How Not to Fake an Illness

“..but you don’t look sick.”

Ugh, I can’t begin to count how many times I’ve heard this over the last 5 years. Shortly after MyLove and I were married, we discovered I had Chronic Kidney Disease. Long story short, my kidneys were no longer filtering correctly. Their function has ebbed and flowed like the stock market. Sometimes they have dropped significantly, only to rally and lead me to believe I was in the clear.

In recent months, I’ve felt really rotten. I have battled with healthcare professionals to give me some kind of answer. My stay in the heart hospital was brushed off as acid reflux, my fatigue was simply a side effect of my depression. While this may have been the case for some, I knew better. I know my depression. I’m sort of an expert at it since I’ve battled it since my teens. THIS, this fatigue was not part of my depression. And I’m pretty damn sure that acid reflux does not land you in the heart hospital for THREE days. With a simple eyeroll and swish of a pen, I was dismissed. Just. Like.That.

I begged and pleaded with a nurse practitioner, send me somewhere, anywhere, anyone. I didn’t care, just help me find someone who will truly listen. Cue the harp strings and angelic voices, I found a doctor who not only listened, but had answers. I had a diagnosis, I actually had more than one. [Autoimmune diseases tend to hang out with other autoimmune diseases; you don’t typically just have one.] I have a B12 deficiency, Fibromyalgia and Ankylosing Spondylitis. Stir that all up with some kidney disease and you get a pretty pitiful me.

The fatigue is overwhelming. The pain, constant and persistent. But, I don’t look  sick. Upon closer examination, you may discover the plethora of medications have caused hair loss. MyLove jokes about my eyes clicking* when we’re trying to settle in for a night’s sleep. And sleep, oh that jokester. Some days all I want to do is sleep, and at night, not a wink. I catch a nap occasionally, but it does not recharge my batteries. It’s as if I’m a defective cell phone cord, never fully charging. The wicked humor of my disease, when I’m idle too long the pain is excruciating. If I try to do too much, and I’m run down for days after. A roller coaster that makes you scream in anticipation and nauseous all at the same time.

While I’m busy trying to stay busy, the stuff that is supposed to keep my body held together, is quietly screaming inside. The medication designed to help alleviate the worst of it, makes me more miserable. No, this is indeed how to NOT fake an illness. This is how to fake fine. I don’t want pity or to look pitiful. My pride screams in a voice that resembles mine. I want my normal life back. I want to scream over the wasted years, I squandered my health as if it would always be well.

It’s in the screaming and noise of self-pity that I find my new-normal. I’ve discovered that I am a work-in-progress on MANY chapters of my life. My resume has now been altered, subtracted and added to. I don’t have the course perfectly laid out in front of me. And being the rebel I am, I would have thumbed my nose at the ‘best laid plans’ and go it my own way, anyway.  I’ve met people on a parallel path, it is a beautiful symphony of tears and cheers. We have become fighters for our own health AND our diseases. While I am no expert on the disease, I’m becoming an expert on my diseases. Trust your gut, your inner voice, press in and press on. You are your greatest advocate. Fight for YOU!!!

Life is a journey with rough terrains, smooth sailing, rocking the boat, dancing in the rain… and some days, you just fake it to make it.

[* that clicking noise, persistent dry eyes and Uveitis]