So, I know it's been over a month since my last post. I always have the best intentions of trying to blog more often but, life and time tends to get the best of me! I planned on doing a big health update for those who have been asking and that keep up with this blog, but for now I will be making a short blog entry because:
It's INVISIBLE ILLNESS AWARENESS WEEK!!!
September 28th - October 4th 2015 is Invisible Illness Awareness Week. Invisible illnesses are chronic conditions that are deemed "invisible" to the public eye. Did you know that 96% of all illnesses are considered to be invisible? Meaning that there are no outward or visible signs or clues. You can't tell the size of the storm that my body is in on a daily basis, just by looking at me. My organs and body systems don't function the way that they should, but you wouldn't be tell that about me if you only simply looked at me. This is what I mean when I say I have "invisible illnesses." If you were to turn my body inside out, it would tell you an entirely different story.
However, invisible illnesses aren't always technically invisible. In my case, I use a wheelchair. However in the past, I didn't always used to need a wheelchair. So back then, my illnesses, for the most part, were invisible. But today, my illnesses have become noticeable to the public eye because of my wheelchair.
The four words that I hear so much of the time is, "You look so good!" I know that people have the best intentions when they tell me this, but sometimes, it's just another reminder that they can't see how I feel. My illnesses may appear invisible to you (for the most part) but they couldn't be any more visible or obvious to me. But because people can't see just how sick I am by looking at me, there comes a lot of the "you can't really be that sick." Those of us who are facing invisible illnesses not only have to deal with the physical struggles but the emotional and mental struggles as well. As if dealing with physical symptoms weren't enough, we often have to fight to get people to even believe us. We fight to get some people in the medical profession to believe us because when test after test after test come back "normal" the doctors start to believe so too. The same goes for family and friends, because they look at us and they see nothing wrong with us at all, because they can't see what's going on internally. In their defense, we look just like everyone else, for the most part. But it just goes to show, that you can't judge someone based on what you can't see. We fight an endless battle with our bodies and the last thing we need is to fight more battles just to get people to believe us. A funny quote that I read, regarding this topic is, "If we were faking our illnesses, don't you think we would of picked something that people would believe?" In all seriousness, there needs to be more awareness about invisible illnesses.
There have been several stories that went viral (though this type of things happens more often than you would think) about people who have received mean or nasty comments because they have parked in a handicap spot but didn't "look to be handicap." But what does handicap even look like? To truly be "handicap" does that mean you must be in a wheelchair? (Although the international symbol for disabilities, disabled, and handicap doesn't help this situation considering it's a blue sign featuring a person in a wheelchair.) But just because one isn't in a wheelchair, doesn't mean they're not disabled. Majority of the time, these people are fighting invisible illnesses. That just because they're not in a wheelchair, doesn't lessen their need for a handicap placard to park in handicapped parking. You have no clue what type of battle that person could be fighting.
But how are we supposed to blame the ones that leave the nasty, hurtful comments if they don't know what invisible illnesses are or the fact that they even exist? These people probably (and hopefully) have never heard of invisible illnesses. Most likely, they have no clue that someone could truly be so ill to the point where they need handicapped parking, but not need a wheelchair. If there were more awareness, and more of the general public knew about invisible illnesses, maybe there wouldn't be as many stories about these hateful and mean comments so many invisible illness fighters are receiving.
As a part of Invisible Illness Awareness Week I made the following three pictures:
However, invisible illnesses aren't always technically invisible. In my case, I use a wheelchair. However in the past, I didn't always used to need a wheelchair. So back then, my illnesses, for the most part, were invisible. But today, my illnesses have become noticeable to the public eye because of my wheelchair.
The four words that I hear so much of the time is, "You look so good!" I know that people have the best intentions when they tell me this, but sometimes, it's just another reminder that they can't see how I feel. My illnesses may appear invisible to you (for the most part) but they couldn't be any more visible or obvious to me. But because people can't see just how sick I am by looking at me, there comes a lot of the "you can't really be that sick." Those of us who are facing invisible illnesses not only have to deal with the physical struggles but the emotional and mental struggles as well. As if dealing with physical symptoms weren't enough, we often have to fight to get people to even believe us. We fight to get some people in the medical profession to believe us because when test after test after test come back "normal" the doctors start to believe so too. The same goes for family and friends, because they look at us and they see nothing wrong with us at all, because they can't see what's going on internally. In their defense, we look just like everyone else, for the most part. But it just goes to show, that you can't judge someone based on what you can't see. We fight an endless battle with our bodies and the last thing we need is to fight more battles just to get people to believe us. A funny quote that I read, regarding this topic is, "If we were faking our illnesses, don't you think we would of picked something that people would believe?" In all seriousness, there needs to be more awareness about invisible illnesses.
There have been several stories that went viral (though this type of things happens more often than you would think) about people who have received mean or nasty comments because they have parked in a handicap spot but didn't "look to be handicap." But what does handicap even look like? To truly be "handicap" does that mean you must be in a wheelchair? (Although the international symbol for disabilities, disabled, and handicap doesn't help this situation considering it's a blue sign featuring a person in a wheelchair.) But just because one isn't in a wheelchair, doesn't mean they're not disabled. Majority of the time, these people are fighting invisible illnesses. That just because they're not in a wheelchair, doesn't lessen their need for a handicap placard to park in handicapped parking. You have no clue what type of battle that person could be fighting.
But how are we supposed to blame the ones that leave the nasty, hurtful comments if they don't know what invisible illnesses are or the fact that they even exist? These people probably (and hopefully) have never heard of invisible illnesses. Most likely, they have no clue that someone could truly be so ill to the point where they need handicapped parking, but not need a wheelchair. If there were more awareness, and more of the general public knew about invisible illnesses, maybe there wouldn't be as many stories about these hateful and mean comments so many invisible illness fighters are receiving.
As a part of Invisible Illness Awareness Week I made the following three pictures:
- In (the collage) or the first picture, you can visibly see that I'm very ill in the blurred pictures, but you can't see that I can also be really sick in the "selfies" or the pictures of myself outside of the hospital. I wanted people to see that, technically, I'm sick in every single one of those pictures, but you can only tell in the ones of me in the hospital. That is what invisible illnesses are.
- In the middle picture, I took a picture of something I usually, and before now used to not show, my medicines. As of right now (10/15) I have a list of 34 different medications, calling from 35-50+ pills a day, a minimum of several nebulized medications a day, and depending on the day I can end up on my machine almost all day long. I have a group of injections, inhalers, and other medical needs. I wanted to share this picture and this part of my life, because how am I supposed to share my story and try to let people see what my life is, if I hide one of the biggest parts?
- The third (and final) picture is one of me sitting on a flight of stairs. Invisible illnesses can make what once were simple tasks, such as walking up or down the stairs, to now become daunting tasks. They become challenging, painful, and on some days, impossible. Climbing up the stairs, sometimes, now becomes the equivalent to climbing Mt. Everest. Although this is just one little battle compared to all the other ones I fight on a daily basis.
Invisible Illnesses turn the life of the one diagnosed, completely upside down. Our bodies do a complete 180° turn and suddenly nothing becomes the same again. We're thrust into a world of doctors, hospitals, needles, pain, and sickness all while remaining the same on the outside. We must now keep up with the stigma that we can never show the hard parts, the feeling that we can only show smiles and happiness, despite now living in a world of pain and darkness. We fight to be taken seriously, as if we would actually do something so crude, such as fake our illnesses. We're fighting for our lives in ways people can't see.
P.S. Guess this blog post wasn't so short after all! ☺