Coping with Chronic Illness

As well as the problem of the illness itself - the medical issues - having such a diagnosis can have profound effects in a person's life and sometimes in the way they are seen by others. It can also affect our own sense of identity, the way we understand ourselves.

It can be a big transformation in our lives, and it would be good to find ways of letting it enrich rather than reduce us.

You may be asking yourself:

What is the best way of asking for help?
Could I communicate better with family and friends?
Can I improve the relationship with my doctor?
Should I give up my job? What about the future?

and at a deeper level wondering

am I still the person I thought I was?
can I be valued when I'm not being useful to people or at work?
how can I keep from letting this take over my life?

Doing things to help yourself can include:

Balancing activity (both physical and mental) with rest, aiming always to stop before getting too tired.
Planning your life to include pleasure and satisfaction, even though there may be things you can't do easily any more.
Budgeting your expenditure of energy
Practising relaxation and calm breathing

Recently mindfulness meditation has been shown be helpful in managing longterm pain or anxiety.

In her most recent book Living with Longterm Illness Frankie Campling covers these topics and more. She herself has CFS Chronic Fatigue Syndrome sometimes called M.E. and provides telephone support for people with long term conditions, so has real experience of the issues faced by people with long term illness.

She pays particular attention to the way that she and others with a diagnosis of a long term debilitating condition think about themselves within that condition. What would be the small steps that would make a difference? This is part of the picture of helping yourself through tough times, rather than being overwhelmed by them.

Frankie Campling has also written a patient information booklet - Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Your Questions Answered, Frankie Campling and John Campling, Erskine Press, and a book - Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: The Facts, Frankie Campling and Michael Sharpe, Oxford University Press (also available on Amazon).