We feel guilty if we are able to go out and enjoy ourselves for a few hours. We appear to be normal to outside eyes. To be fair, before I became ill, I know I would have thought the same thing. We just don't fit the model. Dealing With Isolation Consider that I am almost sixty one, and for thirty years, have been alone in my little world of pain.
Isolation is a whole other subject.
For me, knowing that no person around me understood, made me feel isolated, even though others were around. My answer to that I guess, was to try to act like a healthy person so that I could fit in somewhere. But secretly, I'd know that I was being dishonest with myself and others. Isolation is difficult to handle though, and only adds to the list of other problems. It's up to us to educate our doctors, families and friends.