Chronic Illness Impacts Daily Life

“Unfortunately ive dealt with a chronic illness for years, it’s only now after years that i have a diagnosis. And i managed to CLEAR IT!!! although I am still poorly and have so much more to deal and test for but ive gotten rid of one thing which is such a win for me I’m 18 and spent 6 months of my uni life sat in bed because i could not get up or leave my house unless for appointments. I’ve had a break up, lost so many friends because of this and it’s horrible. And it obviously has such an impac”

You’ve got this

“Hang in there, get treatment, and just take things one day at a time. Be patient with your self. I hope it all works out for you!”

“I have health issues too, and I dread doctors. I am finally pushing myself to see my dr today about a problem I’ve had for years. Please push yourself to goto the hospital. If the infection has gone to your chest, it can be so so so dangerous. I am feeling so much concern for you right now. Please keep us updated 🙏❤️‍🩹”

“I have gastroparesis, wear leg splints, and for 19 years my illness took my career from me. Not dramatically. Quietly. The way chronic illness does, one compromise at a time until you look up and realise how far you've drifted from who you were. I'm not defined by that anymore. I refused to be. This November I'm driving the entire North Coast 500 in 7 days, launching from Inverness Castle on the 6th, filming every mile of it with two drones. It's the biggest physical and logistic”

“This year has been so so hard. I've been chronically ill my whole life, but an infection earlier this year kicked everything off to be so much worse. I'm constantly in pain, constantly unsure of what food my body will let me eat, and constantly on high alert with all time high health anxiety. I don't understand where my baseline is and what is a flair anymore. I feel like I don't know which way is up, every medication I take has horrific side effects and nothing is working. I am”

“I’ve been reading the biographies of moral heroes, and I’d guess ~50% of them struggled with ongoing health issues. Being sick sucks, but it doesn’t necessarily mean you won’t be able to do a ton of good Florence Nightingale Benjamin Franklin William Wilberforce Alexander Hamilton Helen Keller It’s not everybody, but it’s a surprising percentage of them. I myself struggle with a chronic mystery ailment and I find it inspiring to hear about all of these people who still managed to do great things”

“I’m so worried for the future. I am already sick or injured all the time. Calling in sick all the time from work due to my variable medical issues. What can my future look like even? Should I just plan to be in a nursing home by 40… Like I can afford to live but not really save much especially with medical expenses. I’m so scared about what’s going to happen when I can’t work consistently or when everything just gets worse with age. What do yall do? I’m married and he helps me a lot with everyth”

“hello!! i put the post as NSFW due to said stomach issues...id rather be overcautious than accidentally bother someone 😅 anyway a little context (and mini rant, apologies): i have chronic nausea and vomiting, no matter what, when, how much or how often i eat or drink. i have yet to be diagnosed of anything other than some stomach bugs and a stomach ulcer from high school, but ever since i moved in feb, its gotten so much worse. sometimes its just nausea, sometimes i do throw up, and sometimes i”

“Hey y'all! I have adenomyosis (compounded with other issues), meaning half of every month I'm basically a hermit who lives in my bed. I used to be a pretty active person, mainly hiking and backpacking. The inability to do physical activity without it causing a flare or bleeding is driving me nuts. I'm getting zoochosis sitting around all day. Any recommendations for physical activities that don't make your body attack itself later? submitted by /u/Appropriate-Bar-2532”

“I have been dealing with chronic illness for almost 7 years. *h pylori (a stomach infection) *gastritis *systemic candida overgrowth *non alcoholic fatty liver *iron deficiency *D deficiency *Pcos-insulin resistance *stage 4 endometriosis *high blood pressure (but not all the time) *Low hormones *anxiety *degenerative disc disease and arthritis in my lower back so with all these things, I feel unwell most of the time. I'm now on day 15 of a "flare up"if you will. All of these sympt”

“Hi all! I've been struggling with chronic illness since 2021 and one of the things that my rheumatologist told me is to look into an anti-inflammatory diet. I've always known my diet is not healthy; I have a sweet tooth and carbs have been my friend through lifelong depression and I've never felt stable enough mentally (although I've been in the mental health 'system' begging for proper diagnosis & treatment for 20 years, lol) to give up the things help me cope. When”

