there.
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#3: Finally appetite enough to eat, not enough hand strength to open peanut butter jar
can't tell you how many times this happened to me and others I know with chronic conditions! after you finally have a moment when the nausea goes away and you get your appetite back, the fatigue and muscle weakness just don't give you the energy or strength enough to eat. it's a vicious cycle.. there is no winning.
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#4: I'm sick and tired of being so sick and tired
no explanation needed.
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#5. dating me is going to be so much fun. and by "fun" I mean "I have chronic illness and you'll have to take care of me." weeeee!
dating with a chronic illness is by no means "easy." last minute cancellations, not being able to eat just anything on the menu at a restaurant, being too tired to go out and do anything adventurous, never being able to be spontaneous. it's frustrating not being able to date like everybody else. I don't want to be a "boring" date. just going on a date is so rare, you can forget about having a boyfriend! looks like the lonely single life for me. I used to date, and had boyfriends before my onset of symptoms, but now I rarely go out. its just too hard to explain and there's definitely guilt about getting serious with someone. I don't want them to feel like they need to take care of me or have to deal with my illness.
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#6. tell me "but you LOOK good" once more and I will rip your eyes out. just because someone looks "good," it doesn't mean they FEEL good.
this just sums up everything perfectly! never judge people on looks, there are so much to people beyond looks. ever heard of don't judge a book by its cover? well it applies to people too.
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#7. Auto-immune disease, because the only thing tough enough to kick my ass is me
YES! I love this one because it has a different vibe then most of them that come across as complaining, frustrated, upset, infuriated. This one just shows strength with a hint of humor. I love it, love it, love it! The people with these illnesses may be physically weak and struggle a lot, but because of that, they are some seriously strong people and should not be underestimated. just because someone is sick in no way means they are "weak."
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#8. Why are there never any good side effects? just once I'd like to read a medication bottle that says, "May cause extreme sexiness."
side effects: a definite negative to necessary treatment. as someone who is on over a dozen prescriptions, let me be not the first or last to say that most of the side effects seem way worse than my illness. insomnia, loss of appetite, vomiting, diarrhea (even up to months after medication is stopped), fever, chills, loss of fertility, tremors, headaches, stomach pain, sleep driving (believe me, this is an actual thing... crazy right? like how often did that have to happen that they had to include it on the printout CVS staples to the prescription bag?), blindness, deafness, acne, rashes, worsening pain, and even death. uhhh... so this stuff is actually supposed to help me right? and we'll just cross our fingers that it actually helps me with its intended use and none of the bad stuff happens? but what do I do if some of the terrible things happen? is it work the risk? then, I remember it is completely medically necessary for me to take these medications otherwise my condition will progress much worse. so there's not really much of a choice. so looks like I just have to keep crossing my fingers that none of the terrible side effects happen. I really enjoy the use of this meme. the first sentence just talks about the seriousness of side effects, and they wrap it up with a lighthearted joke. I mean after all, who wouldn't mind some extreme sexiness?
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#9. you know you've got a chronic illness when your medical chart comes in several volumes
well, I just cant agree with this enough. all the doctor's appointments, I feel like I'm there every week. they pull out my file, from just this past year, and the thing is inches thick! I don't even know exactly what is in all of there, but I know there's copies of prescriptions (with all my prescriptions, no wonder why its so thick), doctor's personal notes, x-ray and MRI results, blood tests, urine tests, and just about every other test known to man.
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#10. but you look so healthy! NO.
nothing like the grumpy cat to get out some frustration. reminds me of #6. "looking healthy" doesn't mean you're actually healthy. looks can be deceiving and people with invisible illness struggle with this hurdle all the time. often they are not recognized or given as much support as those with visible conditions.
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#11. I've wasted so much of my life waiting for the doctor
a problem of people with chronic or invisible illnesses is that you are always always always always at the doctor. and that means spending a lot of time in waiting rooms. how much could they do with all the time spent at the doctors? probably a lot.
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my thoughts on the meme movement's
impact on illness....
As someone with a chronic illness, this meme made me laugh. It makes light of a serious dilemma using some humor. I think it accurately sums up the feelings of someone with a chronic condition or any sort of disability.
I think the use of memes, a current trend across the internet, it useful in helping people with chronic or invisible disabilities make others understand, vent and get out their frustrations, and share some lighthearted laughs. I think that this can be helpful in someone's struggle. The world can be a serious, cold place when it comes to ignorant people who don't understand these illnesses. It's a healthy way to get out some frustrations and shed some light on certain situations. It helps people with chronic conditions find one another. Finding these things on shared spaced on the internet can help people make connections with others who are like them and it can give them a sense that they are not alone. Although people with invisible illnesses and serious chronic conditions are the minority, through things like this they are able to establish a sense of community. they can share experiences and life struggles and find a new support system that can help them with the circumstances of their life.
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