I'd like to call your attention to a major issue concerning chronic illnesses. Differentiating between being sick, and being chronically ill can be quite difficult. Many individuals who don't have chronic illnesses become alarmed when they hear that you're not feeling well. They automatically assume that you are sick, as in have a fever or cold. I have found that when I notify others that I'm not feeling my greatest, their first thought is something along the lines of: "dear god don't get me sick". This may appear annoying at first, or simply frustrating, but in reality, it presents a much greater problem. This assumption, while natural, creates an obstacle for chronic illness sufferers. How is one supposed to notify others that they aren't feeling their greatest without having to explain their entire medical history or diagnosis? Frankly, I'm pretty open about having a chronic illness, I mean, for goodness sake, I have a blog about it. But, at the same time, I don't walk around telling everyone that I have migraines. My conversations with new people don't start with, "Hi, my name is Ayla and I have chronic migraines". Honestly, that would likely scare people off (a problem to discuss at another time). At the same time though, when I'm feeling a migraine coming on, I do have to let others around me know that I'm not feeling great. This is where the issue of today's post arises. Sadly, when you tell someone you aren't feeling well, their immediate reaction is to scoot away in order to prevent themselves from catching what they believe to be a contagious illness, when, in reality, you are having a migraine. So, how do you explain you are experiencing symptoms of your chronic illness without saying that you have a chronic illness? Honestly, I think the answer depends on the person you are explaining to. How comfortable are you with the person? If you trust them, let them know you have migraines. That doesn't mean you have to explain the nature of them, it simply means that you notify sed person of the fact that you experience migraines. If you don't trust the individual, let them know you aren't feeling well, but you're not contagious. Frankly, I use the line: "I probably didn't get enough sleep!". All in all, be safe, let other's know you're not feeling great, but don't feel pressured to explain anything about your illness that you don't want to explain, just be clear that you're not contagious.
I would like to share a personal story about an experience I recently had that is somewhat related to this topic. These past few weeks, I have had more migraines than usual. I have a friend that does not know about my migraines, but does know that I haven't been feeling well. The issue I shared in the previous paragraph has arisen quite frequently with this individual. I do not feel comfortable sharing the nature of my migraines, so I have been sticking to explaining that I'm not feeling well but I'm not contagious. Despite the fact that I have explicitly explained that I'm, in no way, contagious, this individual continues to scoot their desk farther away from me. It reached the point where I became so frustrated, that despite the fact that I did not feel comfortable to announce my having migraines, that I ignored my comfort level and mentioned that it was only a migraine, and nothing else. This individual scooted his desk farther away from me. I find this incredibly disturbing. The lack of knowledge and appreciation for migraines is astonishing. This individual clearly did not hear me explain the lack of contagion the migraines presented, nor did he understand that migraines are not only associated with being ill (as in fever or cold). Furthermore, this individual discriminated against the idea of contagious migraines. Not only is this ridiculous, unfathomable, and cruel, but it is also a real problem in today's society. Lack of knowledge and understanding can really prevent someone with a chronic illness from living their NORMAL LIVES with chronic illnesses. It is for these reasons, that I absolutely love supporting the Migraine Research Foundation, and any other efforts to establish a basis for public chronic illness knowledge and appreciation. I'd love other's to help support this cause as well! On May 21, a Miles for Migraine 5k will be taking place in Chicago. Please come and participate!