We are not at Indy any more
There are many hard things about living with an 'invisible' illness. And for some, maybe the worst is the frustration of dealing with all that is new and previously unfamiliar in the world that IS invisible illness. The very first thing one learns in this new world is most likely to be a new definition of what 'normal' is from now on. This monumental step alone requires 2 different types of learning: the head learning, where the mind takes in the new diagnosis, the new treatments, the new scheduled round of doctor visits, testing procedures, medications and therapies, etc. and the heart learning where true acceptance and adjustment to these things occur. This has to occur so the patient and his circle of family and friends can find a calm and peaceful way to cope.
The best basis for comparison of the difference between 'what used to be normal for me' and what 'normal for me is now' was given to me long ago by my diagnosing rheumatologist. Yes, the same doctor who gave me the zebra analogy gave me another pearl of wisdom. His comparison on 'new normal' -vs. - 'used to be normal' drifted out of the realm of the zoological into the realm of auto mechanics. It came in a visit early in my APS life when I was griping about how much I got behind with things that needed doing on the really 'bad' days, and how much harder and faster I had to go on the relatively 'good' days to try and catch up. He told me point blank that was totally an erroneous view of my life with APS in it, and trying to maintain that attitude, much less that habit would eventually make me worse, meaning more 'bad' days and less 'good' ones all around. His strict advice was to stop that!