WHAT did you just call me?

Over the course of my struggles, I've been called many things--from disgruntled friends, to frustrated family members--I've been called pretty much everything in the book. I'm pretty sure people have even made up words to yell at me.

However, if you want to light a fire under my butt, there are two things that people accuse me of that frost my cookie more than anything else.

Those two things are...

A hypochondriac and someone with Munchhausen's Syndrome.

Definition time!

Hypochondriac: If you have a preoccupying fear of having a serious illness you most likely suffer from hypochondria or hypochondriasis. A person with hypochondria continues thinking he is seriously ill despite appropriate medical evaluations and reassurances that his health is fine.(Definition courtesy of MedicalNewsToday.com)

Munchhausen's Syndrome: Munchausen (MOON-chow-zun) syndrome is a serious mental disorder in which someone with a deep need for attention pretends to be sick or gets sick or injured on purpose. People with Munchausen syndrome may make up symptoms, push for risky operations, or try to rig laboratory test results to try to win sympathy and concern.(Definition courtesy of MayoClinic.com)

Now, I will be the first person to admit that when I'm really sick, sometimes my anxiety will kick in and that will make things worse. However, in order for things to get worse, things have to be bad in the first place.

My own family has accused me of making up illnesses. In their defense, they haven't done this in a few years (probably because the last time they did this, I blew up in that person's face and told her that she couldn't handle living in my body for a week because I'm not making it up) and it was mostly done at the beginning of my health issues when the symptoms came one right after another, and no one could figure out why.

Please explain to me, anyone who has ever thought about accusing me or who has past accused me of these things, why I would pretend to be sick? I don't like the attention. I don't like the surgeries. I don't like being covered in bruises. I don't like the hours, upon hours, I spend in the bathroom. I don't like being constantly nauseous (actually, nausea is one symptom I cannot stand). I don't like feeling like I'm going to vomit 85% of my life (really, who likes throwing up?).

All of that being said, it's sad to say that people with 'unseen' symptoms get accused of these diseases everyday. If you can't see the nausea, if someone else can't feel your pain or feel how sick you feel--then it can't be real, can it? Wrong.

We're sick. We have no reason to lie to you. We have no reason to lie to anyone. Why would we lie? I promise you, we don't want the attention.

We have the strength to fight our illnesses. We shouldn't have to find the strength to fight everyone else, too.

Support us, or say nothing.

“You don't always get stronger on the days that everything comes easily to you.”
― Nastia Liukin