[CHAT] The sickness
Illness is such a broad term, but it's something that affects us all at one point or another. On Monday 13th of July at 8pm, Getting Real is going to be focusing on, and the impact on life. A chronic illness is any medical condition that lasts a long time, and subsequently they require ongoing maintenance and support. Examples include diabetes, asthma, and epilepsy but can also be depression, anxiety or bipolar if the illness is complex, ongoing and impacts your day-to-day functioning.
Young people can be affected by illness not just by having it, but also through secondary means by supporting and caring for others. Having a good support network is so important when it comes to chronic illnesses and we can't forget about the impact of the illness on friends and family. More and more, young people are becoming the main carers of a parent or family member with a chronic illness.
Whilst I am fortunate enough to have not personally experienced any major illness, anyone can develop chronic diseases. Some celebrities have even shared their experiences with chronic illness.
Michael J. Fox (Back to the Future star), at just 30 years of age, was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, a neurological disorder that affects a person's ability to walk and move.
Ruby Rose has had depression "for more years than I can remember."
Even Kim Kardashian lives with a chronic disease, Psoriasis. It is an autoimmune disease, meaning the condition results from the immune system attacking the body's own cells, rather than foreign invaders.
The point is people can learn to live with a chronic illness, rather than be defined by it. Chronic illnesses often change people’s lives - sometimes dramatically, sometimes slowly over time. It’s not just the physical or mental condition that people have to manage – it’s their whole life. Sufferers of chronic illness ride a rollercoaster of emotional changes, social changes, and environmental changes. Gaining treatment, education, and support are therefore crucial factors for individuals who are suffering, you don’t have to ride the metaphorical rollercoaster alone.
In the mean time, check out Jordan’s story to ReachOut regarding living with chronic illness, and how she effectively coped and got through her situation.
Whether you suffer from a chronic illness, support someone who is, or like me, just want to find out more, join us on Monday 13 July at 8pm, AEST! We’ll be chatting about everything regarding illness, including experience, diagnosis, coping, management, and support.
It makes you feel less lonely and like you're not the only one in the world with the condition.
yep so true @FootyFan26 and @chandelier
it's like online peer support.
i'm sure @ErinsAntics blog might make her famous one day where she lives! its important to have strong people who speak up about their experiences.
1. What are some sort of illnesses people might suffer with?
That's hard. Generally there are physical and mental illnesses but then they are put into categories as well.
There are things like mood disorders, anxiety disorders, personality disorders and psychotic disorders which can all have many illnesses. There are also genetic illnesses and non genetic illnesses as well.
alright guys. let's look at question number two!
2. How do you think living with an illness can change your life?
Hello! Just joined the forum so I could contribute to this.
Both myself and some very close friends with mine have lived with illnesses which aren't often visible.
In response to question 2;
I find that living with an illness can change your life in a number of positive and negative ways.
Positives being;
- you finding who really cares deeply for you, and developing stronger friends and family
- you revaluating what is important in your life and finding basic things (getting out of bed, etc) although a challenge is also something to proud of
- Developing an incredible treatment team who support your medical choices and help you get through everything
Negatively;
- Losing friends/family support due to the long time it takes to recover (or even the whole 'not recovering thing')
- Losing schooling/work/uni due to sickness
- Losing the ability to do spontaneous things due to never knowing if you will be healthy enough
hey @cat12345 - YAY thanks for joining us on ReachOut. you've come at a great time because the getting real sessions are really active on a monday night and we all get together and chat.
what i love most about your answer is that you were able to spot the positives about having an illness too. which is SO true. it is not a completely negative thing. it does change your life, but it's not always for the worse. you do find out what is important to you and you can find out how many supportive people are in your life!
One of the best definitions about how illness can affect your life is through the spoon theory - ill try and find a video... if you look at the video of Jordan you guys posted earlier - it had a big impact on her life....
@chandelier can you summarise the spoon theory for our users who might not have video or sound on their comps? it was a great thing to bring up.
Because healthy people do not feel the impact of spending spoons, they may not realize that chronically people's considerations include mundane tasks such as bathing and getting dressed
i think that spoon theory is like my new favourite thing ever. so good i almost want a spoon tattoo - as a reminder for myself that sometimes i need to think about how many spoons i have left that day and take care of myself!
@chandelier thats a great explanation of spoon theory! I first learned about it a couple of years ago and it's totally changed the way I look at illness
so somethings that can change your life are internal things - like self esteem, energy and lots of stuff to do with you... but then we also think that there's lots of external impacts as well. like stigma (misconceptions and judgements against people with illness) or even like a lack of services?
yep. i rekon that covers it! the spoon thing is a GREAT visual which explains some of that.
so let's go to our next question while we're all on a roll!
3. What are common reactions when someone who has been diagnosed with an illness and why might they experience these reactions?
(For example: if I was diagnosed with an illness tomorrow I might feel really sad or worried. I might be feeling like this because I’m thinking about what my friends or work colleagues will say when they find out the news!)
Hey everyone, thought I might pop in for tonight's sesh!
What are common reactions when someone who has been diagnosed with an illness and why might they experience these reactions?
A pretty common reaction I've seen among people who get diagnosed with an illness (especially with chronic or mental illness) is dissapointment, because they feel like they won't be able to do what they want to do in life because if it. I think it can be fairly frustrating for people who struggle with energy because of illness.
At the moment, I've been dealing with the common cold every month and at the month, my nose seems to think I'm still sick while the rest of me is okay!
I think people with illnesses, mental, physical, emotional, any kind of illness are brave, strong and amazing people, especially when they are told about it. Sometimes they don't have as much support as they need but they are still such strong people.
@j95 cost of treatment is a huge consideration. this is something that i worry about all the time!
