Hitting up the club? Try hitting up the couch.
Source: http://gph.is/1c2pNkB
That’s the reality of life with a rare disease.
Forget marathons, Grey Goose, and stilettos. Your life is now Netflix, antacids, and the most attractive shoes you can find that don’t kill your knees.
When you’re a twentysomething, life is supposed to be all about finding yourself, making mistakes, and learning from them. You’re still supposed to be a work in progress. But when the universe strikes you across the face with a chronic illness, well… let’s just say the universe can suck it.
Source www.fradine.tumblr.com
Being a twentysomething is already a struggle. Now add the struggles of a rare chronic illness on top of it. I guess your momma did always say you were special… Suddenly you have to become responsible for your health and your wellness, and just as suddenly, you find yourself doing the unthinkable–adulting.
Source: www. thatcharminglystrangegirl.tumblr.com
And sometimes it all becomes exhausting. Little things can become big things, and you find yourself grappling with problems you never expected.
Just remember: You’re not alone. Here are 10 real struggles every twentysomething with a rare disease knows.
1. Constantly repeating the name of your disease and hearing people’s fake, “Oh yeah… I’ve heard of that.”
LIES! My doctor hadn’t even heard of it!
2. When, at the end of your appointment, your doctor kindly asks if she should speak to your parents…
Uhhhh… how old do you think I am?!
3. When your “Favorites” list on your phone has more doctors, nurses, and insurance entries than actual friends or family.
Unfortunately, it’s not the doctor you really wish was calling you…
4. Realizing you take more medications than your grandparents.
“C’mon, grandma. If I can finish my green beans, you can finish your pills.”
5. “Learning to swallow” takes on a whole new meaning.
“You mean I have to swallow that WHOLE PILL?! You’re sure I can’t crush it up in applesauce?”
6. Reminding your friends for the 100th time that NO, this does not mean you can just get medical marijuana…
‘Cause they better believe you’ve been trying…
7. Dealing with your obnoxious aunt asking, “So, when are you going to have kids?”
“Uh… when I’m not on medication that will turn my baby into a half-fish, half-man monstrosity?”
8. Seeing pictures of your friends’ long international adventures.
Vacation? What’s a vacation? I’m gonna use my last day of PTO and my bonus for blood work, an MRI, and an x-ray while spending hours on the phone with my insurance company explaining for the thousandth time why my medication IS COVERED.
9. Staring longingly at the rows of heels collecting dust in your closet.
“Don’t worry, my Precious… I hasn’t forgottens you…”
10. When you’re so fatigued that you make no sense and your roommate thinks you’ve been rufied.
“No…You don’t understand. There was an ant in a dress!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!”
