Coping With Chronic Illness

While none of us want to hear that we have a chronic illness, it does not mean that life is over.  What it does mean, however, is that we need to make some adjustments in order to have a satisfying and full life.  How we deal with a chronic illness depends on so many factors, such as our age, the nature of the illness, our support system, our current life style, our personality and our expectations.  Since there are so many different combinations of factors, there is not just one way to overcome and learn to co-exist with whatever illness we are dealing with.  If we are dealing with chronic pain, depending on our pain tolerance, the type and location of the pain, and whether we have successful pain management, we may be more or less limited in what we are able to do.  Whatever your limitations, work with them and learn to co-exist with them rather than letting your life be totally controlled.  For example, some of my patients have been sad at the thought they might not be able to travel because of chronic pain or the need to take medical equipment with them on  a trip. If you want to travel, you might have to modify your destination and you might have to extend your trip so you can take rest days in between your active days.  Cruises are great for this because you typically have sea days in between port days, allowing you to still enjoy your trip, but providing a lot of time to rest and enjoy. If you want a physically active vacation, it might have to be time limited or the activities might have to be modified.  

Many patients have resisted the idea of using a wheel chair to navigate the airport.  However, the use of the wheel chair is just a tool that allows you to conserve your energy for the actual vacation or event of the day.  Once you turn around your thinking and see the wheel chair as a tool versus a sign of loss or vulnerability, the world and its possibilities will open up to you.  Maybe you don’t have chronic pain, but have a disease such as diabetes or crohn’s disease and now you have to modify your eating and exercise. Healthy food does not have to taste horrible.  Give yourself permission to learn new cooking styles.  There are so many free web sites with recipes to try, as well as many books to read on the subject of healthy eating.  When  eating out, most restaurants will accommodate you if you make a request.  As a paying customer, it is your right to at least ask what they can do for you.  Exercise. People seem to either love it or hate it.  First you need to accept that exercise will, in the long run, make you feel better.  Decide if you like to be in a group setting, such as a class, or by yourself. Do you want to work out alone or with a trainer or a friend or family member?  Do you want to walk/jog, or do you want to dance?  There are as many exercise options out there as you could possibly imagine.  The most important factor is to find something you actually like versus something you just tolerate.  In addition to thinking outside the box, remember, you are not your disease. You may have a chronic problem, but that does not have to define who you are.  You do not need to be embarrassed about what you have.  If you are comfortable with who you are and do not apologize for whatever accommodations you need, other people will be comfortable and treat your issue in a matter of fact way. And if they don’t, their reaction is really about them and not about you.  Be proud and live your life as best you can.  To get you started, see our link for some healthy recipe suggestions.

Healthy Recipes

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