Introduction

Mood: snarky
Health: blech

Okay, here it goes...

I am starting my little social experiment to see if anyone in the world actually cares about what it is like to live with an Incurable Invisible Illness.

I will make a post every single day of the year for an entire year describing what my day consists of, the challenges I face, my activities and my thoughts.

First, a little background...

I am a 42 year old woman who suffers from many health conditions, the most life altering being Gastroparesis (for more information about Gastroparesis visit http://www.gastroparesis-awareness.com and www.G-PACT.org ) and am disabled. I live with my husband of 13 years who in August of last year lost his job (our only income) and with it our insurance. I am disabled and in a world that had any sense of dignity I would qualify for disability, but since we own a car outright I do not qualify for disability.
After searching for months I was able to find a University Hospital with indigent care where I could go for treatment, however it is 90 miles away and we can't afford to use the ER there due to the cost of gas and the waits to see a doctor can be staggering! (I will not even see a Gastro Doctor through the program until January of next year even though I am suffering from malnutrition.)
My focus will be on my condition, Gastroparesis, since that is the one that most impacts my life and complicates all other health concerns I have.

Imagine being ill, having the tests that PROVE beyond doubt you are ill, but because you do not have a visual manifestation that shows the inner workings of your body and the inner misery you are treated as if you are making it all up. Imagine having to actually educate your physicians about your condition because, even though it is NOT RARE most physicians have never heard about it or if they have it was only in passing during Medical School and what they learned was that it was 'no big deal'.

Imagine trying to find out more about your condition and not being able to find out the most vital thing you want to know... will it kill you???? And when you ask a Dr they tell you "no" but then meeting people online and getting to know them as a close knit community and mourning the losses of those that do pass as a result of either the disease process or even worse, pass away as a result of the major complications from the few treatments available.

Want to know strength, courage and fight? These brave men and women struggle daily to simply get a little nourishment into their bodies... a battle against starvation.

Today is Day 1 of my little experiment... your window into the world of a person suffering from an Invisible Illness.

I do not seek sympathy... I do not seek money... I do not seek notoriety... I seek only one thing. If only one person reads this and learns about the plight of the invisible people, the ones that must don a mask of normalcy simply to survive and from reading this blog realizes just how lucky they are and how precious good health is and perhaps helps to raise Awareness then I will have succeeded in my quest.