[Image: 6-piece blue colored background with a Siamese cat.  Text reads: “Oh, so you’re vegan? That must be why you’re ill”]

- “No, it’s not. My blood tests are fine, and I actually have a diagnosis.”
- “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

If I could get a dime for every time… *sigh* -.-

[Image: 6-piece blue colored background with a Siamese cat.  Text reads: “boyfriend tries to give you a massage to make you feel better / don’t have the heart to tell him that it puts you in excruciating pain”]

[Image: 6-piece blue colored background with a Siamese cat.  Text reads: “realize you only have one heating pad / continually fight grandma for it”]

[Image: 6-piece blue colored background with a Siamese cat.Text reads: “Oh, you’re sick? well, it could be worse.”]

[Image: 6-piece blue colored background with a Siamese cat.Text reads: “Revise hard before exams. Get migraine and cannot finish the papers.”]

I’m currently in the conundrum of ‘try and study enough to pass my papers, but not enough to trigger another migraine and be unable to actually sit them’. Fantastic.

[Image: 6-piece blue colored background with a Siamese cat.Text reads: “Professor: “Oh, I have anxiety too, I get it!” Next line: “It doesn’t make sense that you can do the homework some weekends and not others.”]

[Image: 6-piece blue colored background with a Siamese cat.Text reads: “Mother tells everyone you meet you have IBS. Endure incontinent old woman jokes for weeks.”]

[Image: 6-piece blue colored background with a Siamese cat. Top text reads: “HEY, I JUST MET YOU AND THIS IS CRAZY. BUT CAN I PLEASE BORROW A COUPLE OF SPOONS?” - Bottom text reads: “WHERE ARE YOU GOING?”]

Over done? I think not.

[Image: 6-piece blue colored background with a Siamese cat.Text reads: “I know you’re talking, but all I hear is ‘platitude platitude platitude’.”]

So today all my illnesses (ME, fibromyalgia, depression, PCOS, various bits and bobs which I tend to just assume go with one of the above, oh, and herpes) flared up at once in the middle of school. I can’t drive, my parents are both away, and the next bus isn’t until the end of school, so I’m sitting in the school computer room feeling like shit and hopped up on painkillers, crying a bit, when in comes my history teacher to give me a pep talk.

And oh my god, the number of platitudes.

“Well, you’ve been looking better lately.”
“Maybe you should just take some time off.”
“You know, you’re doing really well at school so far.”
“I’m sure you’ll feel better soon. You just need to get enough sleep at the right time.”

Then, as she was leaving, her all-time favourite

“It’s not a sprint, it’s a marathon.”

I get that she’s trying to help, and I appreciate it and all, but it’s incredibly obvious that she does not get it. At all.

Platitude platitude platitude. Blah blah freakin’ blah.

[Image: 6-piece blue colored background with a Siamese cat.Text reads: “wake up with absolutely no pain for once. “oh my god I died and went to heaven””]

[Image: 6-piece blue colored background with a Siamese cat.Text reads: “Dr says to eat more grains to cure stomach pains as a result of not getting enough fiber. Start shitting blood because you had celiac disease all along”]

I have celiac disease. It took about 5 years to diagnose. I still suffer pain from cross contamination or ignorant relatives. I’ve had multiple people tell me “it’s impossible to be allergic to wheat.” Yeah guys, tell that to my permanently damaged intestinal lining.

[Image: 6-piece blue colored background with a Siamese cat.Text reads: Top: “Live vicariously” Bottom: “through Diablo III character”]

I may not be able to go adventuring for real, but my level 52 wizard can!

Have fun at the wedding! XD

[Image: 6-piece blue colored background with a Siamese cat.Text reads: Top: “Quest for diagnosis” Bottom: “Is a wild goose chase of doctor visits”]

My rheumatologist believes emerging lupus symptoms could actually be an immunodeficiency, but my immunologist believes suspicious blood tests are actually more indicative of an autoimmune disorder like lupus… the cycle is no longer a productive use of anyone’s time.

[Image: 6-piece blue colored background with a Siamese cat.Text reads: “Too spooned to understand the UK edit of Mythbusters. Watch the American version instead!”]

Disclaimer: This is not intended as a dig at any Americans reading this, unless you are also a television executive!

Due to shorter advert breaks in the UK, the UK version of this show is 5-10 minutes longer. It also has a different narrator who often goes into a lot more depth about the science involved in each myth and, of course, does everything in metric.

Since we record every episode on Sky+ (basically Tivo) and Discovery like to randomly broadcast the American version during the early hours of the morning we end up with both versions available.

So when my partner’s fibro any my.. whatever the hell is wrong with me.. are starting to get in the way and we can’t quite comprehend what is actually going on in an episode.. we watch the American version!

[Image: 6-piece blue colored background with a Siamese cat.Text reads: “’We need to call Dr. House in on this one!’ Still isn’t funny.”]

Yes, I know they don’t know what’s exactly wrong with me. Yes, I know the premise of the popular TV drama House. No, it isn’t funny to compare me to it.
See, because at the end of their hour, they always have an answer. I don’t. But thanks for playing.