Finding out that you or a loved one has a chronic illness can be a devastating discovery. There are a flood of emotions that rush through you: denial, resentment, anger, sadness, just to name a few. You probably think: “why did this have to happen to me, or my loved one?” You can rest assured that these are all normal emotions and there’s no need to feel ashamed for having these kinds of emotions.
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The worst you can do is to bottle up what you are feeling, talk to someone you trust, tell them your thoughts and your fears. Be honest with yourself and the people closest to you.

Make sure to do as much research about the chronic condition as you can. There is however a big BUT to this one: make sure you use reputable sources when you do your research. The internet is filled with vast amounts of information on anything imaginable, but it is also filled with infinite amounts of rubbish. Do not trust information you receive on the internet without checking the qualifications of the source you received the information from.

Always monitor your chronic condition with the help of your physician or a nurse. It is important to keep your doctor up to date on your condition and especially any changes in your medical condition.

Seek help from a support group. Most well known chronic conditions have support groups in almost any town. It is both therapeutic and gratifying to know that you are not the only one suffering from a chronic condition and that there are other people going through exactly the same trials as you.

Make sure that you know and understand the medication you need to take, if it is injections; make sure that you and your loved ones know how to inject the medication. If it is pills, make sure you know the correct dose to take, again make sure your loved ones know the correct dose. It is important to train a loved one in the correct dosage and administration of your medication because you might not be able to administer the medication by yourself in the case of an emergency.
Photo: Flickr: SashaW

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