Living with a disability of any kind already feels like life is throwing a curve ball at you, but add in the fact that it's not visible to others and also being a full-time college student, and it feels like... an even curvier curve ball? I don't know, I'm not good at sports analogies.
The point is, being busy with life while also being chronically ill really sucks. It takes a toll like no one else can understand unless they live through it. I have Crohn's Disease, a digestive disease that no one else can see from the outside -- unless people saying "Wow, you look so skinny!" counts. (Thanks, I'm trying this new thing where my insides are bleeding and I can't absorb my food properly. I love your shoes!)
For some reason, unless you're visibly crippled or in a wheelchair, people don't see you as disabled. There's not a lot of grace given to people that "look fine," which makes navigating college with a disease like this extra challenging. If you're a student with a chronic disease or invisible disability, you've probably experienced these scenarios.
1. Scheduling Doctor Appointments Around Classes
Sorry, Nancy. I know my appointment is at 10 a.m. but I already told you I don't get out of class until 9:50 a.m., so please stop leaving me voice mails to remind me. I'll get there when I get there, sorry not sorry.
2. Scheduling Blood Tests Around Classes And Doctor Appointments
You know why this is different than the last one. Why can't I just kill two birds with one stone and get my blood drawn at the doctor's office? Why do you need to complicate my life even more?
3. Dealing With Disability Services At Your School
No, Debra, you don't need my doctor to write exactly what diagnosis I have in order to put my disability on file. That is a HIPAA violation. Trust me, just because I am walking and breathing in front of you does not mean I don't have a disease.
4. Dealing With That One Prof That Blatantly Disregards The Disability You Have On File
Why did I even file a disability document that tells my professors I am allowed to be late to school due to my digestive issues if you're going to look at me and tell me maybe I could get to school on time if I woke up earlier? Hello, what time I wake up does not magically make my guts work the way they are supposed to. And no, I do not owe you an explanation about my condition; that's personal. Would you ask someone in a wheelchair why they're late? Or suggest to them to just "wake up earlier"? Or furthermore, would you ask someone in a wheelchair why they're in a wheelchair?
5. No, I Don't Want To Hangout
OK, I do want to hangout with my friends. But honestly, I just don't feel up to it sometimes. I feel so exhausted and drained from dealing with all of the above that I'd rather just lie on the couch in my living room and watch MTV's Teen Mom OG, you feel me?
I want to apologize to everyone living with an invisible disability and send you all virtual hugs. We are the toughest people I know, so I know we can get through this.
