Why I think more folks with chronic illness should blog

July 26, 2020

Several days ago this blog had an anniversary: 9 years! It’s hard to believe that I have been writing about chronic illness issues for 9 years and people have been reading it. In those 9 years I have written 769 posts. WOW! And in those 9 years I have learned a lot about the benefits of blogging about chronic illnesses.

I have learned that this is an excellent outlet. On this site I have written about my fears and learned that I was not the only one with those fears. I have written about my pain, fatigue, and other symptoms and have learned that I was not the only one dealing with those symptoms. I have written about medical trauma, embarrassment, harassment, and more. Again, I learned that others experienced those same things. I have also written about supportive friends, caring family, great doctors, and others, and found joy in others’ stories of similar experiences. This has not only helped with the loneliness and isolation that I, like so many others with chronic illness, experience, but it was also extremely validating.

I didn’t know many people with chronic illnesses when I started this blog. Slowly, I got to know my regular commenters. I now get excited when I see a comment from Lorna, Cordelia’s Mom, Tamara, Karen J, and others who I feel I have come to know in some small way. Making connections is hard, especially for those in a community where so many are not able to connect due to the very issue that makes them search out connection in the first place. Blogging gave me a way to reach out to people around the world and have people reach back, all without leaving our homes.

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So often we are left on our own to figure things out. Doctors aren’t helpful, or the help we need is outside their area of expertise. I have written about so many things that I struggled with and I received a lot of good advice from folks who have actual lived experience. You gave me tips on transporting a wheelchair, getting a bidet to help with my sore butt after too much wiping (thankfully that’s no longer an issue now that my food problems have been sorted out!), dealing with inconsiderate strangers, and more. Blogging has brought me so much useful information. Thank you for that!

Most surprising to me were the therapeutic benefits of blogging. Living with chronic illness is hard. I was able to vent when I needed to vent, without judgment or burdening a friend. I said things that I probably wouldn’t have told another person. I was used to hiding so much, and suddenly I had an outlet. It was like a public diary at times. Making this blog anonymous gave me a freedom that I had never experienced and I was able to open up. At first I just opened up a little, but to my shock, those most difficult, most private posts were the ones that people most appreciated. I got so many comments from folks saying that they wished more people would discuss those topics. That encouraged me to write about them a bit more. And then more.

This blog gave me the chance to practice that openness. As I became more comfortable writing about my symptoms, fears, and diagnoses on this anonymous blog, I began to slowly talk about those things in person also. Bit by bit it became easier, and now I am a fairly outspoken advocate. I highly doubt that would have happened without this blog.

Blogging isn’t for everyone. I have more recently done some work under my real name. Under my real name I write, speak on podcasts, and have even done a few videos. They are all so different, and I can see why each is both loved and hated by various people. I’m a talker, and I prefer talking in general, but when it comes to my chronic illnesses, I definitely prefer writing. That just works for me. I also prefer reading blogs instead of listening to podcasts or watching videos. But each has its benefits.

Maybe something else works for you. Despite the title of this post, I don’t think that blogging is necessarily best for everyone. But I do think that many folks with chronic illnesses can benefit by having some sort of blog, social media channel, YouTube vlog, or other way of sharing.

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And beyond each person’s individual benefit, I believe that the community as a whole benefits when we write and talk about our chronic illnesses. Our community is marginalized. We feel isolated. Too many people pretend that chronic illness doesn’t exist or isn’t important. Government programs do not support us, laws do not protect us. We face discrimination and worse. Communicating with each other and with the world will help. It will help the individuals who are also feeling marginalized and it will help society in general.

So if you have ever considered starting a blog, a podcast, a YouTube channel, or anything else, why not start today? You can start for free with very little time commitment. If you’re not sure where to begin, please reach out to me (msrants@gmail.com) and I’ll be glad to help you!

Thank you for 9 wonderful years. I look forward to continuing to write and communicate with you!

4 Comments | Educating, Isolation, Raves | Permalink
Posted by chronicrants

Finding my new (figurative) voice

May 21, 2020

I haven’t written here for a while, and I have been trying to figure out why I feel less motivated. Is it the pandemic? Is it that I have run out of things to rant about after nearly 9 years (wow!) of this blog? I have finally had to admit to myself that it’s neither; it’s my book.

Many years ago, I decided to write a book about living with chronic illness. I plodded along slowly for several years, finally picking up the pace about a year ago. More recently, I have been spending a lot of time working on it. But lack of time isn’t why I haven’t been writing here.

