Shamelessly stolen from Annaham…
I agree, also, w/ her sentiment…Awareness isn’t enough. Take that w/ as much salt as you need to digest.
1. The illness I live with is: Fibromyalgia (as far as anyone will admit thus far, testing is still pending)
2. I was diagnosed with it in the year: 2007 (also, see above)
3. But I have had symptoms since: 2005
4. The biggest adjustment I’ve had to make is: Admitting that I need rest/help, and not being too hard on myself.
5. Most people assume: If they can’t see it then it isn’t real. Also, it must all be in my head. Oh, and that pills = bad.
6. The hardest part about mornings is: moving…and sometimes the fog.
7. My favorite medical TV show is: House, cuz, ya know, it’s never Lupus.
8. A gadget I couldn’t live without is: My lappy.
9. The hardest part about nights is: Falling asleep. Full Stop.
10. Each day I take: 2-3 pills, and vitamins. (this is what I should be on…and hopefully now that I have a referral it will resume)
11. Regarding alternative treatments I: have tried some that haven’t worked (hypnotherapy, physical therapy, electric shock therapy…not the debunked kind from old mental hospitals), and some that have (chiropractic care by someone used to dealing w/ chronic pain patients). I also want to try acupuncture…but am afraid.
12. If I had to choose between an invisible illness or visible I would choose: is this a trick question?
13. Regarding working and career: Once I figure what I want to be when I grow up I hope I can find a way to do it while being sensitive to my body’s needs.
14. People would be surprised to know: That is affects me way more than they will ever realize.
15. The hardest thing to accept about my new reality has been: Peoples’ stupidity is harder to deal with than the actual physical pain. *good one Anna. Also, my friend’s almost intentional dismissal of my reality.
16. Something I never thought I could do with my illness that I did was: Stand up for myself.
17. The commercials about my illness: Bug the SHIT out of me. They feed into the stereotype that I am not living w/ a serious condition, or that there is some magical cure. Or diagnosis.
18. Something I really miss doing since I was diagnosed is: Swimming…and, yes, running.
19. It was really hard to have to give up: doing everything for myself.
20. A new hobby I have taken up since my diagnosis is: Blogging. Seriously…it gave me an outlet that I didn’t realize I needed.
21. If I could have one day of feeling normal again I would: Go see parts of Korea we want to and be able to make it home without crying on the subway.
22. My illness has taught me: to be a little less hard on myself…to accept me for who I am…and to love my body just the way it is (I am still working on that last part).
23. Want to know a secret? One thing people say that gets under my skin is: You should try positive thinking (O RLY? I never thought of that). Also, that diet and exercise is somehow going to magically fix me. Thanks, moron.
24. But I love it when people: Are not afraid to admit that there are things about disability that they don’t know, without also expecting that I’ll play the role of Magical Disabled Person Who Teaches Them a Lesson About Life. *word, Annaham.
25. My favorite motto, scripture, quote that gets me through tough times is: I am not sure that I have one. Maybe, “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life“?
26. When someone is diagnosed I’d like to tell them: It’s not the end of the world.
27. Something that has surprised me about living with an illness is: that suddenly everyone is a doctor. But even actual Med School grads can be intentionally obtuse morons.
28. The nicest thing someone did for me when I wasn’t feeling well was: It really is the little things.
29. I’m involved with Invisible Illness Week because: Awareness just isn’t enough; in some cases, it breeds complacency.
30. The fact that you read this list makes me feel: Thankful that I have so many friends who will care enough to learn more.
Find out more about National Invisible Chronic Illness Awareness Week and the 5-day free virtual conference with 20 speakers Sept 14-18, 2009 at www.invisibleillness.com
This is a test comment b/c I changed my Gravatar.
“The hardest thing to accept about my new reality has been: Also, my friend’s almost intentional dismissal of my reality.” This. I think I may be dealing with this too and it’s really hard to accept.
Pingback: Raven’s Eye