SlimThyck_LupusWarrior

💜 DAILY LUPUS/FIBROMYALGIA FACT — DAY 3: “BUT YOU DON’T LOOK SICK.”

Almost forgot Day 3! 😩😂 But we still got a little time left, so here we go!

One of the BIGGEST things I wish people understood about lupus, fibromyalgia and other chronic illnesses is…

YOU CANNOT ALWAYS LOOK AT SOMEONE AND TELL THAT THEY’RE SICK.

I can do my hair.
Put on some lashes.
Get dressed.
Take a cute picture.
Laugh.
Go somewhere.
Post on Facebook.
Make a TikTok.

…and STILL be in pain.

I can be smiling in a picture while my joints are aching.

I can be laughing while my body feels completely drained.

I can get dressed and go somewhere knowing that I may have to spend the next day recovering from it.

And I can look perfectly “normal” while dealing with symptoms that nobody around me can see.

That’s why the phrase “But you don’t look sick!” isn’t always the compliment people think it is.

Because…what exactly is sick SUPPOSED to look like? 🤔

There isn’t one look.

Having a good day doesn’t mean I’m cured.

Getting dressed doesn’t mean I’m not hurting.

Going somewhere doesn’t mean I suddenly have unlimited energy.

And seeing me smiling on social media definitely doesn’t show you everything my body went through before OR after that picture was taken.

Social media is a MOMENT. Chronic illness is something I live with when the camera is OFF too.

Some days I can get cute and go outside. 💅🏽

Other days getting out of the bed feels like an accomplishment.

And BOTH versions of me have lupus.
BOTH versions of me have fibromyalgia.
BOTH versions of me are living with chronic illness.

So please don’t measure someone’s health by how “good” they look.

Some of the hardest battles people fight are happening inside a body that looks completely fine from the outside. 💜🦋

You don’t have to LOOK sick to BE sick.

Day 3 made it before midnight! 😂💜 See y’all tomorrow for Day 4!

ChronicIllness ButYouDontLookSick LupusWarrior FibroWarrior

💜 DAILY LUPUS/FIBROMYALGIA FACT — DAY 1: SLEEP & FATIGUE

One thing I wish more people understood about living with lupus and fibromyalgia is that SLEEP DOESN’T ALWAYS EQUAL REST.

I can sleep ALL NIGHT… wake up tired.

Take a nap… wake up tired.

Sleep half the day… and STILL feel like my body is begging me to go back to sleep.

And from the outside looking in, I know it can probably look like, “Dang, she sleeps a lot!” 😩😂 But what people don’t see is that this isn’t the same tired you feel after staying up too late.

Fatigue is one of the most common symptoms of lupus, and it can be overwhelming. Fibromyalgia can make it even worse because even when you ARE sleeping, your sleep may not be as restorative as it should be.

So imagine plugging your phone up all night, seeing that charging symbol, then waking up and realizing the battery only charged to 20%. 😩

THAT’S what some of my mornings feel like.

My eyes may be heavy. My body can feel weak. My brain can feel foggy. Sometimes even simple things like getting dressed, cooking, cleaning, doing somebody’s hair, answering messages or just holding a conversation feel like they require energy that I simply DO NOT HAVE.

And one of the hardest parts?

You can’t always SEE fatigue.

I can look perfectly fine in a picture or video and be absolutely EXHAUSTED behind it. I can laugh, joke, get cute, handle what needs to be handled and still feel like my body is running on EMPTY.

So when you see someone with a chronic illness sleeping a lot, moving slower, canceling plans, taking forever to respond, or saying “I’m tired” for the 100th time…

Please understand that they may not be lazy.

That is insane! Those poor babies

A Tennessee mother is facing multiple child neglect charges after police say four of her eight children were left alone at a dirty home with no air conditioning.

TODAY’S LUPUS/LIFE UPDATE 💜🦋

Whew… when I say my body has been going THROUGH IT lately, I mean that! Yesterday I told y’all just how EXTREME this fatigue has been. I’ve been sleeping off and on, barely able to keep my eyes open, feeling weak and completely drained…and today things got a little scarier.

I woke up this morning and got up to go lock my front door. I was walking and had absolutely NO WARNING…no dizziness, no feeling funny, NOTHING. The next thing I knew everything went black, I heard myself falling, and then I opened my eyes and I was laying on the floor. I had passed out for a few seconds and fell hard enough for me to fall on top of my vase and put a huge dent in it and push it to hit the wall while also knocking over my sons dirt bike and my ring light. 😩

That definitely scared me because being exhausted, weak and in pain is something I deal with regularly…but actually BLACKING OUT with no warning is different. I do have a doctor’s appointment coming up, and I’ll definitely be discussing everything that has been happening so we can figure out what’s going on.

But I also want to explain WHY I share so much of my health journey…

I’m not posting any of this for sympathy. 💜

I choose to be TRANSPARENT about my journey with lupus, fibromyalgia and my other chronic illnesses because I want y’all to see THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY. Every day is NOT sunshine and rainbows. Some days I’m creating content, being a mom, laughing, getting dressed and living life like normal…and other days simply getting out of bed feels like I’ve already used every ounce of energy I have.

Social media shows so many highlight reels, but THIS is real life too.

I know there are people living with chronic illnesses who are fighting these same battles SILENTLY. People who feel guilty because they can’t get anything done. People who sleep for hours and still wake up exhausted. People who look perfectly fine on the outside while their body is fighting them on the inside.

I want YOU to know you are NOT ALONE. 🦋💜

So I’m thinking about turning these into little DAILY LIFE/HEALTH UPDATES and bringing y’all further into my world—how I’m feeling each day, what symptoms I’m dealing with, the good days AND bad days, what I’m doing to cope and manage each day, doctor updates when I have them, and just the REALITY of navigating everyday life while living with chronic illnesses.

Some days that update might be “I FEEL GREAT TODAY!” 🙌🏽
And some days it might simply be “Y’all…I made it through today.” 💜

Both deserve to be shown.

Would y’all like for me to start sharing DAILY health/life updates and take y’all along with me through the REAL ups and downs of this journey?

Because if being transparent about what I’m going through helps even ONE person sitting somewhere thinking they’re the only one struggling like this…then sharing my story is worth it. 💜🦋

This is my life. This is my journey. And this is what living with chronic illness REALLY looks like.