I was venting to a friend about how on the good days, I felt top of the world, wanted to cancel all my upcoming health appointments because I was cured. Then the next day, a terrible bad day would hit and I would desperately want that appointment to be now. I was trying to explain this to her and it sounded DELUSIONAL. I was later scrolling on Instagram and found this beauty.

My Takeaways

Good Days Don’t Erase Bad Days

Just because you have a good day doesn’t mean your condition isn’t real or serious. Chronic illnesses are often fluctuating, meaning you can feel okay one day and awful the next. That’s normal. You’re not faking it just because you have moments of feeling better!

Track Your Symptoms Without Judgement

If you tend to downplay your symptoms, try journaling or using a symptom tracker. This helps you see patterns over time, instead of relying on how you feel in the moment. Example: If you felt fine yesterday but awful today, your journal reminds you that yesterday you still needed extra rest, meds, or adjustments.

Use a Reality Check Phrase

When self-doubt creeps in, try saying:

• “I didn’t imagine my symptoms yesterday, so I’m not imagining them today.”

• “If my doctor put this in my medical records, it’s real.”

• “If my body is telling me to rest, I need to listen.”

  
  

Stop Comparing Yourself to “Healthier” Versions of You

I am so guilty of this! It’s easy to think, “I was able to do this last year, so why can’t I now?”. But your body changes, and your needs change. Comparing yourself to a past, healthier version of you isn’t fair.

Doctors gaslight us enough

Doctors have gaslit me my entire life, the last thing I need is for ME to join that party. I have had specialists confidently assert “you don’t have any vascular compressions” or “your problem is fibre, eat more fibre”. It took 30 years to realise doctors aren’t always right, in fact, statistically for me they have been wrong more than they have been right. My go-to is medical literature. There is plenty out there (not as much as there should be), but enough to cover most of the reasons I have want a test or I want to check something out. I often refer to this to give myself a boost of much needed confidence in times of doubt. You can’t argue with facts.

Go Easy On Your Good Days

Anyone else out there plan 8000 things or do a zillion things when they are feeling good, only to feel like absolute horse shit and cancel every single one of those 8000 plans in the days after. On a good day, my advice is to proceed with caution and pace.