“I’m over 30, and some time ago I was involved in a car accident. Since then, my life has changed completely. I also have an autoimmune illness that makes me extremely weak. After the accident, I developed severe sleep problems and was later diagnosed with FND. My doctors prescribed two medications for depression. Since that time, everyday life has become extremely difficult. I used to be a very active person, but now I have gained a lot of weight, I have very little energy, and I strugg”

“So, there's a lotta medical abuse where I was supposed to have known this like 4-5 years before now, but thats super upsetting so we are gonna not focus on that part, I've already vented about it a lot lately to the people in my life. (Update, I kinda waffle back and forth but its pretty important to the anecdote so TW for later in the post) Anyway, Fun fact! Chronic appendicitis is a very rare form of appendicitis that can happen to people. Its also called reccurent or 'mild' ap”

“My whole life I've pretty much had my pain and inflammation linked. But about a month ago I started having pain in my SI joint, and by the other day it was so by I couldn't sleep, and I went in. We did the blood work for my inflammation markers and the sed rate was pretty much in my normal range(higher then normal), but my CRP was completely normal (which it hasn't been in 5 years). We did xrays as well but i haven't gotten those results back yet but more then likely it will show”

“hi there, my friend is having a bad flare-up of their illness and has really low mental and physical energy (can sit in a chair and converse for a few hours/do a task by hand but feels very foggy during that time). i want to cheer my friend up with a fun craft, and i'm also chronically ill but frankly i don't have great ideas for accessible activities off the top of my head. does anyone have any recommendations for activities they've found soothing and satisfying that also have a low”

“Talk to your doctor! A lot of women (myself included) get diagnosed with conditions that were either missed or ignored before. Any disadvantages you’d been unconsciously compensating for are suddenly very noticeable after you enter your mid thirties and especially after having children, because symptoms tend to become more intense and your coping mechanisms just don’t work as well as they used to.”

“I love to read and would love to have a little virtual book club with other folks with chronic illness. I’m thinking we meet monthly and share what we’ve been reading, but I’m also open to running it differently than that. What do you think? Would anyone be interested? submitted by /u/dee1000dee [link] [comments]”

“So I've been struggling for quite a while now to make sense of my medical condition. Basically, my situation is that I've been dealing with this issue where I'm pretty much just tired all the time, and I haven't been able to get a medical diagnosis that I feel does a reasonable job of explaining why I've been experiencing this symptom. The tiredness doesn't cause me to sleep for more than 8 hours a day. It just puts me into a state where I feel the need to lie down a lot,”

“36+6 today, the past few weeks I’ve been dealing with really bad pelvic and sciatic pain, to the point where I could barely walk or get up without being in a decent amount of pain. Woke up today feeling great, almost no pelvic pain at all! I was able to take my toddler out on a 30 minute walk, clean the floors, and do a bunch of things that I wouldn’t have been able to do the past few weeks. As of this evening I’m feeling a lot of pressure below and like the baby is hitting my cervix, but no con”

“I'm glad I found this sub because I need to vent for a moment somewhere in a community with people who understand what it's like. I have Hashimoto's, hypothyroidism, endometriosis, adenomyosis and BPD and at the moment I have no idea which one is flaring up as they're all under treatment. I'm an artist, I want to make this a career, I work as hard as possible every day and even had commissions open for a while and it was going well. Then for the past couple of weeks I began f”

“Four years ago I had a surprise heath collapse. Spent 5mos in hospital, nearly died multiple times. Finally discharged with a collection of rare and ultra rare diseases & disorders. Nothing can be cured, it can all be managed. I’m generally pretty optimistic and like to focus on positives. Not surprisingly, my life is very different now. On disability, unable to work, struggle to function, need assistance with household tasks. It’s a massive change from the active totally independent, athlet”

