what's an "invisible" illness?

An invisible illness is anything that doesn't qualify as a 'visible' illness or disability. It's something that you can't sense or see with your own eyes. Invisible disability varies widely. People with an invisible disability vary widely. For some, this means they may not use an assistive device - a walker, a wheelchair, a cane, crutches, etc. These people can look like anybody else; they "don't look sick." But on the inside, these people can have very serious conditions.

examples of invisible illnesses
obviously, every single invisible illness cannot be listed. some are rare, some are common, and there is everything in between. but, it can't hurt to give some examples so that it will help people understand invisible illness and it's wide variety of forms. Invisible illness comes in all different sorts of shapes and sizes. So here are some invisible illnesses...

• lupus
• this condition causes autoimmune problems and inconsistent symptoms. the immune system attacks its own tissues and organs. people with lupus can be infected by various types of inflammation to the joints, skin, heart, lungs, and other organs. people are often misdiagnosed or go undiagnosed for a long period of time because the symptoms can mimic other diseases and problems.
• crohn's disease
• with a variety of symptoms including weight loss, cramps, constipation, diarrhea, fever, anemia, nutritional deficiencies, and many more, Crohn's becomes difficult to diagnose because many of these symptoms can be caused by other factors. They have to effectively rule out other conditions before coming up with a diagnosis, a series of tests have to be done involving blood, antibodies, endoscopic procedures, and stool samples.
• parkinson's disease
• while later staged Parkinson's is much easier to identify and diagnose, it is much more difficult to determine in the early stages. there are no precise tests that a doctor can do to determine Parkinson's, most of it is done by ruling out other diseases and judging from a doctor's experience and standpoint. many of the symptoms of Parkinson's are not precise, and can include but are not limited to tremor, stiff muscles, slow movement, weakness of throat/face muscles, walking difficulty, decreased dexterity, muscle/joint cramps, increased sweating, low blood pressure, dementia, and confusion.
• multiple sclerosis
• multiple sclerosis, like all of the above mentioned illnesses, do not have one precise test. it requires a specialist to diagnose MS. multiple sclerosis, commonly abbreviated as MS, can cause damage to the brain or spinal cord. depending on where the damage was, the symptoms can vary. some of these symptoms can include muscle weakness or stiffness, blurred or foggy vision, blindness, tingling sensation, numbness, lightheadedness, dizziness, vertigo, urinary incontinence, constipation and bowel disorders, sexual dysfunctions, memory loss, reduced attention span, depression, anxiety, and fatigue.
• lyme disease
• Lyme disease, can be acute or chronic depending on the timeframe from start of infection to diagnosis. this is a tick-borne disease, or in some cases can be given from a mother to her fetus. Lyme usually manifests in flu-like symptoms, joint pain and a red bulls eye rash, although many who are ill with the disease say they have never gotten such a rash and were unaware that they have been bitten by a tick. the diagnosing process is complicated by unreliable tests and widespread misinformation about the disease. in the later, chronic stages, Lyme can be characterized by severe joint pain, muscle pain and weakness, whole body pain, memory loss, difficulty concentrating, dizziness, confusion, difficulty sleeping, and much more.

Get Well Health

characteristic of most of these invisible illnesses is the fact that they all lack reliable, precise tests. coincidence? probably not. there's a lack of information and proper testing of invisible illnesses.