[Image: 6-piece blue colored background with a Siamese cat.Text reads: “BF buys you candy to make you happy while you have short term memory loss, get happy all 5 times he shows you the package.”]

[Image: 6-piece blue colored background with a Siamese cat.Text reads: “You feel depressed? You just need to find a hobby.”]

You know what sucks? Finally reaching out about your depression and anxiety only to be told this. I used to have hobbies, you know, before I became depressed.

Still better than the time he told me that I should just take some of my mom’s anxiety meds.

[Image: 6-piece blue colored background with a Siamese cat.Text reads: “Short term memory loss from medications, “I can’t wait to post this to Chronic Illness Cat…… I can’t wait to post this to Chronic Illness Cat.””]

[Image: 6-piece blue colored background with a Siamese cat.Text reads: “New medication causes memory loss, new medication causes memory loss.”]

[Image: 6-piece blue colored background with a Siamese cat.Text reads: “I can’t sleep ah ah ah I can’t eat ah ah without you right by my side. Respirdal.”]

I don’t know about you guys but I like to listen to Nicki Minaj after being taken off meds. 

[Image: 6-piece blue colored background with a Siamese cat.Text reads: “Current symptoms don’t fit any of the illnesses you have been diagnosed with. Cry.”]

[Image: 6-piece blue colored background with a Siamese cat.Text reads: “Physical therapist decides to try Trigger Point Dry Needling. Deathly afraid of needles. Panic attack.”]

If you don’t know what TPDN is, here’s a description.

Basically, they use needles to stimulate muscles that are causing pain. It’s similar to acupuncture, except they move the needles around while they’re in your muscles. It’s not fun. It’s helpful, but it’s not fun.

Oh! And I have a severe phobia of needles. I freak out just getting shots, and IVs are guaranteed to trigger a panic attack. So the idea of needles being repeatedly jabbed into me and moved around?

My PT did learn about my severe anxiety though. Considering I went deathly pale and started hyperventilating and crying on the massage table……

[Image: 6-piece blue colored background with a Siamese cat.Text reads: “TRY TO TAKE PILL FOR ANXIETY. DROP PILLS, HAVE ANXIETY ATTACK WHILE TRYING TO KEEP THEM AWAY FROM CATS.”]

This is my life — because of the lack of dexterity caused by my fibro/EDS, I dropped a full bottle of Xanax and was crawling around on my knees and elbows in the bathroom, frantically trying to find every tiny pill (there was one that rolled under the door into my CLOSET) and count them all so that I could make sure the cats didn’t get them.

THIS DID NOT ACTUALLY HELP MY ANXIETY.

(To add to the fun, I have Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and crawling around on a hardwood floor is, uh … counter-indicated.  Ow.)

[Image: 6-piece blue colored background with a Siamese cat.Text reads: “BEING TREATED FOR HYPERSOMNIA / “JUST DON’T NAP”] 

I primarily have OCD and depression, along with some other smaller anxiety disorders, and one of my brain’s favorite coping mechanisms is sleep. I need 12 hours of sleep a day at least, and if I don’t sleep, I get so tired that I get delusional. My therapist said “just don’t nap.” Ok. Right. I’ll get right on that.

[Image: 6-piece blue colored background with a Siamese cat.Text reads: “Upside to having a chronic illness? It’s fun to organize your pill box”]

I hope I’m not the only person who legitimately finds it fun to organize a pill box. (“Upside” part was sarcasm. Obviously I find no “upside” to my Fibromyalgia.)

[Image: 6-piece blue colored background with a Siamese cat.Text reads: “Back pain causes anxiety causes back pain….repeat. Sick so often, friends think you’re bulimic”]

Sadly, this is true….I’ve been in so much pain lately that I’ve been vomiting every time I eat, and then passing out from not eating. I can’t win.

And to top it off, I’ve lost just enough weight in the last week (pain plus flu and viral infection) that my friends are noticing and trying to tell me “you aren’t fat, you can beat this, I believe in you, don’t let the bulimia control you.”

I’m just like “…..guys. I don’t have an ED. I’m just sick and in too much pain to keep food down.”

[Image: 6-piece blue colored background with a Siamese cat.Text reads: Upper: “Applying for disability benefits” Lower: |Form doesn’t have enough spaces to list all medications”]

This just happened to me. I have no idea what to do.

[Image: 6-piece blue colored background with a Siamese cat.Text reads: “FIRST WEEK OF SCHOOL AFTER A MEDICAL LEAVE / IMMEDIATELY GET SICK WITH SOMETHING ELSE”]

I took a year off college to try to get my mental health problems under control and I’m finally starting to feel good about my prognosis and the changes I’m making in my life so I get ready to tackle my first week of classes with my new healthier coping skills…and I immediately get a nasty fever.

It’s like my body doesn’t want me to succeed.

[Image: 6-piece blue colored background with a Siamese cat. Text reads: “Can’t afford treatment without insurance / Penalized by insurance for seeking treatment”]

It wouldn’t be so bad if the insurance companies were at least honest about not giving a shit.