EDUCATE YOURSELVES: chronic illness edition
this is important! chronically ill people get a lot of shit from healthy people and this could be avoided if everyone knew a little more about chronic illnesses in general so i’ve made a list of things healthy people (and newly chronically ill people) can read in order to know more about chronic illness and how it affects our lives!
some general information and must-reads:
the spoon theory (aka: why we call ourselves “spoonies”)
a sudden illness - laura hillenbrand
young and disabled by rachel anne
harmful tropes in literature
13 things people with chronic illnesses want you to know
a blog by people with chronic conditions
brief explanations of some chronic illnesses:
chronic fatigue syndrome (ME)
ehlers-danlos syndrome - hypermobility type
ehlers-danlos syndrome - all types
CRPS/RSD (complex regional pain syndrome
IBD (inflammatory bowel disease)
POTS (postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome)
depression (most people with chronic illnesses develop depression)
and i’m running out of spoons but there are many, many more so spoonies, feel free to reblog add some if you want!
although it says in many descriptions that most people who are diagnosed are over a certain age, anyone at any age can develop a chronic illness, and many are teenagers or even children. don’t tell a chronically ill person that we are “too young to be this sick” because it’s an ignorant thing to say and it’s harmful to us.
many chronic illnesses are invisible illnesses, which means that you cannot tell that a person is sick just by looking at them. never say to a chronically ill person that we “don’t look sick” because it is harmful and annoying, even if you mean well.
some spoonies need to use wheelchairs, canes, or other forms of assistance/ accommodations, so please never express doubt that a person might need this assistance. it’s impolite and insensitive. just because someone looks perfectly fine doesn’t mean that they don’t have a chronic illness that requires the use of a wheelchair or other assistance.
many chronic illnesses aren’t terminal but that doesn’t mean that they aren’t a real problem. chronic illnesses are robbing us of their normal lives and we are living in pain because there is so much that doctors still don’t know about chronic illnesses. many spoonies have had doctors look us in the eyes and say “i don’t know how to help you” because there is so much research that needs to be done and there isn’t enough funding! so donate to organizations and hospitals who are raising money for research!
thank you for reading this! please reblog and spread awareness! thank you!
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