The Burden of Invisible Illness
Just because I don’t “look” disabled doesn’t mean I’m not
The doctor I’d emailed earlier that day agreed to a 20-minute phone call with me. He was known for performing a rare procedure I hoped might potentially restore some of the nerve function to my right leg, which had been compromised ever since I suffered severe herniation and cyst formation in several discs in my lumbar spine nearly three years prior. He quickly shot down that hope when I shared my other diagnoses, though, because I had too many other things going on in my body that would make me a risky prospect.
Nonetheless, he stayed on the phone with me, asking additional questions because he found my case fascinating. He was impressed by how familiar I was with medical terminology and different treatments for an assortment of ailments—which was the byproduct of not only being a journalist covering the health care realm but also being a longtime “spoonie” (someone with chronic illness or, in my case, multiple illnesses). Knowing a lot about my body, and bodies in general, is an asset when trying to maintain as optimal health as possible given my circumstances.
As we talked, it became clear that this doctor, like many before, was cynical about my diagnoses. Did I really have all the degenerative damage in my spine and hips I claimed even…
