Hi
@Bronnie85- it is hard to battle with denial. No one wants this illness and 'coming out' and admitting to yourself that you are sick is hard....but this site is full of kind people who know what you are going through.
My husband and I were having a discussion about this just yesterday prompted by the fact that a friend of ours has learning difficulties and physical health problems, and she carries a card around to show people, that asks people to speak more slowly, not to jump from topic to topic, etc.
I think it could be a good idea to have a card rather than explaining. For me it is always tiring talking about how ill I am ( not to mention stressful), and can land you in a quagmire of a conversation about treatments/your prognosis etc that you don't always want to be having.
I think a card could be a good idea for a number of reasons:
1) it helps the other person know your limits.
2) it gives people info about your condition without you having to trawl over it ( again!)
3) it helps the other person know how in their actions/attitudes they can be of help;
Mine would read something like:
Hi I'm Helly, I manage ME and Chronic Pain with the help of my GP, but they are long term conditions and I am affected all day everyday. Please speak slowly and don't rush from topic to topic. Please don't think I'm an idiot if I forget my words.Please bear with me if I seem a bit grumpy, if I start to look as if I'm not listening, or if I terminate the conversation abruptly to go and rest. It's not you- it's me..or rather ME! Thanks for understanding.
If you give people the info and they think you're being rude- then that is THEIR problem!