This is something I’ve never admitted out loud. When I was in 10th grade, I told the school nurse I had chronic pain in my leg and exaggerated the symptoms. It started as a way to skip gym class because I hated it. The locker rooms, the running, the constant embarrassment — I just wanted out.
But they took me seriously. Too seriously.
I got a doctor’s note (don’t ask — I manipulated a real one), and next thing I knew, I was excused from gym for the whole year. But it didn’t stop there. Teachers gave me extra time to get to class. I got out of school trips. My parents even bought me an ergonomic chair. I became “the kid with a condition.”
Eventually, I had to keep faking it even when it got inconvenient. I limped in public. I started researching conditions just to stay believable. I kept it up for two years. Two years of lying, exaggerating, and playing a role that wasn’t mine to play.
I regret it more than I can explain. I took resources and attention away from people who actually needed them. I disrespected people who live with real, painful disabilities every day. I hate that part of myself — the part that took the easy way out and let it go too far.
No one ever found out. But I think about it constantly.
Comments
the real question is do you still have the limp or are you cured?
Me too. When I got older though, it turns out I did actually have a disability, and the reason I hated gym was because of the disability I never knew I had, I just didn’t know that gym wasn’t supposed to suck as bad as it did for me. Don’t feel too bad for it, just don’t do it again unless you actually need the accomodation for a disability. We all did stupid things as kids.
Only suckers play by the rules.
Damn all i did was fake constipation to get out of one test lol
you can get out of gym with chronic pain? I have a diagnosis, and they still made me do it 😭
My mom lied and said I got enough exercise outside of school so I didn’t to have take gym in tenth grade. I didn’t have to fake anything, just had a cool mom!
Idk man, IDT it’s that bad. I commend anyone who can beat the system, even just a little bit.
Don’t be too hard on yourself you were just a kid. You stopped and in the long run you probably didn’t take any resources anyone else needed and tbh, this was a pretty funny way to get out of gym.
2 years isn’t much I wouldn’t sweat it much. People lie about worse things for way longer. Gym sucks so you had a point lol
I am autistic and spent more than half my life pretending I have no disability, forcing myself to mask every day, deal with the noise and the people, ended up in a really deep depression and feeling suicidal.
Also, I got very sick last year, lost half my lung, now I have a 78% disability and I hate it, I was so independent and proud of it, and now I need a cane and lots of help.
So, all the power to you buddy, growing pains.
My Mom has my pediatrician write a note saying I had scoliosis and would require a bus to school (7th and 8th grade). It worked! They sent the Special Ed bus to pick me up and drive me home. It was humiliating.
How did your parents fall for it
unpopular opinion locker rooms r a ground zero for SA my gym teachers would constantly go in there while ppl were still changing im lucky they never did anyrhinf to me. Not to mention a ton of physical violence and fucking around that half the kids don’t wanna be participating in. Luckily my gyms were too poor for locker rooms, but the swim classes were so bad I had to drop it even tho I enjoyed the class. Imagine 2 private changing rooms for 20 kids that you have to use within 5 minutes..
I faked asmtha in middle school so I wouldn’t have to run track in gym class. Then I got picked last in the basketball unit of gym class because they thought I couldn’t play basketball