My invisible illness is a hooded cloak.
Only I can feel its weight,
only few know that I wear it,
and no matter how hard I might;
no force of the Earth can take it off.
An invisible illness in basic terms means an illness that someone does not see. Some examples of invisible illnesses are: Lupus, Lyme Disease, Diabetes, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Infertility, Migraines, cancer and Fibromyalgia. If an individual has an invisible illness then they are living in chronic pain.
For those who live with an invisible illness, the day in and day out is often hard. Most people don't understand that for us suffering, you can't simply sleep off your illness, or blow your migraine into a tissue. The aches leave you in bed and your energy levels are distorted.
Your mood changes and people don't understand why you don't want to hang out. Often times, I make plans only to cancel because my illness has returned full force leaving me alone in crippling pain.
I've lost weight, only for people to think that I have an eating disorder. Leaving my mother with concerned phone calls. I spend hours at the hospital, some appointments expected and then there are those surprise visits that are unexpected. I receive sympathetic looks and apologies from strangers when I am having an "episode" in public. The worst is when children give you horrified looks of misunderstanding.
Also, the doctors are unsure of what exactly my illness is. The first neurologist I visited told me I needed to live a healthier lifestyle (AKA, go on a diet). I am still left without answers as doctors try to pinpoint what this illness is and the cause of it. I become frustrated when I leave appointments without any answers and I know my parents do too. They have now placed me on a seizure/migraine medicine called Topamax, which could explain the weight loss. All the doctors tell me the same thing, reduce your stress levels, but isn’t it next to impossible to reduce your stress levels when you aren’t receiving any answers?
My life has become a guessing game of when things are going to happen because I don't "look" sick and that's the worst part. Because my invisible illness is a tornado that comes through whenever it wants, without any signs pointing in any direction.
My invisible illness is a hooded cloak and it is not Little Red Riding Hood; it is actually the Big Bad Wolf.
