Living with an invisible illness while being a full-time college student is one of the most challenging things I have done in my life. You look like a normal person on the outside, but on the inside you may feel like poo every single day and the people around you have no idea.

This is the first time I have ever been open about my illness on any sort of online forum before. Okay, so I may tweet about it sometimes, but I have never shared my full story with the world. Living with a chronic invisible illness is not the easiest walk in the park, especially when all of your problems haven’t been diagnosed yet or simply cannot be explained.

So for those of you who struggle with invisible illness will (hopefully) be able to relate with these six things along with me!

Every day is different

One day you could be in crippling pain, another you could be tired as all get out or you could feel like a million bucks. But there isn’t always telling how the next day is going to be.

Lots of doctor's appointments

Countless appointments where they stick you with needles to draw the eight vials of blood

they “need” to run a number of new tests on you that they haven’t tried before that may or may not explain your symptoms and why you’re feeling the way you do.

The "I don't want to leave my bed" days

And don’t forget those "Grey’s Anatomy" reruns that make you forget about your pain and fatigue because you’re focusing on someone else’s.

Meds on meds on meds

Because each doctor has you on a medicine they think will help to alleviate your symptoms, but the day one of them decides you don’t need a certain prescription anymore is like Christmas!

"But you don't look sick"

It happens much more than you think. Sometimes your friends and family don’t understand that just because you look well doesn’t mean you are, because most days you are constantly fighting with your own body. And when they all want to go out and have fun you might have to listen to your body and say no, because the chronic pain and fatigue could be consuming you and your mind, so you just need to take a step back and relax, whether they believe you or not.

Eating your trigger foods

While this doesn’t happen for everyone who struggles with chronic invisible illnesses, this happens to me. Whether it is full of gluten or dairy or just contains traces of either, my stomach ends up feeling ten times the size it actually is and then bloating and chronic stomach aches occur for days.

But the most important thing to remember about having an invisible illness is that you are not your illness. And don't let anyone tell you otherwise, because you are still you and you always will be. Just take it one day at a time and you will still be able to achieve the goals you have set for yourself.

“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” Romans 8:18