In addition to the time I have spent on the book itself, I have also spent a lot of time talking and writing about the book. I am in writing groups with other authors, I talk to family and friends about it, I talk to interested strangers about it, I post about it on social media, I write about it to the followers on my email list. But the effort of talking and writing about the book isn’t what is stopping me from writing here, either.

Finally I figured it out: it’s my voice. You see, I chose to write the book under my real name. I am sharing a lot more there than I am used to sharing publicly. At the same time, I am sharing less than what I have shared on this site. I am finding a new balance, and in the process, I am holding back on some things. The question I ask myself isn’t, “Should I talk about this in an email or on the blog?” Instead, it’s, “Should I talk about this under my real name or use my pseudonym?” For years I leaned towards the latter but more recently I have been leaning towards the former. And as I share more with my other audience under my real name, I struggle with not sharing those same stories here. After all, how can I maintain my anonymity here if I share the same story under my real name?

Don’t worry, though, I am not abandoning this blog! Instead, I am simply finding a new balance. As with many things in life, this is not a one-time task but an ongoing process. At the beginning of the book, I had to find that balance and I did. Now am finding it again, and the pandemic only complicates things. When I eventually publish the book, I am sure I will need to find that balance again. This is just how things go. But I am sure that I will be find my ranting mojo before too long.

Meanwhile, I would love to know, have any of you ever written books about chronic illness? If so, did you write under your real name or a pseudonym? Did you enjoy it? Was it well-received? Please tell me all about it in the comments! Feel free to share the link to your book so that others can find it, too.

As for the link to my book, well, first of all the book isn’t done yet, so there’s no link. But also, there’s that whole anonymity thing again. If I share the link to a book that’s under my own name, then I won’t be so anonymous anymore, will I? And while I may one day be comfortable sharing all of the stories about myself that are on this blog (I’m mostly comfortable with that now, in fact), there are some stories here about family, friends, dates, and others that are not mine to share. I always checked with them before writing those stories, but they agreed to be mentioned on a blog that was anonymous, and it wouldn’t be right to change that now. So this blog will remain anonymous. Still, my hope is that when my book is one day published, you will find it anyhow. And that it will bring you joy and comfort.

3 Comments | Decisions, Expectations, Raves | Permalink
Posted by chronicrants

When the solution becomes the problem

March 31, 2020

How do you handle fear? It’s one of the most basic human emotions, and something that we all experience from time to time. Right now, I would guess that more of the world than usual is feeling it on a regular basis.

I don’t know if there’s a “right” way to handle fear, I only know my way: planning, control, and facts. When I’m scared about a new medical test or a current flare or even something not health-related, I deal with it by focusing on the facts, and making plans for what might happen. That allows me to feel in control, which in turn reduces the fear. It’s not perfect, but mostly it works.

Right now, that’s not possible. We have few facts; this is a disease that didn’t exist in humans just a few months ago. The facts that we think we know, keep changing. It also depends on which experts we ask.

Making plans makes things worse. One downside to being a planner is that I’m great at looking 10 steps ahead. I read a lot, so I understand a lot about the world, not just in terms of the pandemic but in general. On top of that, I’m smart. I’m also a logical thinking, very left-brained. Put all of that together, and I have some very clear ideas about where the world might be headed. I have multiple scenarios in mind, based on what actions are/aren’t taken and what so-called facts turn out to be true or false. None of them are good, though some are worse than others. Unfortunately, so far my predictions (made 2 weeks ago) have been accurate.

Not only is making plans very difficult, but there’s another wrinkle: they don’t help. There is absolutely nothing I can do to make the situation in the world any better. There is nothing I can do to make it so that I can sooner see my family or my friends, go out socially, date, have sex. Nothing.

The best I can do is make plans to keep myself alive and healthy. So far I am doing that through day-to-day actions. There are no long-term plans to be made. I just have to keep doing what I’m doing: staying in my apartment, carefully cleaning the groceries that my neighbor brings to me, leaving my mail to sit in the corner of my home for a week (I’m cautious and also not that interested in the mail.) My “plans” involve planning meals, ordering extras of my prescriptions in advance, choosing ebooks to download, and texting friends to stay in touch. Those are not long term things.

Looking at “facts” is not only unhelpful, it’s incredibly stressful. It makes me feel a lot worse. Ditto for making plans. I never tell anyone my predictions because I don’t want to upset anyone, but they aren’t great. I hope I’m wrong, I really do. But in the meantime, having those thoughts in my head only makes things worse. Even as I type this, I am being careful not to think about anything in detail.

