Am I Better Yet?

Better than what?

Am I better than yesterday? Or Last Week? Last Month? Last year? Maybe, but that is not what you are asking, is it?

You are wondering if I still have Fibromyalgia or CFS/ME, or one of the many other invisible illnesses like Lupus, or Crohn’s disease. The short answer is No.

There is currently no cure for these debilitation yet chronic medical conditions. While there are treatments that *can* improve one’s quality of life, they do not work the same with everyone.

Now some people who are familiar with these conditions will ask that but mean something different. They are asking how one is, wondering if today is a good day compared to the bad day from last week.

^{Are you Better?? The connotations of the word better are eliminated by using a word like improved.}

My answer to the later question uses the word “improved” not “better”. It clears things up because of the lack of clarity & assumptions made when using the word “better”.

Improved vs Better

it’s interesting how terminology reflects how people perceive what you say. Using one word over another well meaning the same 2 Chainz how it is interpreted.

for example, if I was to tell somebody that I was feeling better. People who are not chronically ill take this to mean “all better” cut, as in completely healed, no longer sick. For then, being better from something like a cold means they are no longer sick. This is not the case for us with Chronic health conditions. “Better” could mean my pain levels are lower than yesterday or my fatigue has abated somewhat rh my fibro fog has cleared for the day.

because of this, I like to use the word improved. Well this means the exact same thing, people do not assume that I’ve been healed. They typically realize that there is an improvement to a point. Which is essentially what I’m trying to say. While I am still sick, and will remain so for the rest of my life, that day I feel improved, I am not feeling as bad as I was before for whatever reason

Try using the word Improved the next time you intend to use the word better for your health. See what different reaction you get.