15 Memes That Nail What It's Like Being Asked 'How Are You?' When You're Chronically Ill

When you live with chronic illness, your health status tends to be “complicated.” Personally, I’m usually juggling several different illnesses, a bizarre assortment of symptoms, an infection or two and, on top of it all, whatever bug happens to be going around at the time, just for good measure. It’s a lot for even me to keep track of!

So when people casually ask how I’m doing, trying to come up with a response can be anywhere from awkward to difficult, depending on the person and the situation. Sometimes I throw out a generic “I’m fine,” perhaps if the person is a stranger or I’m just not feeling up to launching into an explanation of my health. Other times I might go into more detail, especially if it’s with someone I trust who genuinely cares.

Being dealt the “how are you?” question can be difficult when you live with chronic illness – even stressful for a few moments while you figure out how to respond. But there can also be some humor in the fact that what may seem like such a simple question – a formality, in many cases – can actually open a can of worms that would make most people’s jaws drop to the floor. Wait, you’re currently dealing with what?!? 

If humor helps you cope with the frustrations of life with illness, and never knowing what to say when you’re asked how you’re doing, the following memes are for you.

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