So what’s the answer? For me, it’s focusing on the day-to-day. As a planner, that has always been incredible difficult. I thrive on thinking about the future, not only to handle fear, but also to increase excitement about fun things to come, to work out solutions to problems, and more. Avoiding thinking about the future is taking a real effort.

I like reading the news, but right now that’s stressful. Still, I don’t want to avoid the world, and there are other things happening. So I am reading the headlines every day, and trying to only read articles that are not pandemic-related. I am not succeeding 100%, but the reduction has still helped immensely.

When family and friends talk about the pandemic, it’s hard not to get drawn in. I have always been political, so it’s hard not to get sucked into conversations about the way our politicians are handling things. But since I hugely disagree with almost everything they are doing, yet have no ability to change it, this upsets me again. Whenever these topics come up, I try to change the subject. Again, I do not succeed 100% of the time, but any reduction is helpful. I am trying.

Focusing on the day-to-day can be especially hard when so little else is happening. When I talk to someone and ask, “What’s new?” they don’t have much to say. I am trying to focus instead on question like, “What have your kids been doing to stay busy?” “What are you reading right now?” “What shows or movies have you been watching?” It helps a lot to have something else to talk about, and it gives me ideas of shows and movies to watch. For my part, I tell them about the books I’m currently reading, the bird that’s building a nest outside my window, or anything else I can think of on a neutral topic. I ask about their families and tell them about mine.

This is hard. There is nothing about this situation that is easy for anyone. I am alone, and not being around other people is hard. Others are with families that are crowding them and they need time alone. Yet others are in unhealthy home environments are need to leave but can’t. We are scared. Kids aren’t learning. People are losing their jobs or becoming overworked. There’s a lot of stress out there. So yes, it’s damn hard.

That’s why I am focused so much on taking it one day at a time. It doesn’t fix anything in the long term, but it makes this manageable for me in the short term. For now, that needs to be enough.

And one more thing: when I need to, I have a good cry. Because that’s ok, too.

Leave a Comment » | Expectations, Frustration, Isolation, Rants, Raves, Unpredictable | Permalink
Posted by chronicrants

Some positives about self-isolation with chronic illness

March 17, 2020

This is a tough time for the world, and the worst is yet to come. Some days I feel ok and others I struggle. I have some anxiety due to past medical traumas. They’re triggered by medical stuff. I manage it by controlling my situation as much as I can and by using facts to dispel fear. So as my therapist said, this is a perfect storm for me: a medical issue with few facts and nothing I can control. Yeah, it’s rough. And there are plenty of things being written about the negatives, so I decided to share some positives.

For context, right now I am self-isolating. I am taking a walk every day (away from people) and otherwise not leaving my apartment. I am at higher risk of complications, and there’s that whole anxiety/control issue I mentioned.

The thing about being disabled and having chronic illness is that I already spend tons of time at home. If you do, too, then these will feel familiar.

  • I already know how to be home for days at a time without seeing other people.
  • I know how to entertain myself alone at home. I have books, projects, and more. I won’t be bored.
  • I don’t feel like I’m missing out on fun activities, because everything is cancelled.
  • Museums, operas, concerts, and more are being streamed online for free. These are things I can’t attend due to health and money, but now I get to see them! What a treat!
  • Everyone is in the same situation. I no longer feel like the odd one.
  • When neighbors walk by my apartment (on the first floor) and I’m still in my pajamas at 11am, they don’t give me strange looks. Again, I’m not the only one.
  • When I’m home watching tv every single night, I don’t feel like a loser; everyone else is doing the same thing.
  • Friends are home more, so they have more time to text during the day, even if they’re working from home. (Shhh, don’t tell their bosses.)
  • Friends are at home and bored, so they’re video chatting during the day if they aren’t working, and at night if they are working. I’ve had more video chats this week than I usually have in 6 months!
  • With so few appointments, I’m getting more done at home. Today I cleaned the kitchen counters. Tomorrow I will vacuum.
  • I know how to practice self-care. I am distracting myself as necessary, eating properly, and doing my physical therapy at home as much as I can.
  • People I know, including some who I barely have any contact with typically, have reached out to ask how I am and to offer help. It’s a great reminder of how wonderful people can be.

After another month or two of isolation I might feel less positive, so right now I am trying to look on the bright side as much as possible. Please share any positives that you can think of in the comments. If you can’t think of new ones but you like any of mine, share those. The more positives the better!

Good luck to all of you. I hope that you and your loved ones are able to get through this as well as possible.

5 Comments | Expectations, Frustration, Isolation, Limitations, Raves | Permalink
Posted by chronicrants

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