Battling Perceptions of Rheumatoid Arthritis: "You Look So Good"

Yesterday I saw a friend I haven't seen in almost a year.  She asked how I am feeling.  I right away answered, "Great!"  She smiled and said something like, "I can tell with all your bouncing around."  We were in the pool, which is why I was bouncing around.  She complemented me on how good I look and I felt myself beaming inside because I know that right now I feel good and it shows.  I also know that this friend wouldn't hesitate to tell me if I looked awful and I appreciate that about her. 

Below is an excerpt from my latest post at MyRACentral. I don't know if I really like the post.  It feels negative. It shows a bit of the evil side of me when I am in the midst of a flare.  But, it is also reality for me. 

"Cathy, you look so good." This is a comment I receive from one of my friends every time I am in my worst flare. It makes me cringe. My daughter tells me to relax and accept that she is just trying to make me feel better, but in reality it makes me want to scream and I have to resist the urge to claw her eyes out. That sounds harsh, doesn't it? It really is, but it is the way I feel when friends tend to ignore the pain I am feeling or want to gloss it over. To read the rest of this post, head over to MyRACentral