Anybody who has lived with chronic illness will know that not only must you learn to live with your own symptoms, but you must also learn to live with other people’s opinions about your symptoms: whether your illness is valid or not; whether you should or shouldn’t take this medication or that; what will help; what will not help; whether the illness is your fault; whether you’re believed or not. This is a burden on top of your body’s burdens. Living with people’s readings – people’s moral readings, really – about your pain can make everything worse.