“To start, I’ve been diagnosed with Fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, and ehlers danlos syndrome. I’m a 22F and have been taking the last year off school to deal with my mental and physical health. I only really have one close friend because of anxiety, but also because I do not have the energy to maintain any other friendships. It doesn’t feel fair to others to have any more friends, because I already feel like a bad one. I can only hang out a couple times a week because of my energy and pain, I ca”

“illness can take so much, but what’s one thing big or small you want to have back? submitted by /u/Alligator590 [link] [comments]”

“Is anyone else tired of being slammed with so many life experiences that feel like they are the "hardest experience of your life," one after the other? At the beginning of August, I started tapering off Cymbalta, an anxiety medication I've been on for about 8 years. After switching my dose to morning-time, my doctor and I believed that it was worsening my REM sleep because taking it in the morning made my REM sleep nonexistent compared to very little (see medical history at bottom”

“Here is some perspective from a 66 year old woman who used to walk everyday and was in great shape until when she had a laminectomy. And 3 months later she fell. Now, k n o c k a e e d, I would kill to go outside and just take a walk, but I too feel like I look awful plus I have a new friend- the aluminum Walker currently required to keep me upright. I write this to you not to disrespect your feelings or make them less intense, but I guess seeing that I'm laying in a hospital bed, in a way I”

submitted by /u/MemoirsOfAChristian [link] [comments]

“Hi, lately I am going through a lot. Living with chronic illness is one thing but get consumed by that illness is what I am going through. I am nearly 30 and I am that point of life where everything seems just not worth it to struggle for. I am just questioning my entire existence. Have no friend circle because most of them are married and settled in other cities. So it's just me and my thoughts. Even though i am hustling and trying to meet the both ends but still nothing is happening. So I”

“Good afternoon. I guess this is more of a rant than anything. Over the last few years I have been diagnosed with both Crohn's disease and epilepsy. They both hurt a lot, even though different amounts at different times. I have seizures every month and terrible diarrhea throughout the day. It's left me messing up the bed on days when they both hit me hard. I am just very sad and hope that no one else has to go through this. Thanks for listening. submitted by /u/argentangel [li”

“I know fatigue, I'm sure all of us know it. It's just a part of being chronically ill however it has for sure been kicking my ass lately. To the point where being in bed is not really a comfort choice anymore but a must. If I'm up I have to keep momentum or I find myself floating back to my bed as if i'd spent the last 36 hours traveling on 3 hours of sleep instead of 15 minutes standing up throwing together dinner. I've tried the usual extra rest for 2-3 days with increased”

“Hurt my back a couple of weeks ago. Went away after a few days. Back seized after a shower last night and the pain went from crippling to now fairly localised to my right flank. I reckon it's all harmless or muscular but it's hard to know. It could be my endo obstructing a utero tube. It could be one of my TSC-causing kidney amls acting up. It could a bog standard kidney infection or stones. It could just be weak muscles. I know the obvious answer is to go to my GP but I'm medically”

“Hello. I’m diagnosed with axial and peripheral AS, fibro, borderline scleroderma, raynauds, and under evaluation for Crohn’s. It pisses me off SO FKIN MUCH when i see people post reels about being sick with either stock photos of meds and hospitals or it’ll be acne meds, hair growth meds, or fkin cold meds. Or even about like minor back pain cuz of posture or smth. BEING SICK IS NOT A TREND. And then I feel terrible because any pain is pain still. And I feel like I’m being an as\\\*hole by react”

“Hello! I’m 29F, and have confirmed celiac and hashimotos, but have had other long term mystery flares (pretty much over 10 years) , that have never really been figured out out, and to an extent I have always attributed them to one of the above diagnosis. The past 6-7 months I’ve been in another pretty rough mystery flare, and trying to investigate what it might be more thoughroughly. I went to the doc today to get referrals to the specialist, and she has given me a LDN (naltrexone) and she was s”

“Hi guys A year ago I became chronically ill with some sort of dysautonomia Have not found a way to manage it still but investigations have been going very slowly as you can imagine I deal with pain, dizziness, derealization, palpitations, difficulty breathing, being pre syncope, really bad GI issues and a bunch of other wonderful things. It's been weeks now that I wake up every morning and I get the worst anxiety and depression thinking about how I have to go through this hell again. I genui”

