reBlog from Connie on Monday, September 7th, 2009: 30 Things About My Invisible Illness | My Chronic Life

I found this fascinating quote today:

1. The illness I live with is: Myasthenia Gravis, Sjogren’s Syndrome, Fibromyalgia, Rheumatoid Arthritis and Ulcerative Colitis. 2. I was diagnosed with it in the year: with UC in 1985, with MG in 2000, the rest 2001 or the year later. 3. But I had symptoms since: 19844 for the UC 4. The biggest adjustment I’ve had to make is: not being able to work and giving up my active lifestlye 5. Most people assume: I’m not sick 6. The hardest part about mornings are: waking up because I’m so tired 7. My favorite medical TV show is: House 8. A gadget I couldn’t live without is: my laptop 9. The hardest part about nights are: pain and insomnia 10. Each day I take __ pills & vitamins. (No comments, please) 36 11. Regarding alternative treatments I: am not able to try them because of the medications I am on for Myasthenia Gravis. There are many interactions for a certain prescription I take. 12. If I had to choose between an invisible illness or visible I would choose: visible so more people would understand 13. Regarding working and career: I’m sad that I can’t continue working in the career I chose for myself. I’m happy that I can work as a blogger though. 14. People would be surprised to know: that I’m in pain almost all the time. 15. The hardest thing to accept about my new reality has been: that I have to rely on other people for simple things. 16. Something I never thought I could do with my illness that I did was: attend a conference. 17. The commercials about my illness: re: Fibromyalgia and RA - make it seem like a pill or shot cures the disease. 18. Something I really miss doing since I was diagnosed is: dancing, drinking  a few beers, running, walking as much as I want to 19. It was really hard to have to give up: working 20. A new hobby I have taken up since my diagnosis is: blogging and photography 21. If I could have one day of feeling normal again I would: spend it with my family, listening to loud music, dancing, cooking and eating all day long 22. My illness has taught me: to appreciate every moment 23. Want to know a secret? One thing people say that gets under my skin is: you look great! 24. But I love it when people: recognize that most of the things I do take me a lot of effort 25. My favorite motto, scripture, quote that gets me through tough times is: I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Philipians 4:13 26. When someone is diagnosed I’d like to tell them: find a doctor who is supportive and knowledgeable and a support system 27. Something that has surprised me about living with an illness is: how understanding my husband and family are 28. The nicest thing someone did for me when I wasn’t feeling well was: take my daughter, who was much younger for play dates so she didn’t have to sit home while I slept 29. I’m involved with Invisible Illness Week because: it’s so important for people to understand about us, what our lives are like, what we go through each day and how they can support us 30. The fact that you read this list makes me feel: fantastic!Connie on Monday, September 7th, 2009, 30 Things About My Invisible Illness | My Chronic Life, Sep 2009

You should read the whole article.