This Is What It's Like to Travel With an Invisible Illness

One day, when I was a teenager, I felt a large, painful lump in my armpit and hoped it was just an ingrown hair bothering me. It went away a few days later, so I assumed my self-diagnosis was correct. A month later, another lump appeared, but this time under my other arm. These bumps came and went, but each time hurt terribly and there didn't seem to be any remedy but to wait for them to either die down on their own or burst open and drain. I was too afraid to tell anyone about it because it was so embarrassing. It hurt too much to shave my armpits and the bumps made them look unsightly, so I . . .