But You Look Fine
The pain gets so unbearable
My body refusing to do any more
The diseases ravaging me from the inside
Only to hear friends and family say
But You Look Fine
Must I look frail and decrepit
Confined and hooked up to machines
Before everyone will be able to understand
What the stroke and diseases are doing to me.
Even the doctors look at me and say
But You Look Fine
My mind tries so hard to push
My body past its limit
Each and every minute of every day.
Knowing this will cost me days
Possibly weeks of extra pain.
I am trying my hardest to stay
A part of this life
As hard as it is to bear.
The invisible illnesses are really cruel
And plays mean tricks on the mind.
If they could see and feel what’s going on
Inside me,
They would never say those words again,
But You Look Fine
Tags: but you look fine, dealing with doctors, Dear Thyroid Letters, disease ravaging body from the inside out, feeling decrepit, invisible illness, looking frail, thyroid disease is an invisible illness, trying to maintain a full life, what is invisible illness
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6 Responses to “But You Look Fine”
Leave a Reply to lizette
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This is so great. I have thought this so many times this year, when hearing that phrase. Trying to explain is so complicated. You are not invisible here, thank you for sharing!
Amanda
I wish I knew your name! You have done such a marvelous job, Bravo Bravo!!!
This is so, so so true for us…
We would like to “look fine” of course, but to be so trapped in this veil of secrecy.
It keeps us in a world of darkness, alone and misunderstood.
This villian hides its crimes on us.
Few can tell its torment.
One more strike against us, making us look like babies, complaining for no reason….(seen by others)
There are some though with eyes that shout our pain.
I have been told that I cannot be sick with Graves without the eyes effecting my appearance.
But my eyes are a problem, I wear glasses with all kinds of levels. I cannot wear contacts, they rub and dry out and do not fit all the time.
I have few eyelashes, most of the hair on my body has disappeared. I still have hair only because it was very thick before.
What do they want from us? Dr.’s refuse to soften in their busy roles of fixing things.
Who will speak on our behalf and tell the world we do not lie?
Thank you for sharing this poem, I hope it gets out and the world starts caring again. LOvingly, Linda
This expresses so much of the emotion and pain so well! Thank you for sharing and reminding us that we are not alone in this fight to survive and be present in every moment as much as possible! 🙂
Thank you! I am so tired of hearing that and even just knowing that people are thinking that. But I’ve felt like cr*p almost everyday for the past (almost) 21 years!!!!!! Even my friend who had her thyroid removed due to cancer about 5 years ago doesn’t understand!
What an emotive piece of writing…it seems to be almost universal that if we look okay, then we must feel okay…frustrating.
Thank you to everyone who commented. You words mean so much. We all know what it means to be dismissed by others who think we are exaggerating, by those who simply don’t understand, or even by some who are tired of listening to us come up with the same reasons for not being able to live like them. We share the same struggles and that is our common bond. I am so thankful for Dear Thyroid because it’s a place where we can just be and that is okay.