Symptom-Management

The wave metaphor for fatigue was true but incomplete. The wave is the crash. Underneath it there is a tide that never leaves, and an undertow that grabs without warning. This is the fuller picture.

Fatigue from chronic illness doesn’t respond to rest. I picture it as a wave coming toward me. Caffeine, music, a splash of water on my face are my surfboard. Sometimes they hold. Sometimes the wave flings me off anyway.

A personal reflection on why emotional expression can be physically expensive when you are chronically ill, and why quiet does not mean okay.