“Is anyone else struggling? Hi, I'm a woman and I was diagnosed with possible Marfans at age 8 and had a scoliosis surgery when I was 13. I'm 33 now and things have been really hard on me. I hear so many stories about people being able to live normal lives, but it just hasn't been that way for me.I was probably doing well until I got into the work cycle and in just a few years the damage became permanent. I would constantly go to doctors but my pain was ignored for a very long time un”

“I have ME/CFS, kyphoscoliosis, nerve damage from the above, and the usual host of stuff we all have. Stress, more pain and fatigue, lack of sleep, etc. I've been stuck at what I thought was just a minimally functional level. I was eating, showering a couple times a week, able to watch TV here and there, even enjoy an audiobook or two a month. I was even getting outside for a few minutes here and there. Then I got to the point I HAVE TO HAVE MY CATARACTS REMOVED. Well, what I thought could be”

“Bit of a long shot but I've recently (in the last 2 years) been diagnosed as Autistic and ADHD, and we think me going on ADHD meds may be helpful. I've got Fibromyalgia and I'm under investigation for either EDS + MCAS or if it's autoimmune it's SLE + potentially Sjogren's (GPs narrowed the possibilities down with help from cardiology, gastrology, psychiatrist, waiting on specialist Rhuematologist input to investigate further). Has anyone with one or more of these conditi”

“I am Hans I have possible celiac disease,and I have bromhidrosis in the armpits,just this two and I'm already suffering wishing best to everyone probably will schedule this in Sunday or maybe if can tomorrow My life is just a ruined story,I was doing well from grade 5-grade 8 when I suddenly got skinny even though I eat and eat,I believe that my celiac disease activated therefore caused me to become BMI of 14 and it really effected my self esteem and confidence bromhidrosis is already making”

“I have a garden and I was physically active and then I was diagnosed with t2 🙆🏻‍♂️. Didn’t even know I had it if not for a random blood test.”

“Hi! I am 23 and ever since I was 21, I've started to have multiple types of pain, and with my extreme luck and great genetics they ALL ended up being chronic and deeply impact my life. I have PCOS, with extremely high DHEAS hormone + insulin resistence + a bit of lipoedema fat. I have chronic migraines and tension headaches about half of each month, some months maybe not some months worse. I have (undiagnosed yet) RLS in one leg + join pain worse at rest (again, yet undiagnosed but chronic a”

“Appreciate this, especially coming from someone who isn't religious. I agree that faith isn't something we can just hold onto. I think therapy, having a supportive community, stepping away from things that make our mental health worse, and continuing to seek God can all work together. Thank you for the reminder that asking for extra help doesn't mean we have failed our faith”

“I’m 27 & I feel like I’m 90. 🥺😭 submitted by /u/SatisfactionFalse833 [link] [comments]”

“Hi, I'm Amanda. I'm 28 years old, go by she/her, and was diagnosed with fibromyalgia maybe two or so years ago. I also suffer from Major Depressive Disorder, am likely also autistic, and have a total of 15 diagnosed ongoing chronic conditions. I fortunately have free health care via Medicaid. I'm just here, lying in bed, likely going to go back to sleep after I post this, then have my telehealth appointment with my therapist. Actually, it was them who suggested Reddit and to join a c”

Hey everyone, I’m looking to hear from people who have a chronic or "embarrassing" illness and how you managed to live with it. How did you cope? How did you manage university…

Hey everyone, I’m looking to hear from people who have a chronic or "embarrassing" illness and how you managed to live with it. How did you cope? How did you manage university…

“I have been diagnosed with ulcerative colitis in 2020, had a few flare ups, in a flare up right now, also booked an s1 l5 lumbar fusion spine surgery this Wednesday because i have been having chronic back-pain for two years now, i have been diagnosed with depression and adhd, on the other hand my wife is genuinely the best thing ever happened to me, i got a good job after being laidoff last year in the big tech layoff season, got good health insurance nice apartment and car, even with all the po”

“Watching medical TV shows and wondering why no doctors ever be trying that hard for you 😭. submitted by /u/AgentMedium6294 [link] [comments]”

