The idea of the social construction of the illness experience is based on the concept of reality as a social construction. In other words, there is no objective reality; there are only our own perceptions of it.
This reminds me of how people with disabilities speak of their experiences interacting with others. From an outside perspective it is common it take care of people with illnesses by assisting in chores or work. To them, they're living life going on business as usual and so express frustration when they're babied, pitied, or treated fragilely.