So Lets get started...
1. You're so young though...
This is one is a classic... I understand that I look like a young spritely adult but when I mention that I have arthritis and have done since I was 2 the sheer surprise that leaps out of your mouth is generally unwanted. It also brings me to my next point...
2. Oh yeah! My Grandparents/Elderly Pet has that!
I have touched on this topic before in a previous post but I'll recap... As much as I love being compared to an elderly person or animal, its not the same thing... So thanks, but no thanks.
3. Wow! You take so many pills!
Yes. I'm well aware I have to take 7 pills day and night, I know I deserve a medal or something but I assure you, its not for the cool party trick. It goes something like this: I take the blue pill for my joints, the yellow pill to protect my stomach, the green pill to protect my bones, the white pill for the migraine and the pink pill to combat the side effects of the blue, yellow, green, and white pills...
4. Have you tried fish oil tablets?
Yes I have. No they didn't work.
5. You shouldn't take those drugs, they are dangerous.
I know that many of the immunosuppressive drugs prescribed can come with serious side effects, including increased risk of infections, liver and kidney damage, and birth defects but sometimes the positive effects outweigh the risks or negatives. Most of the time its worth the risk of a drug like that because there is a chance to feel halfway normal.
6. You should try exercise.
I, personally love exercise. I love the real muscle burn you get when you've worked hard. It gives me a real high. So when I can't do my work out or that team sport I signed up for last week its really upsetting, so please don't remind me to use that gym membership thats been gathering dust on my key chain, its like a huge middle finger to in the face...
7. Get well soon.
This one I know is generally coming from a genuine well-wisher but hold your tongue. Chronic illnesses don't just 'get better' they have good days and bad days and when there are lots of bad days in a row its called a flare. But when the flare subsides and there is relief, people assume that you've just gotten over the worst of it and will continue to recover... Not the case unfortunately...
8. But, you look great!
Thanks, thats sweet... but as a young woman, I am able to do wonderfully magical things with makeup... I put in effort to look good on the outside because I'm feeling crap on the inside but the whole train carriage doesn't need to know that I had to crawl out of bed this morning.
9. Its all in your head.
Its not. I have the blood tests and medicare bills to prove it.
10.Have you tried alternative medicines?
I once had a teacher tell me to try yoga, meditation and get this... Aromatherapy! While yoga and meditation can be great forms of exercise and pain control, they won't ever magically fix my disease and if anyone tries to tell me about aromatherapy again, I'll tell them where to shove it.
11. Would weight loss help?
Well there's no need for flattery... I image being overweight wouldn't be great for the joints of anyone but have you considered the medication some people are on? Many arthritis patients are prescribed corticosteroids such as prednisone, which can damp down immune reactions but also cause weight to balloon and raise blood sugar. Some people may need to loose weight for the sake of their joints but thats a conversation for the doctors office, and it should stay there.
12. Aren't you glad you have arthritis now and not a few decades ago?
Well, yes and no. Yes the medical treatments available to me now are constantly improving and evolving but to be honest, I'd be more glad to not have it at all.
13. Is that your disabled parking permit?
Maybe it is... No, I will not take you shopping at Chadstone on christmas eve.
14. Maybe you just have a low tolerance to pain.
I don't. I have felt the kind of pain that could make you dissolve into tears anyday, yet here I am, standing upright and having this conversation with you...
15. You just need a better attitude.
In the fine words of the late Stella Young "No amount of smiling at a stair case will ever turn them into a ramp." My attitude to life is fine, and probably better than yours, so jog on.
Well there you go, I hope this has helped you if you are not familiar with arthritis. Please think before you speak.
Thanks,
Liv. xoxo
#Rantover
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| No really, how serious? |
