Healing from Chronic Illness

Does any of this sound familiar?

You take a laundry list of pills and yet you wonder if they actually are helping you. You hate taking the pills, don't really believe in medications as the answer but you also don't know what else to do.

The messages from your doctor sometimes feel scary, your symptoms are overwhelming, but you also have the idea in the back of your mind that there MUST be something other than meds.

You're tired of always disappointing the people in your life.

You hate not being able to go out and play with your kids, even just a quick trip to the park like a “normal” mom. There are times your kids are taking care of YOU and that just feels wrong.

You're tired of having to ask so much from your husband or partner. He works to support the family, has to do extra things around the house because you feel so crappy, and you feel like you have little to give in return.

You feel like a bad friend who never is able to go out and have lunch, do “girl time,” or have the energy to plan something nice to surprise your friend.

You feel really ALONE in all of this struggle. Like no one really knows what it is like to be you and to live with this challenge.

You feel frustrated by a doctor who doesn’t listen to you. He maybe spends five minutes in an appointment, doesn’t really see or hear you, dismisses some or most of what you say or replies “That’s just life with chronic illness.”

You're tired of people seeing you as your diagnosis- as lupus, as RA, as fibro.

You remember what it was like to be seen as a friend, wife, mother, worker, kick-ass human but now most people just focus on “How are you doing with your health issues?”