If You're Chronically Ill, You'll Relate.

To some people, the words "your tests came back normal" are the scariest thing you can hear from a doctor. 

If you're not chronically ill, you're probably thinking "isn't that a good thing???" And I get it. Usually you're hoping for a negative result when you go to your doctor for medical tests. In most cases you'd be relieved to know that nothing's wrong. 

But when you're chronically ill, you know something's wrong. And the results? Sometimes they lie. 

The thing with invisible disabilities is that you can't see the symptoms. That makes it difficult to diagnose conditions and prescribe treatments. Even with extensive testing, you can still seem perfectly healthy, even when you know that something is deeply wrong!

Last year I was dealing with vertigo, light-headedness and near fainting - all hallmarks of POTS (postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome). But to get diagnosed, your blood pressure needs to raise by a significant amount from sitting to standing.

I did SO much - monitoring my BP for a week, wearing a heart monitor, even doing a stress echocardiogram (running faster and faster on a treadmill)!

Even with all of that, I didn't meet the markers for POTS. But I knew something was wrong, even though my doctor was telling me that everything is fine and it was probably just anxiety. 

In my case, I was able to increase my salt intake and drink a bunch more water to reduce my symptoms. But many chronically ill people are left feeling gaslit by their bodies AND medical professionals. We live with these symptoms that stop us enjoying our lives, and no one believes us. 

So that's why I made this design! 

Your life can literally be falling apart, but everything looks fine on paper so you just have to ignore it! 

You can get this design on a range of products in my shop! I love chronic illness humor, but hopefully it serves as a reminder that you're not alone in feeling this way. It's ok to be upset with "normal" test results. Our bodies are mysteries.