Why I 'Complain' About My Illness on Social Media

Recently I’ve started seeing posts telling other people with chronic illnesses to stop “complaining” on social media. I dislike these posts because social media is the only place where I feel like I can complain.

When I first made my chronic illness social media account, it was so I could have an outlet to talk about how I have zero spoons and spent the entire night with painsomnia.

I think telling other people that they can’t “complain” about how awful they feel is ableism. To me, telling other people that they can’t talk about how awful they feel because other people are sicker is like telling them their pain doesn’t matter.

I use social media to talk about my doctors, my friends who don’t understand, and my symptoms that just won’t go away.

Just because I am not on chemo or in a hospital doesn’t mean that my feelings are invalid or unimportant. I need an outlet to be truthful with people who just may understand how I feel.

I think there is no point in a chronic illness community if you can’t be honest and share your thoughts, which is exactly why I do it.

Keep “complaining,” you guys, because if nothing else: I care.

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Thinkstock photo by peshkov