Pulmonary Hypertension News Forums › Forums › Life Challenges › Mental Health › The many faces of chronic illness and what sick may look like
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The many faces of chronic illness and what sick may look like
Posted by pulmonary-hypertension-news-moderator on May 2, 2018 at 6:12 pmSomeone with a chronic illness might not always “look sick,” but they’re often still severely ill. Columnist Brittany Foster writes about the many faces she wears as a result of PH.
Read what Brittany has to say about it in her column here: “Being Patient Is Difficult when You’re a Patient“.
Have you ever been told “you don’t look sick”? How do you handle situations like this?
brittany-foster replied 5 years, 10 months ago 5 Members · 7 Replies -
7 Replies
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This is probably one of the hardest things about living with a chronic illness. It’s also hard when your “faces of illness” change even within just a day. It’s hard for others to grasp that you can “look” and act completely fine but then a few hours later it could be like you’re a whole new person. This is why awareness is so important.
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Thank you for reading 🙂 ! So important for people to know the difference between looking well and feeling well.
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Dear Brittney,
Yes, sometimes almost feel normal, next few minutes Exhausted!
People never know you’re literally dying inside.
Thanks, Dear, don’t feel so alone with it now.
On May 24 going through series of tests at UT Texas University
an including Heart cath, what for, will not help this Marine recover.Thank God, I am ready to check out, Medicare won’t even approve oxygen
without another sleep test. Just did one 6 months ago, on CPAP for 24 years.I look at you and all you YOUNG beautiful people, and I sincerely pray for all of you, my life is over, “and that’s ok. God Bless
Ron Cole USMC Retired.
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Ron,
Thank you for your response. I’m glad you feel like you are able to relate to someone. I know that there were many times with this diagnosis that I felt alone in my struggles. It’s good to find a group that can understand. I’m sorry you are having a hard time. Take it one minute at a time! All the best to you always !
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I was always amused when people would tell me I “looked great,” usually when I felt the worse – recovering from pneumonia, etc. Friends would compliment my blue “lipstick” (I wasn’t wearing any makeup.) I find it a bit strange that people are always commenting on how healthy or unhealthy I appear. That’s not a normal thing to remark on, right? Do you feel like your friends evaluate how sick or healthy you look more than they do for other people they see?
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Kathleen!
Now that I think of it, YES! My friends and family will specifically just comment on how I am looking relative to my health. Judging people based off how “sick they look” I think is strictly saved for the “sick” ones of the group now that I realize it!
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