I have a disorder that, when triggered, results in painful allover inflammation. All tissues of my body become inflamed. My entire body swells, my eyes hurt and my vision worsens, my digestive system goes haywire, my joints ache, my muscles ache, my tongue swells such that my teeth cut into it, I get headaches and severe brain fog, etc. Unfortunately, the visual cues are relatively slight, such that only myself and my husband really notice when I am triggered. To us it is very noticeable, but friends, family members, even doctors disregard it as inconsequential. It took seven years of doctors telling me it was in my head, psychosomatic, just normal aging, etc. before I found a specialist who would diagnose and treat me.

So, as long as I am suffering, I hate that people try to judge 'how bad' it is based on how I look and not how I am telling them that I feel.

Please don't ever look at someone with any kind of disability or disorder and say "well, it doesn't look bad today!" You're not being helpful or nice or looking on the fucking bright side. You're qualifying something you have no right to judge.