What do irritable bowel syndrome, heart disease, arthritis, emphysema, diabetes, and inflammatory bowel disease have in common? They are all chronic illnesses. Nobody wants to have a chronic illness. However, the majority of us will develop one or more during our lives. Health is soundness of body and mind, and a healthy life is one which seeks that soundness. Therefore, a healthy way to live with a chronic illness is to work at overcoming the physical and emotional problems caused by the disease. The goal is to achieve the greatest possible physical capability and pleasure from life.

Chronic Illness

Health problems fall into one of two categories, acute or chronic. Acute problems usually begin abruptly, are easily diagnosed, are of short duration and respond to a specific treatment. For most illnesses, one can expect a cure and a return to normal health. For the patient and the health care provider there is relatively little uncertainty.

Chronic illnesses are different. They begin and proceed slowly. Unlike acute diseases, chronic illnesses have multiple causes varying over time, including heredity, lifestyle factors, exposure to environmental factors and physiological factors. In some cases, the long term effects may be difficult to predict. This lack of a predictable pattern is a major characteristic of most chronic illnesses.

Chronic illnesses may lead to a loss of physical conditioning. Fatigue is often the culprit, getting in the way of prior activities. This lack of activity accelerates physical deconditioning, which, coupled with the uncertainty about the future, often creates a sense of anxiety and helplessness. Believing nothing can be done is a guarantee that nothing will be done, thus reinforcing helplessness and perpetuating the vicious cycle. A primary problem of living with a chronic illness is dealing with this cycle of physical deconditioning and helplessness. This is the first in a series of articles that examine ways of breaking this cycle. The articles will not discuss miracles or cures, rather you will find tips and ideas to make your life easier.

Causes of Chronic Illness

Chronic illnesses start at a cellular level. Though biological causes differ, the symptoms they cause are similar. Fatigue, pain, loss of energy and sleep problems are not uncommon. These symptoms often interfere with everyday life and may require a change in your social activities. Other common problems with chronic illnesses are depression, fear and concern for the future.

It is important to learn that because similarities exist among chronic illnesses, the central management tasks and skills one must learn to live with different chronic illnesses are also similar. You must learn problem-solving skills, how to respond to trends in your disease, as well as overcoming physical and emotional problems. Other skills include developing and maintaining exercise and nutrition programs, learning relaxation techniques to deal effectively with stress, making decisions about when to seek medical help, working effectively with your health care provider, appropriate use of medications, finding and using community resources, talking about your illness with family and friends, and if necessary, changing social activities. Take control of the illness rather than let the illness take control of you.

In order to do this, it is essential to understand the characteristics of your chronic illness. The patient’s experience and understanding are often the best indicators of the path’s course. Self-management is most effective when the clinician encourages and facilitates learning by the patient and the patient responds by participating in decisions.

The key to success is deciding what you want to do, how you are going to do it, learning the set of skills and practicing them until they have been mastered. What you do may not be as important as the sense of confidence and control that comes from successfully doing something you want to do. Learning the skills is not enough; they must be incorporated into your daily life. First attempts are often clumsy and slow and show few longlasting results. It is easier to return to old ways than to continue trying to master new and sometimes difficult tasks. The best way to master new skills is through practice and evaluation of the results.

Self Management

What you do about something is largely determined by how you think about it. Your thoughts can greatly determine what happens to you and how you handle your health problems. It may be helpful to think of your illness as a path that goes up and down. To negotiate this path, one must incorporate many strategies and negotiate obstacles. Good self-managers learn and utilize skills that fall into three main categories: skills needed to deal with illness, skills needed to continue your normal life, skills needed to deal with emotions.

If you would like to learn more about taking control of IBS specifically, you may want to sign up for our IBS class. For more information, please call (310) 843-0601. Next issue…becoming a self-manager.