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I know people legitimately think they're helping when they do this but I feel like most people need to learn to keep their mouth shut when they encounter someone with a chronic illness. It's gotten a lot worse in recent years, but it's been an issue my whole life of people saying my rheumatoid arthritis will be cured if I follow some fad diet or buy some scammy product. These days it's essential oils that are supposed to "help" and everyone has some distant relative or friend of a friend who it supposedly worked for. I don't even tell people I have anything wrong with me because most people wouldn't even know otherwise and I don't have to listen to them try to sell me on bullshit or feel pity for me.

Depression here and I really wish people would stop confusing it with sadness, I'm not fucking sad, I barely feel anything.

Reactive hypoglycemia here.

If you see me trembling? TELL ME. I sometimes don't notice it and the result can be an explosive burst of temper as fight-or-flight takes hold and I lash out. (I'm prone to the "fight" side.)

If you see me snacking, shut up with snide comments about weight gain. First, you're probably fatter than me. Second, these little snacks are how I keep my blood sugar from cratering and reacting to your snide comments with a knife. (Metaphorical or literal: your choice.)

I've been living with reactive hypoglycemia for decades knowingly, and with a further two decades unknowingly. Trust me. I know waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay more about this than you.

I know people think they are being really helpful when they make suggestions, but I wish they would take a step back and ask first.

I have lived with chronic fatigue for 18 years, and pain longer than that. My hair loss started over 20 years ago, and I can't conceive of what it's like to not wake several times a night, or to feel refreshed in the morning. Whatever they're going to say, I've likely tried it, or researched it, or it's obvious pseudo science that doesn't merit research.

It would be one thing if people had knowledge or expertise, but every time it's something they've seen on Facebook, or something they think helped them with a very minor short-term issue.

Sometimes I'm more forgiving because people don't know my story, but when they know this has been almost my entire adult life, and they tell me to buy a supplement or look into grounding mats (seriously), it really annoys me.

This isn't about health professionals looking at my case and running tests or trying new treatments. It's the people who see me at breaking point and ask if I've tried a pillow spray.

Yep I sure do look normal! Would be nice if I had more energy than negative five. Oh? You have energy waking up so I'm lying about how sleep doesn't refresh? Thanks! Yeah my doctor knows and is baffled but my insurance only covers so many tests! Guess I'm just exhausted until I die! Oh I'm still doing stuff? I HAVE TO TO EXIST.

I'm physically disabled with minor mobility issues. If I say I can do it, I can. If I say I can't, I can't. It's that simple.

How normal I am, or can seem, or can even out perform you. The nuances of a lack of sleep are the real cause of my disability, and no drugs work to change that after a broken neck and back. There is nothing simple or binary about disability, like how the mind of a child views the subject, regardless of the person's age.

I'm (partially) blind and (partially) deaf. People seem to think you can either see and hear, or you can't. The fact that I often can't hear or see something just seems to annoy people.