Constantly Fighting with the Invisible Beast

 

I've encountered the above phrase more times than I have liked too remember . I'm sure I'm not alone on this when fighting the invisible beast. ( Rheumatoid Arthritis being my invisible beast)  Many think just because your disease is not visible to the eyes that you are just" faking it" or "overreacting". Many diseases are actually invisible to the human eye but that don't mean it doesn't exist.  You can't "see" the wind can you?  No.....You can't "see" someones brain can you?   No......You can't "see" love can you?  No!   But you can feel the wind....you can feel love &  emotions  for someone & you know you have a brain in your head or you couldn't read & comprehend this right at this very moment.
Many people including myself constantly have to defend themselves & the fact they are truly sick & how sick they really are. Like there is something to always "prove".  I even have trouble getting my doctor to fully comprehend how much pain I am in. Being brushed off as "It isn't that bad" is one sure fire way to really tick me off.  To not be taken seriously by a stranger or distant family member is one thing but for your doctor to brush you off & not take you seriously is on a  totally different level of disrespect!  Of all people you shouldn't have to constantly prove your invisible illness to your doctor.  I've had doctors look at me and say "Well ,you don't have it to bad cause you don't have any outwardly deformities"!   That statement always blows me away.  Just because my hands are not all crooked and bent doesn't mean my road with this illness has been any less painful.  With my disease I get less swelling but excessive stiffness, soreness and internal inflammation but the damage that RA has caused is not visible to the eyes as the damage is mostly internal.  Just because my illness hasn't put me in a wheel chair doesn't mean I haven't been in some very severe pain & some really long flare ups that were completely outta control.  Some people may have minimal pain but have many deformities as I have maximum pain, soreness and stiffness but the destruction, thank goodness, has progressed pretty slowly for me.  Everyone is different so don't judge my outward appearance of no deformities as my disease course not being "that bad".  Of all the people that should be on your side and really get it should be your doctor but unfortunately i have seen and heard this time and time again that "it's not that bad" for you to have had RA as long as you have and you still "look" good.
There are countless types of invisible illnesses besides Rheumatoid Arthritis.

 Just to name a few:

Diabetes

 Lupus

 Fibromyalgia

 Mental Illnesses

 Crohn's Disease

 Depression

There are so many more but you get the idea.

Just because someones illness isn't visible doesn't mean it does not exist.
Being judged on a daily basis is a hard thing to have to deal with and the feeling of having to always prove you are really ill.  That person that parks in a handicap spot but you can't see any visible health problems is always being judged and ridiculed and given dirty looks like they don't deserve to park there just because they are not in a wheel chair or show visible signs of an illness.  Many people hide there pain.  I know myself I am pretty good at hiding it and if I am out and about then I must be having what I call "a good day".  You will never see me on a bad day unless you live with me.

Think before you speak....

Think before you judge...

Help spread the word...

NOT all illnesses are visible!! 

You never know what invisible beast they may be fighting!!