What to say when people ask “Are you feeling any better?” and you still feel really shitty.
I’ve been sick for a while now. More than a month since I started having symptoms - dizziness, nausea, fatigue, achiness, all in varying degrees at different times. There’s a dull ache in my lower back that sometimes turns sharp.
What I know for sure: I’m just getting over shingles, which sucks enough in its own right. What I don’t know: What else ails me. It looks as if I’ve got at least one other malady. I have been tested for Lyme and a kidney infection, and am waiting for results.
Almost as annoying as feeling shitty for this long? Disappointing nice people when they brightly ask, “How are you?! Are you feeling better?!” They want you to be feeling better! They don’t want to hear, “No, not feeling better…” After you tell them that, it seems you’re obligated to detail for them exactly in which ways you are not feeling better, and how many times you’ve been to the doctor, and what tests you’ve taken. It would seem rude, curmudgeonly, to end the conversation with, “No, not feeling better,” followed by no explanation.
Even worse? The lectures. “You should have gone to the doctor sooner.” “You shouldn’t hike where there are ticks.” (THERE ARE TICKS EVERYWHERE WHERE I LIVE.) “You should check yourself more carefully for ticks.” “This is because you don’t put your clothes in the dryer right after you hike to kill the ticks.” “You shouldn’t have carbs for like a month, to starve the Lyme spirochetes.” “You should fast for two weeks to starve the Lyme spirochetes.” “You drink too much coffee.” “You should do a cleanse.” “You eat too much protein.”
Oh, yeah? Well, YOU talk too much. And I am too tired and cranky to listen.
