With Grace and Grit - Life with Chronic Illness
It’s widely prescribed and can be wonderfully effective. But the side effects can be wicked. Here are some tips for surviving the side effects of prednisone.
Have you ever taken prednisone? If you have a chronic illness or autoimmune disease that is inflammatory in nature – as so many are – you probably have. And taking prednisone is like balancing precariously on a double-edged sword somewhere between gratitude and madness.
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I never anticipated that I’d find the hidden upsides of chronic illness. If you dig a little deeper you’ll find them, too.
Have you ever been asked if you’re a “glass half empty” or “glass half full” type of person? I’ve never thought of myself strictly in terms of being optimistic or pessimistic. I choose to think of myself as realistic.
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Parenting with chronic illness presents unique emotional and physical challenges. But there are things we can do to help our children – and ourselves – thrive in spite of our illness.
I’m not the mom I’d hoped I’d be. I have – more than once – allowed myself to re-examine the past. And I wonder how I might have parented differently if I hadn’t been ill.
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Family and friends mean well. But sometimes their efforts to make us feel better actually make us feel worse. Here are the top three things not to say to a chronically ill person.
I struggled with the title of this post. I could have gone so many different directions! From the decidedly diplomatic “What Not to Say to Someone who is Chronically Ill” to the definitively assertive “How to Completely Alienate Your Chronically Ill Friend or Family Member in Three Easy Steps.”
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Pets enrich our lives, and there’s a proven connection between pets and our health. But do you know the science behind it?
It occurred to me that for the past thirty years I’ve never been without a pet. From the sweet brown tabby cat I adopted from a shelter in 1990 to our current trio of furry companions, animals have been a constant in my life.
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Your job does not define who you are. Here’s what you need to know about chronic illness and employment so that you can make the best choice to honor your health and your heart.
Right or wrong, we’re strongly connected to the work that we do. We allow it to define us, and that’s a mistake. I’ll set the stage: you’re at a party or some type of get-together and you’ve just been introduced to someone.
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There are three things that I wish doctors knew – because these are the things that make the good doctors great.
I have a love/hate relationship with the medical profession. I’ll bet I’m not alone. I envy people who see their doctor once a year for an annual check-up, and maybe make the occasional visit for a sinus infection or a rash. I’m not that person. If you’re chronically ill, you’re probably not that person either.
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Anger is often a mask for grief. It’s okay to be angry when you’re chronically ill. Once you acknowledge it you can find effective ways to cope so that you can live well.
There are moments – and not just a few – when I recognize that words are the way to the soul. Sometimes, a chain of simple words are tethered together so perfectly that they are extraordinarily profound.
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There are lots of techniques you can try if you want to fall asleep faster. But when the conventional approaches aren’t working, it’s time to give these two unconventional methods a try.
Sleep. A solid night’s sleep. Don’t I wish! Insomnia is an equal-opportunity condition. A quick Google search produces about 71 million results. And while it’s estimated that it effects 30% of the population, knowing that you’re not alone doesn’t make it any easier when you’ve looked at the clock at 1:20 am, 2:40 am and 3:45 am (you get the picture).
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Illness often forces us to change how we live – to find a “new normal”. But there are ways to define your new normal so that you can live well and thrive.
Has anyone told you that you’ll find your “new normal”? I remember thinking about my own “new normal” way back in 2006. I had completed a hell of a long course of treatment for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and was in what I like to call the “now what?” phase. The treatment was over. Now what?
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It’s hard to feel productive when you’re too tired to do anything. So when your body demands a break, take the opportunity to boost your mental wellness.
Have you ever felt like your brain wanted to do something but your body wouldn’t cooperate? I have. So. Many. Times. Like many other types of chronic illness, my autoimmune disease is unpredictable. It seems like it’s unpredictability is the only predictable thing about it.
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The one thing that everyone who’s suffering from a chronic illness wants is to get better. But don’t compare your progress to others – you are unique and your road to healing is unique, too.
We know that our disease can’t be cured, but we hope for and can reasonably expect to manage our disease to some degree – enough to see and feel some level of progress. And the possibility for some level of healing means that there is reason to hope.
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The grief of chronic illness extends beyond grief over the loss of our health. We mourn the loss of our place in the world.
Grief. We typically think of it in the context of significant loss, like the death of a loved one. Irreversible. Permanent. Deeply painful. But grief isn’t reserved for that. We can and do grieve other kinds of losses. When we’re chronically ill, we grieve the loss of our health – but we grieve the loss of so much more than that, too.
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Joining a support group can help you feel understood and give you a sense of belonging. It’s another strategy for living well when you are chronically ill.
How did you feel when you received your diagnosis? Alone? Confused? Afraid? I know I did. There is almost nothing more emotionally isolating than facing a disease that you have very little (if any) control over. This is true whether it’s a chronic illness that can be managed, or an acute illness that is severe and threatens your life.
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If you’ve been diagnosed with an autoimmune disease – or are waiting for a diagnosis – there are seven questions you should ask your rheumatologist.
It’s been a year and half since I was diagnosed with dermatomyositis, a rare autoimmune condition that causes fatigue, inflammation, severe muscle weakness and skin rashes. By the time I was diagnosed I had spent two weeks in the hospital – including a couple of days in intensive care.
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