I Have a Secret; a Preface

I have a secret.  Some of my friends know this about me, but many don't.  Mostly, I'm not real good with sharing secrets, mine or others', and this will be a tough post to write. I've decided to share today because there seems to be more and more people out there who are like me.  I have a chronic illness.  It's not contagious and it's not supposed to be progressive.  My decision to write this post comes after a fellow sufferer asked me how I manage to travel and I'd like to answer this question, but in my next post.

In this post, I want to talk about some of my symptoms so that in the next post I can cover how to travel with chronic illness.  Luckily for you (not so much me), my illness comes with a very broad spectrum of symptoms that go with it.  You may also experience one of these, and I have many coping strategies to handle them while you're traveling or even at home.  Some of my symptoms are:

• migraines with light, sound & smell sensitivities
• irritable bowel syndrome with combination diarrhea/constipation/nausea
• allodynia, a touch sensitivity which can affect my skin
• musculoskeletal pain
• fatigue, loss of energy and sometimes brain fog.

I have good days and bad days just like anyone else.  These symptoms don't usually occur all at once, but I do experience them periodically.  I have learned to hide my illness as much as possible and smile through it.  I wear a mask and sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn't. What people with chronic illness get tired of hearing is:

• but you don't look sick, have you seen a counselor?
• have you tried fill in the blank here with the latest diet/exercise/herb-vitamin
• how do you do it, I just don't think I could handle that
• your poor family

I could go on and on with this stuff.  Yes, I have seen a counselor.  I don't look sick because I don't want you to know.  I have tried diets and some exercise.  I am not a hypochondriac, I am not an addict, I am not crazy and I am not looking for attention.  I don't want to be defined by my disease.  I handle it through the grace of God and the support of my family and friends.  Yes, I totally agree, my poor family.  

According to the National Health Council, there are approximately 133 million people in America who suffer with chronic illness.  This is why I wrote this post and will begin including a few tidbits in the future.  More likely than not, you or someone you know is affected by a chronic disease.  I hope my insights will help!