16 Memes That Nail What It's Like to Get Sick When You Already Have a Chronic Illness
Everyone knows that getting a cold or the flu is pretty annoying. But for people with chronic illnesses, coming down with a common seasonal sickness can be more than just an annoying week of having to blow your nose and rest. Having a chronic illness can make cold and flu symptoms even worse, and the reverse might even happen — you might experience more severe symptoms of your chronic illness as a result of your cold or flu. “It’s just a cold!” otherwise healthy people might say, but chronic warriors know a seasonal sickness can turn into so much more than that.
Already being chronically ill and then having to deal with common sicknesses on top of that might make you feel like you want to cry, then laugh at the ridiculousness of it all. As if life hasn’t thrown you enough challenges already! Sometimes, laughing at the unique problems only your fellow chronic warriors understand can help you cope. We’ve rounded up 16 memes that might make you laugh if you’ve ever dealt with the double whammy of chronic illness and seasonal sickness.
1. When your health challenges just won’t quit:
2. When you aren’t exactly “looking your best”:
3. When your sickness means “adulting” is not an option:
4. When it feels like illnesses are stalking you…
5. Trying to avoid those germs like:
6. When it’s never “just a cold”:
7. When you’re sick but still have a lot on your to-do list:
8. When your friends ask you why you can’t go out:
9. When you don’t have enough sick days so you gotta work through that cold:
10. When your flu leaves you feeling even more freezing than usual:
11. When you have to force yourself to leave your house:
12. When you have a chronic illness and the flu, and people still think you “don’t look sick”:
13. When someone coughs and then touches you:
14. When a cold + chronic illness = pretty much impossible to sleep:
15. Looking at healthy people like:
16. When you meet someone else who knows how hard it is to be sick and have a chronic illness:
Erin is the former senior editor and chronic illness editor of The Mighty. She joined The Mighty in 2015 and previously worked at Inside Weddings magazine, Mic, and The Huffington Post. She was also the features editor at The California Aggie, UC Davis' student newspaper. She is honored to be a part of the Mighty community!
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