Dalekboy

You know about the 'spoon theory' (its really just a metaphor, not a theory), right? Some people with long term debilitating illness find it useful, because it lets them talk about how they can't get many things done in a day and about the current state of illness without it sounding like whining or a plea for sympathy. Of course, it might not work for you, but its worth mentioning, because there are tricks that you can do with the language to make talking about it easier. I have friends who will just mention 'spoon shortage, so didn't do X'.

Another example is azhure, who talks about the 'state of the human suit', to emphasize that its just the facts about her body.