What is a Spoonie?

 

A lupus sufferer, Christine Miserandino, was at a café when her best friend asked what it's like to live with chronic illness. Moved that her friend wanted to understand, she grabbed 12 spoons and explained; Most people have a practically unlimited number of "spoons" to do daily tasks. But, with an invisible illness, spoons are extremely limited and have to be used carefully to make it through an entire day. 

She asked her friend to list her daily activities. With each one, Christine took away a spoon. She explained that at most people's typical rate, (especially if she considered the extra effort for someone with a chronic illness), she'd be out of spoons in no time and not even able to get through the morning! 
She explained that she had to carefully ration the "spoons," meaning she's unable do many of things she took for granted when she was healthy. 

Her friend quickly understood -- and apparently so did the rest of the Invisible Illness world. The term #Spoonie has become synonymous in the social media world with Invisible chronic Illnesses like MS, Fibromyalgia, lupus, crohns disease, etc..