Spoons
I hate when people ask me how I feel, how I'm doing, if I'm healing, if I'm flaring. I hate it because I have to answer, and it's hardly ever (especially this time of year, with my vitamin D deficiency and inability to metabolize it in pill form very well) a satisfactory thing to the asker, either. I must deprive them of the illusion that I am well, I must do so in a fashion that belittles the actual discomfort of it so as to make them feel easy again, and I often fail.
I sometimes hear of others with various chronic diseases, some of whom handle it "better" than I do, some of them worse perhaps. But there is an inevitable wish on the part of the friend for me to "feel better" and a dejectedness on my part, for I am often unable to keep my promise.
My doctor wrote a book with his patient called "You Don't Look Sick" which is a good read, and helped me choose his care. I recommend it:
You Don't Look Sick
I also found a website that had a good explanation of chronic autoimmune disease. You should read it if you know anyone with a chronic disease. And if you are reading my blog, chances are, you do.