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The Struggle of Coming to Terms With Having an Illness Since Childhood

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When you’ve been sick since a young age, most of the time it feels normal. It becomes part of your daily routine. As a child, I couldn’t care less about my illness or the effects it was having on me. I took everything in my stride. But through my late teenage years, I struggled with coming to terms with the reality of my illness and the effects it would have on me and honestly, I still do.

Coming to the realization of what “chronic” really means is difficult. The definition of chronic is “constant” and “persistent.” It means it’s never going away; it’s lifelong. There are treatments out there that can help relieve the pain and the symptoms for a little while, but that’s only temporary.

I’ve grown up with pain, fatigue and illness. I’ve watched the way technology and treatments have changed over time for the better. It gave me the hope that one day, something is going to take all the pain away, make the fatigue vanish. But the reality of that is almost impossible. Some people think that by now, I should have come to terms with my chronic illness, but it’s something I’m really struggling with and if you are too, it’s OK. You’re not alone. Forever sounds like (and is) a long time.

Photo credit: MarinaZg/Getty Images

Originally published: November 15, 2019
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