“I’ve read Invisible Kingdom and most recently Lena Dunham’s book Famesick. It’s comforting to read other people’s accounts and learn a little more about diagnosis and treatment. Anyone have favorite chronic illness books? (Ideally something not peddling a new diet, etc. BUT I’m open to it if it’s genuinely helpful to you) submitted by /u/waverchapter [link] [comments]”

“Everyone says to research your conditions but I struggle to understand all the medical literature and often can find conflicting information. I feel like I need investigate stuff and find out what diagnostic tests I can do and research good doctors or long term care clinics. (I feel like no doctor is investigating and I don’t have a comprehensive team of doctors and have had bad tests and bad info a lot only to learn it was wrong later on.) I don’t know how to organize stuff well or take notes d”

“I have scoliosis, torticollis, fibromyalgia, & potentially Ehlers danlos ( hopefully getting a referral to be tested tomorrow bc doctors keep assuming I have some form of EDS / connective tissue disorder and some don’t want to work with me bc of it ) I also have ADHD & autism but I don’t know if that really matters. I’m medicated for my ADHD and see a therapist. So I feel like it’s fairly managed. Lately my blood tests have been showing a bunch of inflammation. Like 2 months ago I went t”

“I’m not DX’d with anything but chronic illness runs in the family. I suspect either CFS or Fibro, but unable to get to specialist. At least right now. I was having a really good pain free couple weeks. I was able to deep clean the house, do laundry, get out to walk to the library, look for jobs and study some!! I battled my fear of public transport and took myself to an unrelated medical appt. I felt like maybe I was making it all up because I felt good now. But you know what put me out? A clean”

“Unfortunately, yes, everything, especially after I got cancer which = more doctors (thyroid problems, cancer medication symptoms, and recovery (chemo PTSD).”

“As someone suffering from chronic pain.. yip doctors can not do much about it and atleast they should know that. They should atleast be sensitive about it. When I 1st diagnosed the doctor told me you'll have to live with rest of life with this pain we can control it but we can't cure it. that traumatized me. So here I am. 😌”

“I'm a 19yo female and have been in the process of getting diagnosed/tested/trying to find answers or things to help for a few years now. Long story short, I've never been fully healthy but it all started getting really bad 4 years ago (flaring but I didn't know that's what it was, I assumed allergic reactions but looking back they probably weren't). Then 2 years ago I went out of state for college and was feeling terrible, getting sick every other week, struggling so much, an”

submitted by /u/Embarrassed_Net_786 [link] [comments]

“First time posting on reddit : ) So basically, I’ve (19F) been experiencing chronic pain all my life. Growing up, I was diagnosed with scoliosis, pigeon toed, femoral anteversion, and valgus knee. My parents took me to many doctors throughout my childhood, all of whom said that I would simply “grow out” of my problems. Eventually when I was 11, I was told I needed surgical intervention. I had it, however, with minimal success. I still deal with chronic pain, I still struggle to walk. Every year”

“Title says most of it! What is a moment that you still think about, in a different way to everything else. It can be good or bad. Sending spoons 🥄💕 submitted by /u/bored23532 [link] [comments]”

“Hi all 👋 I'm very much in need of some advice. I have suspected POTS (unable to get a solid diagnosis), and have been formally diagnosed fibromyalgia and AuDHD. For the past 9 years I've dealt with regular flares of full body pain, brain fog, dizziness, headaches/migraines. I have daily intense fatigue that has not lifted in years and a low capacity to stand for more than 5 minutes at a time. I was doing ok work wise for a while but about a year ago, presumably due to the constant stres”

“Hi guys, I'm a 24F who has been having issues with muscular weakness and occasional numbness. My main issues are muscular pain (feels like when I have the flu) on one or both of my legs at a time, my muscles get very weak after using them (not sore), and I am losing fine motor skills in my hands. I saw a neurologist and neuromuscular doctor who I thought did a pretty thorough work up. I got tested for MG (seronegative and regular), MS, MD, and many others. Tests they did were a brain MRI, EM”