12/24/19
"We get it. We know what you're going through. We know." I'm dumbstruck. I get that it's hard for some to face my illness, but really? Ghosting. Distancing. Ignoring. Denying. These are & have been commonplace since I announced my diagnosis. I have precious few confidants left. To hear such dismissal sucks. Especially when it comes from someone who has gone through something similar. But you had a supportive system in place. Support groups, family, women's/men's groups, co-workers. Rare & long standing chronic illness doesn't offer such things. Maybe you didn't realize how wide you could spread your struggles. Perhaps that's why you can so easily dismiss my experience. That's what those words say. You've read up on it & that's enough. You "get it", so please stop sharing. Don't you understand that such commentary robs me of my experience & invalidates my emotions? You've silenced my already filtered struggle. I wish I could make you understand how it sucks... but I'm too afraid to speak up. I don't want to lose you too.
