Leanne’s Lifestyle Blog

Obviously our number 1 wish would be:

Health & Fitness

To be ‘fit & healthy’ and not have to live with a chronic illness and all the complications that comes with it. Such as

• The physical and mental trauma. This strips you of your independence, confidence and the person you once were.
• The strains it puts on relationships/friendships. Your family dynamics change, roles within your family change because your loved ones become your carer.
• The barriers that the illness presents. Being unable to work due to pain & fatigue. This also adds financial pressures.

Understanding & Validation

We would love for others to have an understanding of our chronic condition and how the symptoms affect us.

To know that chronic means forever, no cure!

We’d like acknowledgment, that it's okay to have bad days, feel low, or need space. We want to feel heard and validated, not dismissed or told "you don't look sick".

Compassion

We want help maintaining normalcy and connection.

We are not looking for pity, but would love someone who could listen to our health fears/worries, without giving advice. Someone to cry with, who offers empathy and doesn’t make us feel like a burden.

We would like people to know how hard we are trying every single day and to feel that our best is good enough.

Recognition of symptoms/pain

Some people can not remember the last time they experienced pain. Someone with a chronic illness cannot remember the last time they had a pain free day. We know that we may not look sick, but we want recognition that even on our good days we are in pain. Medication doesn’t stop our pain, it just brings it down to a manageable level.

Respect for fluctuations & Flares

Understanding that our needs, ability and energy levels can change daily (sometimes hourly). Just because we are able to do an activity one day, doesn’t mean we will be able to do it the next. In fact ‘‘pushing through” an activity can actually cause a flare up of symptoms/pain.Making plans is difficult, we never know how we will feel on the day. When plans are cancelled or changed depending upon our pain levels, we don’t mean to cause upset/frustration, this is not a choice but is necessary for our health.

No judgement

A chronic illness can take someone who is educated ambitious, hardworking and tireless and rob them of their ability to work, clean house, exercise, think clearly or feel healthy ever again. We are not lazy, we only have a certain amount of energy and right now our body is using that just to survive.

Living with a chronic illness is hard enough. Being doubted, judged or dismissed is heart breaking.k